10 phrases to ban from restaurant menus

I'm always impressed when menus use quotation marks as if they impart emphasis--"fresh" catfish. Don't get me started on "sherbert."

OMG, I'm still laughing. This is all so true.

If catfish is fresh then its been in some muddy swamp on the Des Plaines flood bed.

I prefer FARMED raised catfish.

Actually there is such thing as American Kobe beef, so no, it doesn't have to be from Kobe, Japan to have the designation.

Tom, there is no such thing as American Kobe beef. There is Waygu beef, but it isn't Kobe beef. Kobe beef ONLY comes from Japan.

Just like champagne only comes from the Champagne region of France.

Oh, what about "Melody of garden vegetables?" I'm sure there's a song in that.

And don't descirbe any food or beverage as having "notes." It's not a musical score.

Fresh hen's eggs...as opposed to rooster eggs?

Who wrote this? Andy Rooney?

How about a list of phrases that should be banned from newspapers? Here's three:(1) "before turning the gun on himself"; (2) "the ensuing kickoff"; (3) "in these tough economic times"

"nestled in a bed of lettuce." -- I won't to go to bed with my food.

As mentioned by others, Kobe beef comes from around Kobe Japan. Matsuzaka Beef is actually better IMO, not sure why Kobe gets all the publicity.

As for "melting in your mouth", yes, there really is steak that good. In one of the good teppanyaki restaurants in Osaka you can get a real melt-in-your-mouth steak dinner for $250-$300.

Stupid, not even close to funny.

Down here in the Florida Keys, we have a breakfast joint called the Stuffed Pig. It has a breakfast that makes no bones about its cholesterol being off the charts -- eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns, etc. They call it The Whole Pig. Perfect descript.

kerb34 wrote:

Fresh hen's eggs...as opposed to rooster eggs?

Or as opposed to stale hen's eggs?

Some years ago at Howard's Bar and Grill on Ontario, I had been talking to Howard, the owner, about his burgers and he said he was going to put a sign in the window. I said put "Voted Chicago's Best Burger" in neon. He said "Who voted it that?" I answered, "You did." So he did it. Based on one vote: his. LOL

Saluki Rod wrote:

<quoted text>
Or as opposed to stale hen's eggs?

No, as opposed to fresh quail's eggs, or duck's eggs, or lizard's eggs. Chickens aren't the only things that lay eggs.

I'd like to add "pan-fried" to this list please. It always annoys me.
But I like your list. They should think harder about what they write on menus.

Jeez the Tribune staff has really gone bananas. Sorry to use figment of speech, but this article is full of crap. To say a meal is "homemade" isn't implying that it was made at home you dipshit. It means that it wasn't some pre-packaged frozen crap that all the other commercial chains use. Granted, a few of the items in a "homemade" meal may use pre-packaged items, that is not the point. You turned completely innocent foodie terms into hyperbol. Here's a tip, work in catering/restaurant world, you would be very very surprised what goes on, and you'd feel a little more respect to those that coined those terms you felt you had to rant about.