I don't normally do these survey things, but I need some people for a project I'm doing for school. So, I'm doing a menu project for my Cuisine Across Cultures class. In it, I have to write up a menu with eight entrees, cost it, and survey 50+ people to see what sells the best (and least). Below is a link to a sample menu I've come up with for a fictional, casual Puerto Rican eatery you'd see in a Downtown area of a city. Please look at the menu and post the following in the comments below:
1) Which item you would order?
2) The reason you'd order it?
3) What's the item you'd least likely order?
4) The reason you wouldn't order it?
Looking for good, honest feedback so I can edit the menu accordingly and write about it for my project. Thank you for any and all help with this project
1) Empanadas y Arañitas
2) It strikes the right balance between "accessible" and "Hold on, let me google these ingredients so I can know what I'm eating."
3) Pollo Guisado
4) This sounds like something I could easily just make at home.
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Yay, foodie stuff!
1. The Churrasco.
2. Initially divided between the Churrasco and the Mojo Cerdo, as both main dishes sound tantalizing. The sides, however, push me to the Churrasco, as the Carrot Jalapeno Vichy sounds far more interesting to me than simple sautéed spinach. I have a little bit of sticker shock, since it is the most expensive thing on the menu, but cows are expensive, but skirt steak is cow on the cheap that doesn't sacrifice the flavor of good steak.
3. Escabiche y Pulpo.
4. Because octopus be nasty. If I wanted to eat rubber, I'd chew on a garden hose. Honestly, I don't mind buying something I could make at home - just because I make a mean chili doesn't mean I don't want to try someone else's chili. So while I would probably order the Churrasco over the Arroz con Pollo, for instance, I would definitely try some of a friend's if they ordered it. My dealbreaker would be ingredients that I can't stand, and pretty much the only thing on this menu I would reject out of hand is the octopus salad.
Developer
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1) Escabiche Y Pulpo (I'm more familiar with seeing it spelled escabeche.)
2) It's the only fish dish on the menu, even though I'm not a big fan of octopus. I know that Puerto Rican cuisine is fairly heavy on meat, but I was surprised this was the only fish dish and that there are no vegetarian options.
3) Arroz con Pollo
4) I like chicken less than pork or beef (though I don't eat any of them) and among the three chicken dishes, this one seemed the least inspired.
Thanks for the responses so far. Between this survey here and the other outlets, I'm getting some good feedback. Funny enough, people seem polarized on the chicken dishes. My Hispanic friends and family love them, as do my picky friends. My foodie friends though seem to want something more, which is great. Though general consensus is that the stewed chicken is the least interesting menu item. Makes sense since it was the item specifically for picky eaters or indecisive eaters lol. I'm loving the feed back though.
As for the skirt steak price, I should put down that it's an 8 oz strip of steak. That's definitely my fault, so thank you for the price feedback.
As for the fish, admittedly that was sadly just for being limited to eight entrees. Though you bring up a good point about a lack of vegetarian dishes. That'll will definitely be addressed next time I do this, since my next class is food cost control and menu building.
Thanks again everyone and keep them coming . This is really helping me out:-)
Ok, I've never had Puerto Rican food, but I do like trying new places so I can see myself sitting down here.
1) Arroz con Pollo
2) It isn't something so exotic I don't know what it is, yet isn't something I'd make at home either. And a stuffed chicken leg sounds fun.
3) Pollo Guisado
4) Stewed, boiled, mixed vegetables, white rice. - Not a bit of flavor in any of those words, just bland, on bland, on bland.
Yeah, I may honestly go back and edit the description of the stewed chicken for the final draft, since it's obvious I got lazy when I got to that. Thanks for the feedback shadow cat :-)
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1) Asopao
2) I find gumbo delicious. It was also a contest between this and the Escabiche y Pulpo, which is the sole seafood dish on the menu. The reasoning boils mainly down to price, as well the octopus in the Pulpo.
3) Pollo Guisado
4) Putting potatoes together with rice just doesn't sit well in my head for some reason, I think those foods just wouldn't mix well together.
Nothing. No vegetarian option.
1) Empanadas y Arañitas
2) I like empanadas, and they're the thing on the menu that's least like anything I might make myself, especially if they're fried. Also, I'm intrigued by plantain hashbrowns. Oh dear. Ordinarily I'd try for something a bit lighter. :)
3) Asopao
4) I'm fussy, especially about textures, and gumbo is one of the things that have never won my confidence. It doesn't sound uninteresting for what it is, but it's just the least likely to tempt me personally.
I'd love to help, but I sit here trying to pick over the menu and Googling for definitions on the sauces that I'm not familiar with and I can't find a thing I'd order.
I'd LOVE to order the Churrasco, because I love steak, but I can't handle spice, and the sauces listed are hot.
I went to the Escabiche y Pulpo next, but the sauce is primarily tomato, which again I don't like.
Mofongo... don't like plantains, that's out.
Asopao... don't like gumbo, most of the time.
And so forth.
Sorry, but this just wouldn't be a restaurant I'd eat at, more likely than not.
Good luck!
Churrasco! Ay!
adonde esta los dulces y bebidas, papi? Necesito lo cuando comida mas caliente.
1) Mojo Cerdo
2) Sauce sounds really good. Plus, fried plantains.
3) Pollo Guisado
4) Sounds bland and mushy.
Additional Note: Arroz con Pollo also sounded good, but it doesn't say what the chicken is stuffed with.
Probably the arroz con pollo. I guess mostly because it is fairly predictable in terms of how the chicken will be cooked, although knowing what it is stuffed with would be good. The Mofongo also sounds real good, but are the plantains sweet or starchy?
I would be least likely to order the Kingfish. While I would like a citrus seared salmon, tuna, sword, I don't like most freshwater fish. I don't really know anything about kingfish. Also, I'm not a fan of most other seafood, so octopus is right out for me.
Just a note: As a total Gringo, I am unfamiliar with most of the sauces, and several other items on the menu. Also, the prices would be considered affordable for lunch, and almost 1/2 what I would expect to pay for diner entrees. (I live about 30 miles north of NYC).
Here is the menu of a restaurant in my hometown run by a very successful guy who also has two other restaurants.
http://www.umamicafe.com/dinner.htm
1) Which item you would order?
Mofongo.
2) The reason you'd order it?
Because Mofongo is delicious.
3) What's the item you'd least likely order?
Pollo Guisado
4) The reason you wouldn't order it?
Because if I'm going to order a chicken dish, I'd prefer the Arroz con Pollo.
I have some other comments if you're interested.
1) None of them
2) N/A
3) All of them
4) I am a vegetarian
Not very helpful, I know. But seriously, not even one vegetarian option?
For the arroz con pollo, I should have put the stuffing. I don't know how I forgot that lol. That's my fault, sorry. It's stuffed with red and green peppers, some seasoning and some panko and cilantro and garlic. It's really delicious. For the final draft, I will add that to the description.
Sorry again for the lack of vegetarian options. That was honestly due to lack of time on my part, as well as coming up with something interesting as well as keeping with the Puerto Rico theme, as well as not reusing ingredient more than three time s. Don't worry though, next time I do this menu, there will be vegetarian meals on this menu. Thanks again for the feed back guys. Keep them coming :-)
1) Which item you would order?Mofongo.
2) The reason you'd order it?Because Mofongo is delicious.
3) What's the item you'd least likely order?Pollo Guisado
4) The reason you wouldn't order it?Because if I'm going to order a chicken dish, I'd prefer the Arroz con Pollo.
I have some other comments if you're interested.
Sure thing man. I'll be taking Cost Control in two weeks so I'll be doing this once a week, if not twice a week. Any advice I can take would be great.
Probably the arroz con pollo. I guess mostly because it is fairly predictable in terms of how the chicken will be cooked, although knowing what it is stuffed with would be good. The Mofongo also sounds real good, but are the plantains sweet or starchy?
I would be least likely to order the Kingfish. While I would like a citrus seared salmon, tuna, sword, I don't like most freshwater fish. I don't really know anything about kingfish. Also, I'm not a fan of most other seafood, so octopus is right out for me.
Just a note: As a total Gringo, I am unfamiliar with most of the sauces, and several other items on the menu. Also, the prices would be considered affordable for lunch, and almost 1/2 what I would expect to pay for diner entrees. (I live about 30 miles north of NYC).Here is the menu of a restaurant in my hometown run by a very successful guy who also has two other restaurants.
http://www.umamicafe.com/dinner.htm
Nice that is helpful. I had a nice, Miami lunch place in mind when writing this menu for my fake restaurant. I'll check out the link after class (finishing now).
Oh wow, I didn't even notice the prices.
Those seem pretty reasonable prices to me, living in Chattanooga. Perhaps on the low side for when I was living back in Tempe/Mesa, AZ, but not unbelievably so.
1. The Asopao looks good to me.
2. I'd order because I love good gumbo and I'd be curious to try a new take on it.
3. I think I'd be least likely to order the Pollo Guisado
4. It doesn't seem exotic enough. When I try a new restaurant I like something that's a little familiar at first (the gumbo) but still interesting. This would seem to me to be a bit plain.
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Developer
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I worked and ran a kitchen for all of my 20s, and during that time I've written a number of menus and put 2–3 daily board specials out on dinner shifts. Sometimes writing up menus is hard, especially when dealing with food cost and trying not to reuse items too much. I think you wrote up a good menu, it could just use a bit more versatility to really highlight some other elements of Puerto Rican cuisine. I think the addition of a good vegetarian pasteles would be a hit. (Maybe roasted calabaza or chayote with peppers?)
Thanks for polling us with this!
Thanks Adam. Those will be things I'll be putting in the final draft and future drafts) tonight. This project has been a good insight in menu building. Tough but fun.
1) The Empanadas (Churassco would be #2)
2) Empanadas are awesome, I know I like them, and I tend to be conservative in my meal choices, unless I eat at a place a lot
3)Escabiche de Pulpo
4) I don't really like fish.
I have some other comments if you're interested.Sure thing man. I'll be taking Cost Control in two weeks so I'll be doing this once a week, if not twice a week. Any advice I can take would be great.
Disclaimer: I write this as someone who loves Caribbean food, but I don't have any food-service experience. It is possible my advice is terrible generalized to a wider audience.
Other folks have commented on the lack of vegetarian and minimal seafood options.
My biggest comment is that you're inconsistent in terms of what you expect the reader to know about Puerto Rican food. For instance, you don't define tostones, but you simpify 'aranitas' to 'plaintain hash browns'. As kind of a picky eater, I find parentheticals to be helpful in explaining unknown terms.
Likewise, you have a lot of sauces by their proper names. An unfamiliar reader would need to ask their server about any of them, except the pineapple rum sauce. No one wants to be the person who asks about every dish on the menu: adding a single evocative word can help readers narrow down their choices. For instance, I don't know what makes Mojo Isleño different from the other mojo sauces on your menu.
A couple of your descriptions are vague to the point of being misleading, depending on how the dish is actually prepared. Asopao is a rice soup, but gumbo is typically served over rice, rather than incorporating rice. Likewise, I know what mofongo is, but the description makes it sound like a stuff whole plantain or perhaps an alcapurria.
Your description of Arroz con Pollo buries the lede: your stuffed chicken leg. Rice is not exciting, it should be listed second.
'Boiled potatoes' is really the worst way to describe potatoes. You have a limited amount of space - use it for evocative flavor words like 'spicy', not bland-ify-ing ones like 'boiled', 'white', or 'pilaf'.
Lastly, 'aranitas' have a really evocative name that you can use to generate interest.
This is how I would edit your menu (incorporating some of the additional details you gave above):
Traditional Puerto Rican Food with a Modern Twist
Savory Stuffed Chicken Leg Quarter with Spanish Rice and an Apple Cucumber Watercress Salad
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8 oz. Skirt Steak with Sweet & Spicy Ajilimojili Sauce, Fried Yucca Slices and Garlic Mojo Sauce, and Carrot Jalapeño Vichy
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Chicken and Rice Stew with Mixed Peppers and Vegetables
10
Pork Chops drizzled with Pineapple Rum Mojo Sauce, with Twice-fried Green Plantains and Sautéed Spinach
11
Citrus Grilled Kingfish with Mojo Isleño Sauce, Spanish Rice and Pigeon Peas, and Octopus Salad
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Mashed, Fried Plantains with Seasoned Ground Beef and an Arugula and Tomato Salad
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Pork and Yucca Empanadas served with a side of Shredded Plantain "Little Spiders" and Roasted Root Vegetables
10
Stewed Bone-in Chicken, Potatoes and Mixed Vegetables, served over Rice
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I tried to keep the formal-ish tone of your menu, but describing Pollo Guisado as 'comfort food' would go a long way to explaining its style, in two words.
Not being familiar with Puerto Rican food, I honestly have no idea what to expect from any of the dishes on your menu except the last one. I don't mind experimenting, but if I went with my friends I would not be surprised if half the conversation before ordering is about what things on the menu are.
Your prices seem higher than I would expect for a lunch menu by $1-2 and $1-2 lower than I would expect for dinner, but that is definitely a regional thing. I expect lunch to be 7-10, with the occasional thing going up to 14, and dinner to be 12-20, with the occasion thing going to 25.
1. Churassco.
2. Because not being familiar with the menu I am going with something hard to mess up. It is hard to mess up steak, and if you do I will never return.
3. Pollo Guisado
4. Because it sounds boring.
Not being familiar with Puerto Rican food, I honestly have no idea what to expect from any of the dishes on your menu except the last one. I don't mind experimenting, but if I went with my friends I would not be surprised if half the conversation before ordering is about what things on the menu are.
I'm curious, are my revised versions better?
Not being familiar with Puerto Rican food, I honestly have no idea what to expect from any of the dishes on your menu except the last one. I don't mind experimenting, but if I went with my friends I would not be surprised if half the conversation before ordering is about what things on the menu are.I'm curious, are my revised versions better?
I think your Asopao sounds boring, but for some of the other items it is a big help. Most notably, Tostones being added to the title and telling me they are plantains makes me want to try them. Plantains are delicious.
I have some other comments if you're interested.Sure thing man. I'll be taking Cost Control in two weeks so I'll be doing this once a week, if not twice a week. Any advice I can take would be great.Disclaimer: I write this as someone who loves Caribbean food, but I don't have any food-service experience. It is possible my advice is terrible generalized to a wider audience.
Other folks have commented on the lack of vegetarian and minimal seafood options.
My biggest comment is that you're inconsistent in terms of what you expect the reader to know about Puerto Rican food. For instance, you don't define tostones, but you simpify 'aranitas' to 'plaintain hash browns'. As kind of a picky eater, I find parentheticals to be helpful in explaining unknown terms.
Likewise, you have a lot of sauces by their proper names. An unfamiliar reader would need to ask their server about any of them, except the pineapple rum sauce. No one wants to be the person who asks about every dish on the menu: adding a single evocative word can help readers narrow down their choices. For instance, I don't know what makes Mojo Isleño different from the other mojo sauces on your menu.
A couple of your descriptions are vague to the point of being misleading, depending on how the dish is actually prepared. Asopao is a rice soup, but gumbo is typically served over rice, rather than incorporating rice. Likewise, I know what mofongo is, but the description makes it sound like a stuff whole plantain or perhaps an alcapurria.
Your description of Arroz con Pollo buries the lede: your stuffed chicken leg. Rice is not exciting, it should be listed second.
'Boiled potatoes' is really the worst way to describe potatoes. You have a limited amount of space - use it for evocative flavor words like 'spicy', not bland-ify-ing ones like 'boiled', 'white', or 'pilaf'.
Lastly, 'aranitas' have a really evocative name that you can use to generate interest.
This is how I would...
Those are all good points. I'll be writing a final draft and incorporating a lot of these changes. Though with the asopao, I labeled it a gumbo because I felt the words stew and soup would make it sound more like an appetizer. Also admittedly, I've always had gumbo with the rice mixed in, but that might be a south Carolina thing.
Thank again Ross, I'll be writing some changes after work in an hour an I'll post then
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I think your Asopao sounds boring, but for some of the other items it is a big help. Most notably, Tostones being added to the title and telling me they are plantains makes me want to try them. Plantains are delicious.Not being familiar with Puerto Rican food, I honestly have no idea what to expect from any of the dishes on your menu except the last one. I don't mind experimenting, but if I went with my friends I would not be surprised if half the conversation before ordering is about what things on the menu are.I'm curious, are my revised versions better?
The clincher between stew and gumbo is if the dish is prepared from a roux base. If you aren't making a roux, then it isn't gumbo.
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The clincher between stew and gumbo is if the dish is prepared from a roux base. If you aren't making a roux, then it isn't gumbo.I think your Asopao sounds boring, but for some of the other items it is a big help. Most notably, Tostones being added to the title and telling me they are plantains makes me want to try them. Plantains are delicious.Not being familiar with Puerto Rican food, I honestly have no idea what to expect from any of the dishes on your menu except the last one. I don't mind experimenting, but if I went with my friends I would not be surprised if half the conversation before ordering is about what things on the menu are.I'm curious, are my revised versions better?
That's good to know. In asopao the rice acts like the thicken er in the stew, so you get a similar consistency to gumbo.
The clincher between stew and gumbo is if the dish is prepared from a roux base. If you aren't making a roux, then it isn't gumbo.I think your Asopao sounds boring, but for some of the other items it is a big help. Most notably, Tostones being added to the title and telling me they are plantains makes me want to try them. Plantains are delicious.Not being familiar with Puerto Rican food, I honestly have no idea what to expect from any of the dishes on your menu except the last one. I don't mind experimenting, but if I went with my friends I would not be surprised if half the conversation before ordering is about what things on the menu are.I'm curious, are my revised versions better?Good to know!
That's good to know. In asopao the rice acts like the thicken er in the stew, so you get a similar consistency to gumbo.
Cooooooooool
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If the city is near the Atlantic coast, and the server says the fish is fresh, I'll go with the kingfish. Because it's tough to beat good fresh fish, and this dish will tell me a lot about the restaurant. (And I feel sorry for people who think octopus has to be rubbery—when it's done right, it's moist and tender. I hope it's grilled!)
If the city is more than a full day's drive from the Atlantic, or if the server says the fish is frozen, I'll go with the mojo cerdo and hope it's pleasantly (but not overly) rummy and not too pineappley.
I wouldn't order the poll guisado because of the words "stewed" (if I don't know the restaurant, I'll assume this translates to "overcooked and mushy"), "boiled" (because this translates to "watery and mushy", and "potatoes" (because this translates to "potatoes").
The clincher between stew and gumbo is if the dish is prepared from a roux base. If you aren't making a roux, then it isn't gumbo.I think many people would use the word for any stew thickened with okra, filé, or arrowroot, even if no roux is involved.
Those people would all make me a sad panda.
For the arroz con pollo, I should have put the stuffing. I don't know how I forgot that lol. That's my fault, sorry. It's stuffed with red and green peppers, some seasoning and some panko and cilantro and garlic. It's really delicious. For the final draft, I will add that to the description.I'd eat the heck out of that. Glad I picked it. :)
Agreed. Sounds really good.
1. Churrasco.
2. Appealing description
3. Pollo Guisado
4. Terribly bland descriptionIf I enjoyed the Churrasco (and the service), I would definitely come back and try the Mojo Cerdo and the octopus salad.
Just a few questions/comments:
(1) Are the entrees in any particular order?
(2) Does "pegao" refer to rice and pigeon peas? If so, I'd recommend adding "pegao" and its meaning to one of the entree descriptions.
(3) I'm not a fan of seeing "Spanish Rice" on a Puerto Rican menu. Could you say, instead, "Puerto Rican Rice" or "Rice Pilaf"?
1) nope no order
2) pegao is the crust on the bottom of a pan of rice that a lot of Hispanic people enjoy. I know my family fought over it a lot. I chose the name because the restaurant will be something everyone wants ;-)
3) that's fair. I chose "Spanish" because it's something most non Spanish people can envision.
1. Churrasco.
2. Appealing description
3. Pollo Guisado
4. Terribly bland descriptionIf I enjoyed the Churrasco (and the service), I would definitely come back and try the Mojo Cerdo and the octopus salad.
Just a few questions/comments:
(1) Are the entrees in any particular order?
;(2) Does "pegao" refer to rice and pigeon peas? If so, I'd recommend adding "pegao" and its meaning to one of the entree descriptions.
(3) I'm not a fan of seeing "Spanish Rice" on a Puerto Rican menu. Could you say, instead, "Puerto Rican Rice" or "Rice Pilaf"?
1) nope no order
2) pegao is the crust on the bottom of a pan of rice that a lot of Hispanic people enjoy. I know my family fought over it a lot. I chose the name because the restaurant will be something everyone wants ;-)
3) that's fair. I chose "Spanish" because it's something most non Spanish people can envision.
the burned rice at the bottom? My mom used to eat that like popcorn...I always hated it.