What is the cunning thing about shrimp? Why shouldn't you take iceberg lettuce? What could be a threat to your health? And what is better to cook yourself? — Text of the master class, for those who could not come to my performance at the Caramel cafe in November. + There’s a lot more that I forgot to say in my fright.

I really love cooking, writing and talking about food. Naturally, I also love to eat. But, as experience shows, this is often dangerous. Several years of trips to restaurants and unplanned vacations in infectious diseases taught me a lot. I generously share these lessons with you.

1. Tricky fish
I know a lot of my mother’s experts in determining the freshness of fish. They will crawl into its gills (in a sleeping fish they are pink, not brown, and smell normal), and into its eyes (in a fresh fish they are clear, like the summer sky in childhood), and smell (if transported correctly, even a dead sea fish smells sea), and scratched (fresh fish is covered in transparent bluish mucus, and stale fish first loses it, and then becomes covered with another - smelly, sticky, cloudy). This is all good, of course, if there is an alternative. But it is completely useless if there is no alternative. In addition, stale fish can be washed, the head with gills - traitors - can be sawed off, and so on. So a sure sign of fish freshness is its good mood. If the fish is alive, it is a hundred pounds fresh. Fortunately, there are restaurants in Nizhny Novgorod that serve the freshest fish. In “Fish and Crabs” you can even catch something from the aquarium almost with your own hands, and they will immediately prepare it for you in the open kitchen in any way. An open kitchen, by the way, is an excellent invention and a guarantee that your fresh fish will not be replaced with dead and rotten fish during the cooking process.

2. Cheap rolls
I once praised the “Rainbow Set” of rolls at Andrea’s to my friends. At that time it cost 650 rubles and consisted of eight rolls. My friends were horrified at the price. But in vain, because it is more than adequate. I know that the city is full of roll delivery services, where for the same money they will bring you a kilogram assortment directly to your home. But God knows, I know what they look like, these rolls! But I don’t know who they are from (this is not even the second life of salmon, these people should be reviving the dead - they are great with fish). And the origin and age of “cream cheese” raises questions. So such a delicate product as rolls should only be ordered from establishments that can afford to purchase the freshest fish and seafood flown in by plane. This way you can remember what a delicate and wholesome taste the same salmon has.

3. Dead shrimp
Prawns are available in almost every cafe, and dishes with them are not cheap. For me, this is completely unjustified, because a defrosted shrimp completely loses its taste and takes on the taste of a paper napkin. Her problem is that she is too tender and delicate. This means that, in principle, there is no need to eat it where it is not found. And your wallet will thank you.

4. Luxurious oyster
This one, unlike shrimp, can still be brought to Nizhny Novgorod alive and relatively unharmed. But you can try it only in specialized restaurants and cafes of the highest category, where there are aquariums with sea water. In theory, determining the freshness of an oyster is simple: you need to touch the skirt with a knife, and then the living mollusk will lazily pull it inside the shell. If he pulled it up not lazily, but quickly and slammed the shell shut with lightning speed, then the mollusk is really alive, but he is hysterical. He has been starving for a long time and has lost almost all his sea water. However, in the provinces they practically don’t serve shellfish in the shell; they open it for you. An open shell, by the way, can also be stored for some time, and the oyster in it should also respond to stimuli. But even if she is not too active, this does not mean that she is dead. Maybe she's just fainting. This is easy to check: drop lemon juice on it, if it has changed color, you can eat it, if not, you can’t eat it. I also remind you that the best time to eat oysters is from November to February.

5. Worthless exotica
“Shark steak” sounds cool, but is generally not worth the money. Let's start with the fact that live sharks are not transported to Nizhny, which means that all of them offered in our cafes and restaurants are defrosted products from Metro. There, a steak costs about 300 rubles, but in a restaurant they will serve it to you for 800, or even more. Don’t expect any clever processing and presentation, the shark is not too good to bother with. So buy it cheap and grill it yourself or just fry it. It is unlikely that you will want to repeat the experience; this is not the most delicious fish.
The same applies to some other delicacies. Now, for example, they have started cooking anything in truffle oil. His invention was a big step in the name of democratization of haute cuisine: not everyone can afford a truffle, and the oil is much cheaper and still conveys its piquancy and aroma. But the fact is that the chemical industry does not stand still and now most truffle oil is made from olive oil with synthetic additives. It's not worth paying for it.

6. Pizza with minced meat or delicacies.
This is generally a simple dish, even a schoolboy can prepare it. That's why restaurants lure us with some tricky real Italian ovens. This is convenient because few guests know what this notorious Italian oven looks like. And you’re unlikely to be allowed into the kitchen to look at it. So you are paying for something dubious. And, honestly, admit that the dough is still not the most delicious thing on pizza. Therefore, I propose to evaluate the adequacy of the price based on the filling. You should immediately say no to minced meat, because you won’t be able to determine its age, but the meat that went there is probably the worst. Tomato paste, by the way, is also superfluous here; Italians prefer to use fresh or sun-dried tomatoes. So take pizza with pieces of meat or sausages, lots of vegetables or mushrooms. There is no point in ordering a pizza with, for example, jamon or Parma ham. It will cost a lot of money, and there will be little delicacy in it. It makes more sense to order it separately; it’s probably included in the appetizers. At Bocconcino, parma and pizza with it cost the same, but in the first case you pay for the delicacy, and in the second you pay mainly for the dough.

7. Meatless meat
I never order meatloaf at restaurants because they usually have very little meat and a lot of cheap eggs, potatoes or bread. I don’t like crushed parts, especially the non-whole thigh - there are often bone fragments in it, which, if you don’t break a tooth, will definitely scratch the tender palate. I don’t take pork on the bone, because it is often poorly cooked, and while this is acceptable in the case of beef, here it is simply dangerous. I never order dishes made from pieces of meat with hot spices, because they can easily mask a low-quality product.

8. Steaks rare.
In personal conversations, many chefs (including steakhouses) admitted to me that they have difficulty distinguishing American beef from Australian, and sometimes from Japanese. The quality of domestic steak meat is improving, and some batches can easily be confused with Argentinean meat. At the same time, prices for steaks from different countries vary greatly. I advise you to take Argentina, because it is much cheaper than Australia, and you most likely won’t be able to tell the difference in taste (if the chefs don’t always succeed, how can we). But if you order the most expensive steak from a premium bull with American citizenship, it is quite possible that you will end up with the same Argentine horned one and will not check it at all. As for frying, it is better to take medium rare steaks: not the rawest, but very juicy meat, and most likely the cut will be of good quality, because with such frying there is no way to mask the shortcomings of the meat, which cannot be said about veldan.

9. Divorced soups and fruit drinks
Ever wondered why almost every cafe always has cheese and mushroom cream soups? Yes, because their concentrate is sold cheaply in the same Metro. Think about it: was it worth going to a cafe for such nonsense? If you want mushroom soup, order it with porcini mushrooms. And be sure to make sure in advance that it will not be creamy, because, as you understand, such soups do not contain the best mushrooms. And nowadays I wouldn’t joke with cheese at all. If you want fruit juice, I also prefer to ask in advance whether the chefs make it themselves. And I take sea buckthorn, you can hardly find it in powder form.

10. Salads
Do you want okroshka or meat/capital salad or Olivier salad (except for the recipe with crayfish tails)? - Go and make it yourself, that’s the only way you can be sure of the quality of the ingredients. In general, the principle of pricing using the example of salads is often unclear to me. The proportion of meat, fish or seafood in them is usually minimal, especially if the composition includes iceberg lettuce. It is very elastic, holds its shape well and takes up a lot of space, which means it will almost certainly take up to 70% of the volume. So is it worth paying that kind of money for grass that can be bought at any Spar?

12. Super foods.
If you order muer or shiitake mushrooms, be kind enough to find out in advance what they look like. At the Netsuke cafe several years ago they tried to slip me ordinary champignons. Unpleasant, don't you agree?
You should also not go to a cafe for rejuvenation (nowadays there is so much talk about the miraculous properties of acai and goji). All the information can be found on the Internet a long time ago, and it is disappointing: it turns out that red currants contain much more vitamins and nutrients than the much-hyped goji.

13. High-calorie coffee
Pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as those who are trying to avoid caffeine at night, may find that a latte with lots of foam is a great option if you want coffee with dinner. The horror is that one serving of this drink can contain up to 360 kcal!
Another drink I wouldn’t recommend is taking water in carafes. Buy in unopened bottles and ask for a glass.

14. Raw eggs
I don’t know where this fashion came from to add raw eggs everywhere: in carbonara, Adjarian khachapuri, even in tartars. It's unhygienic and incredibly dangerous. Although they say that eggs today are under strict control, people regularly get sick with salmonellosis. So I advise you to ask in advance how carbonara is served and ask to exclude raw egg from it. As for khachapuri, it’s better to take it in Megrelian or Imeretian style. When ordering a breakfast of eggs, it would also be a good idea to warn them so that they are brought to readiness. And poached and benedict are better prepared from quail eggs. Yes, a little, but harmless.

15. All other hazards
I beg you: do not buy carpaccio made from raw meat in provincial cities. This is dangerous (you will never know who it was) and simply tasteless (before I learned this truth myself, I managed to eat both ice and plastic). Avoid dishes that contain walnuts. Personally, I adore them, but I always find them to be shells. Therefore, I prepare dishes with their participation exclusively myself, scrupulously sweeping away even the tiniest fragments. Feel free to order the sorbets, but skip the ice cream. It was probably bought at the nearest stall and decorated with the cheapest fruits. This dish is cheaper and tastier to cook yourself.

On the website “About food. Honestly, a week of business lunches has been announced. It just so happened that in more than two years of creating the radio program “Business Lunch...

What does a beautiful figure depend on? Naturally, from sports and nutrition. But there is a third fundamental factor - consistency. Eating right at home and eating wrong in a restaurant is the same as sometimes going to a workout or occasionally applying cream to your face. If we used to go to restaurants on holidays, today we go to cafes almost every day. Breakfast with a friend, business lunch, family dinner...

The other day I had lunch with a friend who has started working out and is interested in proper nutrition. At first she wanted to order steamed fish cakes, then she decided to choose Caesar salad, then Philadelphia cheese rolls... At that moment, her friend was incredibly proud that she was ordering a dietary dish, and not her favorite carbonara.

And I understood why many girls don’t see results. Everything is fine at home: they play sports, cook boiled rice and steam salmon.

But when they find themselves in a restaurant, they either lash out at the pasta in creamy sauce, or suffer and eat steamed cutlets, not realizing that they (in the restaurant version) can be more harmful than pizza. A system of proper nutrition is not a system of self-restraint, but first of all a system of knowledge.

And when you have them, you understand that it is better to eat pasta with vegetable sauce, rather than a salad with fried shrimp: there are more benefits for your figure and more pleasure.

In any restaurant you can choose both the right and healthy dish. And if you don’t find it, you can ask to change the dish from the menu, taking into account your preferences. If you have fried rice on the side, have it boiled for you. If you're getting arugula salad with shrimp or other seafood, ask that it be steamed or grilled rather than fried in oil. Creamy puree soup can be made with water by adding olive oil.

In this article, I decided to analyze the most popular dishes in restaurants and tell you which of them, in my opinion, are healthy and correct for your figure, and which ones should absolutely not be ordered.

Caesar salad"

The number one hit of girls losing weight: almost every second one orders Caesar salad and looks longingly at the plate of her man who has chosen steak or pasta. In fact, apart from green leaves, there is no benefit in this salad: shrimp or chicken fried in oil, mayonnaise-based sauce, croutons, cheese. And, if you ask us to replace all these unnecessary components, the salad will cease to be “Caesar”.

Pasta and pizza

I don't order pasta or pizza, but if you really like them, choose vegetarian pasta or pizza rather than carbonara or salami pizza. Fast carbohydrates are absolutely not combined with meat or fish. And, believe me, vegetarian tagliatelle with tomatoes, eggplants and sweet peppers can be no less tasty than spaghetti with salmon in creamy sauce. The same rules apply with sauces: choose red sauces rather than white ones, that is, tomato sauces instead of cream ones.

Unfortunately, you cannot know what steamed cutlets are made from even in the best restaurant: bread, butter and other unhealthy ingredients may be added to them. Therefore, if you crave meat, choose dishes prepared from a single cut. You must see and understand what you are eating.

You can safely choose something from the Japanese menu, for example, vegetarian or classic rolls. But I don’t recommend ordering hot rolls, which are often fried in tempura, and all variations of rolls with Philadelphia cheese.

From the dessert menu we choose sorbet instead of ice cream, meringue instead of cake, marmalade, marshmallows, marshmallow instead of eclair. Replace jam and confiture, which contain a lot of sugar, with honey. Delicious baked apples are served with it and nuts - I highly recommend it.

Potato

Potatoes are not meant to be ordered at a restaurant. It is unlikely that it will be prepared the way you need it: baked without oil. Do it yourself at home.

Cappuccino

I really love coffee. When I order a cappuccino, I ask for it with skim or soy milk.

If I know I'll be in a place where I won't have anything to eat, I take a protein bar and a protein shake with me. They could always be bought in sports nutrition stores, and recently these things have begun to be sold in shopping centers and in regular supermarkets. This is the best fast food for me.

Well, the most important thing, in my opinion, is that there should be moderation in everything. For example, I recently ate an incredibly tasty “Napoleon”, prepared by my mother according to my grandmother’s recipe.

And I started the new day with my usual workout.

Existing in this world of bodybuilders is not an easy thing. In particular, because of the holidays, when the hall and restaurants are closed. Well, is it possible to eat normally there?

Existing in this world of bodybuilders is not an easy thing. In particular, because of the holidays, when the hall and restaurants are closed. Well, is it possible to eat normally there? Look at the bodybuilder in the restaurant. With his doomed face, he resembles a Roman emperor, confident that he will certainly be poisoned at this dinner. Well, in fact, restaurants have not yet learned how to serve healthy food. However, with the help of my article, you will still be able to eat at a restaurant. Read and remember...

Where to begin.

To brighten up the wait for the ordered dish, the waiter usually brings us something to drink (or drinks). I advise you to order ordinary water (still) - this is a healthy drink for a bodybuilder. In more luxurious places, they will throw a slice of lemon into the water for taste and smell. What else can you afford? Iced tea (no sugar!), diet drinks like sugar-free Coke, and even skim milk. What, too boring? Then order a glass of red wine. It contains approximately 120 calories (not very much), and red wine has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. You can even afford light beer. About half a liter, but no more. But cocktails containing alcohol are contraindicated for you and me. The more luxurious the drink, the more “harmful” calories it contains - this is a general rule. For example, if you ordered a double martini, then you know that in a tiny glass you will get more than 300 calories. Alcoholic drinks are also undesirable because they relax you to such a state in which a person tends to eat more than he should.

At the risk of disappointing you: do not order appetizers. At once you will get 500-600 calories, half of which will be “fat”. Avoid Latin American "exotics", especially if sour cream is added to it; On average, such dishes exceed 1,000 calories, and more than half of them are again “fat.” Beware of the eggs; if the appetizer contains chopped eggs, then the total calorie content of the dish will be at least 200 calories (half “fat”). Bread and chips fried in fat (often with a spicy but fatty sauce) can be brought to you for free, but you will then have to “burn off” calories (and oh, there are so many of them!) then you will have to spend several hours. In addition, bread and chips quickly swell in the stomach, and therefore create a feeling of complete satiety. It turns out to be a curiosity - they bring you a healthy dish, but you no longer want it...

This does not mean that the average restaurant cannot offer you more or less healthy food. Fitness experts advise looking for shrimp cocktails or fruit salads on the menu (there are minimal calories here). By the way, about vegetable salads. Ask the waiter to top the salad you ordered with low-fat sauce or low-fat mayonnaise (or better yet, nothing at all!). If you don't like low-fat mayonnaise, ask for vegetable oil (don't overdo it!), and preferably just sprinkle lemon juice on the vegetables. Sometimes soups are served before the main course. What matters here is what they were cooked on. If it's made with regular meat broth, that's not bad - then the plate contains relatively few calories and fat. For example, vegetable soup with beef broth or noodle soup with chicken broth contain less than 100 calories and about 2 grams of fat. But pureed soup, as a rule, with the addition of heavy cream will not suit you; too many calories (more than 300). Of these, about 40% are “fat”. Some pureed soups, such as chicken or broccoli, contain up to 50% fatty calories.

Main course.

How do you know if a food will do you good or bad as a bodybuilder? Very simple: according to the method of preparation.

Beware of anything that is deep-fried, that is, in oil. Personally, you only need what is fried on the grill or charcoal, steamed or boiled. Depending on the cooking method, standard chicken dishes can have a calorie difference of 600 units - and this is with the same amount of protein! Plus, “bad” chicken will cost you an extra 50-60 grams of fat. But this is almost your daily norm! It's the same story with steaks. Hot sandwiches with meat, in principle, suit us, but ask them to bring them without mayonnaise: thereby you will “deprive” yourself of 200 calories and 20-25 grams of fat. By the way, if you like mustard, you can also get it in a restaurant in low-fat form; Diet mustard contains 38 calories and 0 grams of fat (in two teaspoons).

Regular beef burgers are bursting with protein, but they also contain plenty of fat. The classic bacon cheeseburger has 935 calories, 53 grams of protein and 63 grams of fat. It is clear that such cases are ordered for us! If you’ve already stopped by McDonald’s, then buy burgers with chicken or fish; they have a lot of protein (up to 45 grams), little fat (15-20 grams) and not very many calories - 290-300. Let me remind you that we are talking about standard burgers from McDonald's, meanwhile, today many restaurants serve sandwiches prepared by themselves. It is clear that the larger the burger, the more harmful it is.

Now let's talk about the side dish. It is quite safe to eat potatoes (baked, mashed), boiled vegetables or steamed rice. But French fries are contraindicated! The main course plus side dish often comes to you from the kitchen in the form of huge plates overflowing with food. Don't even think about eating it all! If there is no one to help, ask the waiter to pack the rest of your order - you will take it home with you. Every decent restaurant has plastic boxes for this purpose. And don’t have a complex - no one will consider you too stingy. A similar service has existed in the restaurant business since the times of medieval taverns. Restaurant waiters eagerly pack food for visitors. After a couple of hours, you will get hungry, open the box and once again gratefully remember where you went for a walk. In the conditions of fierce restaurant competition, all this is important. And in general, behave more freely in a restaurant. Feel free to discuss future portion sizes with the waiter. Ask to replace the side dish if it doesn’t suit you, as a jock. For example, chops are often “accompanied” by French fries, but they are not at all about you. Ask to replace fries with vegetables. In all restaurants they will readily accommodate you - as long as you pay (and come again).

I repeat, the first rule for a fitness fan is to clarify with the staff how a particular dish is prepared before ordering. It is clear that not all waiters can afford to try the food of their restaurant, and therefore your questions may well confuse the garçon. Feel free to send the dunno to the kitchen: let him figure it out. Once again I want to emphasize the seriousness of the problem. An outwardly appetizing dish may well be a time bomb. For example, fish is often fried in butter or refined vegetable oil. Well, this is death to the drawn muscles! If it’s fish, then only on the grill. What if there is no grill? Then ask what kind of pan they will fry in. If there is no Teflon coating, then there will be a lot of oil. Think about it further: did you thoroughly wash the frying pan after yesterday's frying? What if the frying pan is not washed at all - they say, there is no point? Then, due to overheating, the multi-day fat residues are sintered into the most dangerous fatty trans-structures, which are one hundred percent known to provoke cancer. In short, this is no time for jokes! Adhere to the following principle: prefer spices, lemon juice, and herbs to heavy fatty sauces. You should ask to bring everything that goes in addition to the main course separately - on your own plate. It will be easier to decide on the amount to eat.

Exotic.

What to choose at a Mexican restaurant? Chicken fajitas are the best: 840 calories and 30% fat. Mexican food is often served wrapped in tortillas, fried Mexican flatbreads often soaked in oil. So, get ready to unwrap them and throw them away. Your order will be brought to you with a side dish. This is usually rice or beans. It is best to abstain from it; According to the Mexican recipe, the rice is pre-soaked in oil and only then stewed in salted chicken broth. One serving of Mexican rice contains 230 calories and 15% fat, while beans contain 380 calories, 39% of which are “fat.” If you are a bean lover, it makes sense to order plain, boiled, rather than fried in fat. And further. Sour cream is often added to Mexican dishes. It is better to ask the waiter in advance to replace it with hot salsa or pico de gallo sauces.

A Chinese restaurant serves rice and steamed vegetables as a side dish - a very good choice for us. As a source of protein, you should order shrimp (460 calories and 10 grams of fat), and if a standard portion of shrimp is divided into two parts and, supplemented with rice, eaten with a friend, then each of you will have 230 calories and only 3-5 grams fat Don't order the kung pao chicken - it has 810 calories and 40 grams of fat (!). About the same amount is in a serving of the famous Chinese sweet and sour pork.

As for French cuisine, it should be avoided. Everything here is insanely fat. French sauces and desserts are especially unacceptable for a bodybuilder.

Mediterranean cuisine also has its downsides. In Greece, they won’t sit at the table unless there are olives and feta cheese on it, and yet both of them are full of fats. So, it’s better to avoid them and choose dolma (a type of cabbage roll made from grape leaves) or pita with chicken. Don't even open the menu on the desserts page. In Greece, dessert (often flour-based) is prepared with a lot of butter.

In an Indian restaurant, you can start by ordering a salad, preferably a vegetable one. Meat, especially lamb, should definitely be preferred to chicken or fish dishes. A bodybuilder will benefit from curry with vegetables (as well as other vegetable dishes that are found in abundance in Indian cuisine).

In an Italian restaurant you should avoid Parmesan cheese, ham or ham and olives. Instead, order vegetable dishes: spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, roasted peppers. I especially recommend the pasta primavera. In any case, ask for wine sauce, not sour cream or cheese sauce.

Time for dessert.

So, the main course is over and it’s time for dessert. Choosing dessert is not an easy task. A small sweet dish can put a fatal end to your healthy diet. Still, a complete embargo on sweets should not be introduced. Here's a reasonable compromise: cool sherbet or low-fat yogurt (the latter has 4 grams of protein and very few calories and fat). If it's not hot outside, you can eat a small bun or piece of pie (233 calories and 7 grams of fat). A light fruit dessert is also a good choice. But if you couldn’t resist and the dessert was too rich, don’t be killed; you'll simply have to reward yourself with extra cardio.

DISH #1: "Bad"

• Cream soup with cheese
• Green salad
• Large fried steak
• baked potato
• Sour cream
• Rice (with oil)
• Two fresh buns
• Butter
• 2250 calories, 143 g protein, 100 g carbohydrates, 116 g fat.

Daily value for a man: calories - 75%; protein - 95%; carbohydrates - 32%; fat - 173%.

Daily value for a woman: calories - 112.5%; protein - 138%; carbohydrates - 33.6%; fat - 263%.

DISH #2: "Good"

• Chicken broth with noodles (or other pasta)
• Green salad with low-calorie dressing
• Medium lean beef steak
• baked potato
• Salsa sauce
• 828 calories, 66 g protein, 79 g carbohydrates, 22 g fat.

Daily value for a man: calories - 27.6%; protein - 44%; carbohydrates - 25%; fat - 33%.

Daily value for a woman: calories - 41%; protein - 64%; carbohydrates - 26%; fat - 50%.

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A first date can be a bit awkward and confusing, and most people don't know how to proceed. If you are planning your first dinner together in a cafe or restaurant, then by ordering a dish that is not suitable for this occasion, you risk getting a new portion of inconvenience. That's why we decided to give you 13 dishes that you shouldn't order on a first date.

Spaghetti and meatballs

Unless you're trying to emulate Lady and the Tramp, spaghetti isn't the best choice. Sipping and chewing your long noodles will only add awkward pauses to your conversation, and red sauce has been known to splatter and stain your clothes and face

Alternative: Dumplings. These small pieces of dough can be easily put into your mouth and are not afraid of staining your shirt or dress

Ribs and wings

It usually takes a ton of napkins to eat them, but you still run the risk of staining yourself and everything around you. Moreover, this is not the most aesthetic dish for a first date

Alternative: Steak. Although it may be a little more expensive, it will look neater and it will be easier for you to get rid of it without getting it all dirty

Large leaf salad

Of course, it’s great to show from the very beginning of a relationship that you adhere to proper nutrition, but spinach or parsley stuck between your teeth is unlikely to decorate you

Alternative: Grilled vegetables. If you still want to try vegetables, then baked vegetables are your best choice. Plus, you don't have to worry about the cleanliness of your teeth.

Molluscs and other sea creatures

It will be difficult to look at you with breathy and romantic thoughts while you tear apart a sea creature with your bare hands

Alternative: Grilled salmon. This dish has a wonderful fishy aroma and taste, but you don't have to touch it with your hands.

Beans and other legumes

If you have a good digestibility of legumes and like to take risks, you can, of course, order yourself a serving of beans or a burrito, but you should not overestimate your body and be so overconfident

Alternative: Any dish without beans that is likely to taste as good as if it were there

Spicy food

If you can handle the fire that flares up inside you from the spicy, that's good, but it's better not to take risks. After all, a red face, watery eyes and sweat appearing on the forehead are not the best decoration

Alternative: Ask for less hot spices and sauce in your dish. You'll still feel the edge, but it won't be a disaster.

Onion or garlic

Just take it for granted. Don't eat anything that gives off a foul odor, because you may still have to kiss, and even have a conversation with someone who smells bad - not the most pleasant thing

Alternative: Nothing. Don't eat them. Fine? Do you promise?

Corn on the cob

It may be cute and funny for the first two bites, but that's it. If you don't want to clean corn out of your teeth and look ridiculous doing it, don't eat corn on the first date.

Alternative: Corn chowder. If you really want a corn dish, order something that doesn't require your hands to serve as cutlery.

Fermented milk and pickled products

As a rule, these products have a strange smell, taste, and they also look strange, especially for those who are not familiar with this cuisine. Avoid foods containing tofu and pickled foods

Alternative: Seaweed. Seaweed has a unique salty taste, like most pickled foods, but has a much weaker odor

Order the same thing as your boyfriend/girlfriend

Boring. This is just about the worst thing you could do on a first date. After all, you have your own food preferences, which, by the way, you can discuss later

Alternative: Not ordering what he/she ordered

Order something that's hard to pronounce

Chances are, if you go to a good restaurant, there will be foreign food with hard-to-pronounce names. Don't pretend you know how to pronounce them correctly if you don't. At least make a joke and admit that you have no idea what you're talking about

Alternative: Order something you actually know how to pronounce

Hot dogs

Agree, it’s not very pleasant to watch someone eat a hot dog.

Alternative: If you want to eat sausage, it is better to order sausage that you can eat with a knife and fork to avoid unpleasant gestures that you need to make with your mouth to eat a hot dog

Overly expensive dish

If you are a girl and a guy is paying for you, then you should not be impudent and order a dish with an exorbitant price, because they may not have the best opinion about you

Alternative: Order a medium-priced dish

When going to a restaurant, any gourmet wants not only to have a good time in the company of friends and family, but also to enjoy excellent dishes. Most modern establishments offer a fairly varied menu, so many visitors have difficulty choosing the right delicacies. What can you order in a restaurant in different life situations? Choose mouth-watering and delicious dishes based on your wishes!

What can you order at a restaurant for dinner?

If you decide not to spend extra time on cooking, but rather enjoy food created by talented chefs, be sure to go to a good cafe after a working day. What can you order at a restaurant for dinner? If you are trying to adhere to the principles of proper nutrition, remember that your last meal should not be too high in calories. You will probably like these options:

• light salad with arugula and shrimp;
• an assortment of your favorite seafood;
• grilled fish with spices;
• vegetables baked with mozzarella cheese.

Are you planning a small friendly get-together on a Friday night and want to enjoy your favorite alcoholic drinks? Classic burgers and nachos with corn chips and sauces go perfectly with hoppy beer. Gourmets who prefer wine will certainly enjoy meat dishes with savory spices and traditional steaks.

What to order in a restaurant for a holiday?

Celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and important corporate dates in the restaurant has long become a pleasant tradition. As a rule, reputable and popular establishments offer special menu options for such occasions. So, what can you order in a restaurant for a noisy and unforgettable feast? Typically the holiday menu includes the following delicacies:

• Salads and cold appetizers. Homemade cold cuts will please most gourmets. No less interesting is tartare with beef or salmon. Vegetables with original dressing awaken the appetite before the main part of the meal.
• Hot appetizers and main courses. Deep-fried squid rings, delicious grilled vegetables, fish fillet with tomatoes and mashed potatoes, baked duck with apple, hearty and aromatic lamb with wine sauce - just a few win-win ideas that will surprise the most demanding guest!
• Dessert. Of course, some cafes allow you to bring cakes with you, but it is better to entrust the preparation of sweets to real culinary virtuosos. Creme brulee with a seductive fruity hue, classic cheesecake, mind-blowing tiramisu, impressive with magical lightness - you have every chance to amaze your guests!

Of course, if you wish, you can think through the menu yourself, but practice shows that this takes quite a lot of time. It is better to entrust the organization of the feast to a competent specialist. By the way, the Navarro's restaurant offers several banquet menu options in different price categories. Pamper yourself and your loved ones with a magnificent combination of European traditions and sensual Latin American and Mediterranean notes!

What to order at a restaurant on a date?

During the first romantic meeting, many couples go to a restaurant. Guys and girls want to make an amazing impression on each other, so it’s important to be responsible when choosing the right dishes. What can you order in a restaurant in such a situation?

Girls prefer to enjoy light and refined dishes that can be eaten carefully and even elegantly. Among these delicacies:

• fish fillet with vegetable garnish;
• squid prepared according to various recipes;
• appetizers and salads with not too thin sauce;
• traditional steaks;
• various desserts and fruit sets.

On a first date, you definitely shouldn’t order heavy fast food and crumbly dishes (pilaf, boiled rice, paella). It is also better to leave savory first courses for subsequent meetings: there is a high risk of putting a stain on your favorite dress and ending up in an awkward situation.

You will also have to give up those dishes that you need to eat with your hands. Snails, crabs and lobsters are not the best option for a romantic dinner. By the way, when visiting a restaurant with exotic cuisine, you should immediately ask the waiter about the level of spiciness of the delicacies offered. Experimenting with food rich in spices and various peppers is not recommended.

What to order at a restaurant if you are watching your figure?

Men and women who want to be in great shape try to eat right even when visiting their favorite establishments. To avoid the temptation to eat too much delicious food, first ask the waiter to bring you a glass of still mineral water. This move will not only reduce appetite, but also activate metabolism. You won't be afraid to consume a lot of calories. Next, follow these recommendations:

• start your meal with vegetable dishes, which are rich in fiber and perfectly satiating;
• Refuse the temptation to try branded buns and free bread;
• when ordering salads, pay attention to the composition of the dressing, which can be quite high in calories;
• find out the serving size in advance;
• remember that even the most hearty soups are not as high in calories as many snacks with fatty sauces;
• Ideally, you should choose fish dishes and seafood instead of heavy meat;
• If possible, ask the waiter that the ordered food be prepared without salt or with minimal addition;
• Don't forget that alcoholic drinks contain a huge amount of calories.

The Navarro's restaurant offers a varied menu, which is constantly updated with exquisite signature dishes from our talented chef. By visiting this establishment, you can easily decide on the choice of suitable food for a festive feast, a friendly meeting, a romantic date or a lunch after training in gym. And if necessary, the waiter will tell you what you can order in the restaurant.