Interpreting the Menu
Doris Mathews was not amused when she called to complain about one of my reviews: the one where I praised the chef's amuse-bouche and dissed his panna cotta. "Say what?" she exclaimed, explaining how she had pulled out her dictionary and — even then — had no idea what I was talking about.
Menu-speak. It's a foreign language: literally and figuratively. And Doris — an 80-year-old former home-ec major — holds no truck with high-falutin' food jabber. Neither does my friend Mariann Grady.
The Seattle Times: Restaurants: Say what? A guide to menu-speak