Dishes that famous chefs advise against ordering in restaurants
Anthony Bourdain's perspective
Anthony Bourdain (PBUH), in his book Kitchen Confidential, had very good advice about this:
1- The brunch buffet on the weekends. It’s a way to get rid of leftovers, pretty much. I’ll add: Any kind of buffet, including salad bars. I can’t imagine a more unhygienic way to eat out unless I am personally confident that the restaurant is conscientious.
2- Fish on Monday. Restaurants typically get a large fish delivery on Fridays in anticipation of the weekend. They will also get a delivery on Mondays, but will want to use up the weekend fish first. Plus, the chef will be off and less experienced staff will be running the show. It’s a good argument for not eating out at a higher-end restaurant on Mondays at all.
3- Eggs Benedict. Hollandaise sauce is never made to order - it’s always made in batches and “held”. To prevent the sauce from breaking, it is held at a lower than ideal temp. That’s a recipe for food-borne illness.
4- Items that seem “random” to the theme of a restaurant. Examples: The seafood platter at a pancake house. Vegetarian food at a steak house. Fish at any place that doesn’t specialize in fish. Steak at any place that doesn’t specialize in steak.
5- Specials. I always hate it when my dining companions ask about specials. Specials are either one of two things: A more expensive dish to entice customers to spend more money. If $$$ isn’t an issue, and it sounds great, go for it. OR, it’s a less expensive dish using ingredients that are past their prime. Sometimes, “past their prime” is subjective. Well-done prime rib is technically past its prime, but sliced thin and warmed up in jus, it makes an amazing hot roast beef sandwich. “Past their prime” specials won’t kill you, but you’re not really getting a bargain - you’re helping the restaurant off-load food they would normally need to throw out shortly. There are exceptions to this rule, as was pointed out below (finicky seasonal produce like pluots, ramps, fiddlehead ferns, Hatch chiles, and unexpected windfalls like unintentionally caught but delicious fish (by-catch).
6- Bargain sushi! (Tired old joke, but totally true)
Pro Tip: Avoid eating out on New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Graduation Day. The menus have all been shortened, a lot of food has been prepped way ahead of time, and the staff is slammed. Those are “amateur days”. If you eat out on Thanksgiving or Christmas, eat at a nice hotel restaurant. Hotels operate a little differently than free-standing restaurants on these holidays. They can’t just throw together a crap menu because guests may be eating there as well.