Frank Bruni On The Menu As Literature
We're really not big fans of wordy menus. Maybe it comes from our background as a newspaper reporter. The fewer words, the better. And some of these menus are in dire need of a good editor who can not only fix spelling and grammatical errors, but also tighten up the prose.
Anyway, we got a laugh from a recent blog post by Frank Bruni about the menu from Tequila's in Philadelphia:
For example, a $20.95 entrée of Carne a la Trenza was described in terms of much, much more than its ingredients or cooking method. Reading about the dish, you could easily wonder if what you have in your hands is a menu or an essay on follicular anthropology.And it gets better. Check out the post just to read the 142-word description of mole poblano.“Trenza (braids) are par excellence the most fashionable style for the country woman,” the description begins, continuing: “Nothing is more beautiful than an imposing and timid country woman, adorned with the complex knots that crown her head. Our chef gives this rich dish . . . the look of the trenza worn by our Mexican heroines.”
Not the coiffure for you? Then try the main course listed just below it, a $19.95 Filete Grito.
“ ‘Grito’ means shout,” the menu illuminates. “This dish brings out a cry of joy when tasted, confirming the high degree of culinary creativity that exists in Mexico.”
The lowdown on the Filete Grito then becomes more food-specific, but it also becomes more oddly and grimly metaphoric.
“The cactus leaf is a bed with the tropical tamarindo sauce inviting the chile chipotle to participate as a witness in the lynching of the fabulous filet mignon, along with the chiles serranos.”
Lynching? Yikes. I’m not feeling so hungry anymore.
Menus As Literature [Diner's Journal]
Tequila's [MenuPages]
Tequila's [Official Site]
