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Sometimes a beautiful menu is all I need for inspiration. Here's a great example of something both aesthetically pleasing while being chock-full of great, simple dishes. This classic LA institution has a great site and menu which give you a sense of how much they love what they do. Plus, that burger IS pretty damn good.

Has a menu ever inspired you? We'd love to hear about it--post links and stories in the comments.

Have a great weekend.

-Michael

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Beautiful comfort food.  I love sliders.

Not exactly beautiful, but Barney's Beanery haz probably one of the most memorable menus I've ever seen. It'z like a full-length newspaper...good timez.
Truly beautiful menus are a rare find, especially in São Paulo (Brazil), I guess the restaurant business just hasn't matured to that point here yet.

Being a graphic designer, I am rather picky about aesthetics and though I don't find the menu particularly beautiful I think it's very apropriate with the overall concept of the restaurant and THAT is the most important aspect of a design project. It's useless to spend money on a beautiful menu project if it doesn't speak the same language as your food.

Cheers ^.~
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Eyeing the Menu
Posted by Michael Voltaggio on Feb 5, 2010

If you followed Bryan and I on Top Chef, or have been reading this blog, you know that we are big on presentation.  How we plate dishes is very important to us because it's one of the ways we get to be creative as chefs.  The big way is the food, of course, with the next big one being how the food is displayed to you.  Another way, which doesn't get talked about very often, is the menu.

Composing a menu is just as much an art form as the creation of the dishes on it.  You have to consider how, when and where to list everything, how you will describe each dish, and how the menu itself will look.  When you are trying out a new dish, if you don't describe it properly, or in a way that isn't attractive or intriguing, no one's gonna order it.  Without a solid menu, your dish can be a bust before you even get the chance to make it.  So you can see why menus are a big thing for us.

I noticed many of you posted menus of restaurants you've been to, and described your experiences.  I thought it would be good to take a look at them.  In the comments, tell us what you like and don’t like about what you see.

Phil sent in the menu from my restaurant:

"It is true that Michael changes the tasting menu periodically and this picture is proof. This is a copy of the Dining Room’s tasting menu at the end of December. Each course was amazing but my favorite this time was the Foie Grass and Kuroge Beef. In October, the Foie Grass was served with concord grapes. The Foie Grass this time was light, airy and melted in my mouth. The Kuroge beef was perfectly cooked and the flavor exploded with each bite. I have pictures from each course that I will upload in another album. I was not the only person taking pictures of the food that night."

Phil also sent in the menu for Joel Rubochon's restaurant:

"This is a copy of Joel Robuchon’s 16 course tasting menu in December. I had very high expectations given Robuchon’s “Chef of the Century” recognition. The first three courses (Le Caviar, Le Foie Gras and Les Champignons) were unbelievable but quickly fell flat after that. All the food was shipped from Europe and I recognize that most of the items on the menu are made especially for Robuchon. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good but it didn’t wow me. My wife also did not appreciate the strong taste of the bourbon soaked fruit on the desserts (which they did not warn us about). However, the bread and the chocolate truffles carts were out of this world. Given Robuchon’s reputation and the steep price they charge (I think the price was quoted in Euros), I was expecting to be blown away. The staff's arrogance also added to the disappointment. I definitely have had much better overall experiences at The Dining Room."

And Phil sent in Aureole’s Las Vegas tasting menu:

"This is a copy of the Aureole’s Las Vegas tasting menu; Charlie Plamer’s comfort food at its best. All the courses were outstanding but the desserts were unbelievable. The Chocolate Tart and the different flavors of ice cream were a perfect ending to an amazing meal."

Peg Ward posted a menu of the Charlie Palmer Steakhouse:

If you have a menu picture, upload it to your profile and flag it as "Cool".  Every so often, we'll take a minute to look at menus and discuss what we like and don't like about them.

Enjoy the weekend.

-Michael

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