Anthony Bourdain's Biggest Red Flag For A Sushi Restaurant Menu

Anthony Bourdain had many opinions as it pertained to restaurants and dining at them. He became famous for them, in fact, with his own reasoning for avoiding brunch and his many sharp takes on vegetarianism — apart from a positive experience in one country — still making rounds across tables today. Similarly, the comments he made about red flags at restaurants in a since-archived interview conducted by "First We Feast" in 2016 have only retained and further proved his timeless relevance, quoting: "But a warning sign would be the wrong music, too many meatheads, the appearance of Kobe, a place that does both sushi and steak. You know — pick one, figure out which one of them you're good at."

Apart from the obvious food safety concerns that come along with the handling of steak and raw fish, the point that Bourdain seems to be making with this comment is that steak and sushi require two very different sets of skills. This is true in the eyes of the chef and kitchen staff — who would not only need separate training, but also equipment and tools — as well as in the eyes of the customer. When visiting a sushi restaurant, people expect a menu focused on Japanese specialties like sushi and sashimi, as well as a specialization in the culinary traditions behind them. Throwing a big juicy steak into the mix is just confusing for everyone involved, drawing the attention away from the authenticity of the sushi itself. 

Bourdain, being Bourdain, made note of many other restaurant red flags — many of which can also be applied to sushi restaurants. Punny sushi roll names are one such example, as are bargain sushi prices or any sushi restaurant that has pictures of the maki, nigiri, sushi, or whatever else on its menu. Although, he'd say the same about any restaurant that had photos on the menu. Similarly, Bourdain's take on sushi restaurants serving steak can be extended to all restaurants.

In the same 2016 interview with "First We Feast," he was asked about authenticity and the tell-tale signs of it at a restaurant. According to him, the menu writes it all out — however, a lot of those signs are written between the lines. "Menus have become much more personal. And you can tell if there's a tight, overarching personality at work," he said. But, how? Bourdain valued chefs and restaurants that stayed true to themselves. According to him, you can tell the authenticity of any restaurant — be it a sushi restaurant or a steakhouse — by how clearly the menu communicates that. 

As he explained it, the menu is what the chef and restaurant speaks through. "So someone is talking to you and they already decided what they're good at and what they love. And they are doing that relentlessly, rather than a menu that tells you that they're trying to be everything to everybody," he said.