Why Chefs Avoid Ordering These Kinds Of Pasta Dishes At Restaurants

Do chefs ever eat at restaurants besides their own? Of course they do, since it's always good to see what the competition is up to. Plus, it's nice to get a break from cooking when it's something you do all day, every day. Still, there are certain dishes chefs never get at restaurants – Anthony Bourdain wouldn't order mussels, while Gordon Ramsay is suspicious of specials. For Matthew Cutolo of Gargiulo's Restaurant in Brooklyn, it's overly complicated pasta dishes that he avoids.

As Cutolo explained, "For me, pasta is about balance and simplicity. When there are too many competing flavors, it usually means nothing gets to stand out." He also shared that a mismatch between noodles and sauce can be problematic, saying, "A wide, flat pasta like fettuccine is built to hold up to a rich, creamy sauce like Alfredo, so the pairing works well. But if you were to put that same sauce on something more delicate, like linguine, it would overwhelm the pasta and feel unbalanced." It should be clear that the restaurant is intentionally choosing complementary pasta shapes and sauces.

While we're still on the subject of fettuccine Alfredo, Cutolo pointed out that the Italian version is nothing like the heavy cream sauce often served in American restaurants. With the original recipe, it only takes three ingredients to make a luscious Alfredo sauce: butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and pasta water. As Cutolo mentioned, less is more when it comes to restaurant pasta plates, and this is an example of a dish he'd definitely order. "When it's done correctly, it's absolutely magical — creamy without cream, rich but still light, and full of flavor."

Matthew Cutolo shared a few other favorite pasta dishes, saying, "I'm a traditionalist, so I usually lean toward the classics." These include bolognese and pasta al pomodoro (a simple tomato sauce that can be used with a wide variety of noodles or as a pizza topping), along with perhaps lesser-known Amatriciana sauce. This tomato sauce, named after a central Italian town that was almost obliterated by a 2016 earthquake, is made with guanciale (smoked pork jowl), pecorino (sheep's milk cheese), and chile peppers. "There are countless pastas worth ordering, but those three are usually where I start," Cutolo told The Takeout.

One other factor Cutolo takes into account is the type of restaurant he's eating at, saying, "I also like to choose based on the influence of the restaurant or chef: Are they drawing from Southern Italian or Northern Italian?" If the former, you might enjoy a regional specialty like cavatelli in a hearty, meaty ragù. If the menu takes inspiration from the north of Italy, pumpkin-stuffed ravioli would be a good pick.