Why You Won't See Some Chefs Ordering This Comfort Food At Restaurants

We all have certain items we won't order at restaurants since we believe we can make them better at home. While I love Olive Garden's breadsticks as much as anyone (they're absolutely the best appetizer on the menu), I won't order that chain's pasta since I think I make a much better marinara. For Rene Johnson of BlackBerry Soul Catering, it's biscuits: she says she's been disappointed nine out of ten times, since in her humble opinion, no one makes biscuits quite as good as hers.

The Takeout wondered if other bakers felt the same way, so we spoke with three food professionals to get their take on restaurant biscuits. Our panel consisted of Kimberly L., who runs the kitchenware company Fifth Fork; Marissa Stevens, the recipe blogger behind Pinch and Swirl; and Frank Bonanno, a multiple James Beard award nominee who operates a restaurant group called Bonanno Concepts. They told us that there are certain circumstances when they will order biscuits at a restaurant, but at other times, they'll avoid them.

For Kimberly L., ordering biscuits is based on geography: "If I'm in the South, yes, I will order biscuits at a restaurant. But if I'm traveling in other areas, I'll think twice. Outside of the South, you might end up with biscuits that are dense and more like bread and not light and fluffy." Marissa Stevens, however, feels it's more about how the biscuits are made. "When a restaurant gets them right — tender layers inside, crisp golden edges outside — they're worth ordering just for the texture alone. But if they look like they've been sitting under a heat lamp or come from a mix, I'll pass and save the carbs for something worth the splurge."

Frank Bonanno agrees with Stevens, saying he ensures the biscuits are made the same day and in-house before ordering. "If a restaurant goes through the trouble of baking them from scratch and serving them fresh from the oven, it proves that they care about the basics." One thing that tips him off is if the biscuits aren't uniformly-shaped, since, as he explained, "That's usually a good sign that they're handmade and not from a factory."

As Stevens says, "Biscuits are deceptively simple," and they can be made with just three ingredients: self-rising flour, fat, and milk. She added, "You can taste the difference when they're fresh-baked with cold butter, handled gently, and served warm." For quick two-ingredient biscuits, you can even skip the butter and use only flour and heavy cream.