jpreardon.com » Food & Drink

Restaurant Menu UX

jpreardon — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:00:17 +0000

Chances are, you’ve seen your fair share of restaurant menus, enough to appreciate the common elements presented in most menus. While the size, fonts and overall look and feel varies from place to place, the layout of the information generally follows a well known format. This format follows the timeline of the meal, from start to finish (appetizers, entrees, dessert). There are plenty of variations on this, especially when it comes to titling these sections (starters for appetizers), or adding subsections (“from the grill”, “from the sea”), but the linear format almost always present.

Occasionally, and with varying results, some people break away from this format. When poorly executed, it can be confusing for the diner. However, when done well, the menu can offer an additional layer of information in a way that is easy to digest. Take the dinner menu at Fishtag as an example. The reviewer at the New York Times finds it “difficult to navigate”, but I think it has some potential. The food is presented in an order of lightest to heaviest, small and large plates are mixed together. This allows for beverage pairing recommendations in the margins on both sides. The only indicators that a particular plate is an appetizer are the red font color and, of course, the price.

The red font color can be a bit confusing since it seems kind of random at first glance as there is no legend provided for what the red color means. Does it mean spicy? Are these items recommended by the chef? Are these things red because the menu designer thought it would look pretty? It is even more confusing when compared to the beverage menu. Beverages are grouped by type (white wine, rice wine, beer, etc.), then by flavor profile, which matches the pairing suggestions the food menu. Nice. But, the red font color on the beverage menu is used only to set off detailed descriptions of each item.

Granted, the readability of the menu is but one small component of the overall restaurant experience and the staff probably offers some guidance before leaving the diner with the menu. But, a good menu layout is much easier to execute than consistently delicious food and stellar service. So, why not improve on something that is potentially confusing? Perhaps some iconography to designate small plates and italics for the beverage descriptions would let people concentrate on what food and drink to order rather than puzzling over what all this red means.

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In.gredients, the Zero-Packaging Supermarket

jpreardon — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:30:19 +0000

View the full length video on YouTube.

Food packaging is pretty wasteful. Even if one recycles everything they can, a fair amount of packaging is going in the trash. In.gredients, a supermarket slated to open this year in Austin is going reduce packaging needs by letting customers bring their own containers. If you don’t have a container, no problem, In.gredients will provide a compostable one for you. Unpackaged, a store with a similar concept, has already opened in London. So, maybe we’ll see supermarkets like this opening elsewhere soon. In the meantime, you can support In.gredients’ effort by being an investor.

via Good :: Fork in the Road

The Frying Dutchmen Lands in NYC

The Frying Dutchmen Lands in NYC

jpreardon — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:28:28 +0000

A new food truck is coming to the streets of New York. The Frying Dutchmen will be a mobile friets truck, plying the avenues between SoHo and Murray Hill. Fried potatoes with a selection of dipping sauces will surely be a hit on with the revelers in both neighborhoods.

No word on whether the name is a shout out to the all-you-can-eat seafood buffet of a similar name from the Simpsons, or just a a reference to the owner’s love of a certain burg on the Amstel.

via Fork in the Road

Sixpoint Cans on the Horizon

jpreardon — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:31:59 +0000

Update 2011-05-16: Sixpoint will be available in cans come Memorial Day!

It appears that Sixpoint may begin offering at least one of their fine, craft ales in cans. This was also mentioned on beernews.org and Beeradvocate.

It will be great to have some Bengali Tiger in such portable containers!

DIY Cooking Handbook

jpreardon — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:24:08 +0000

I really like the idea of this DIY Cooking Handbook from the New York Times. It pulls together a handful of recipes from varied sources for “nice to have in the fridge/pantry” items. Currently, there are 13 different (lucky!) recipes ranging from kimchi to preserved lemons. The Horseradish Beer Mustard sounds particularly delightful.

One More Resolution

jpreardon — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 16:24:22 +0000

Everyone is tired of hearing about New Year’s Resolutions by now–it’s the second day of the year after all. But, this is one we would all do well by:

Cut down still further on American fast food.
–Dave Cook (Eating in Translation)

Photo: Partially whitewashed McDonald’s ad, First Avenue, New York © Dave Cook

Gravy Train

jpreardon — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:24:15 +0000

The New York Times serves up some tasty, Thanksgiving themed info-graphics today: What’s Cooking on Thanksgiving -or- what people are searching for on Allrecipes.com on Wednesday (broken down by state).

Based on a cursory look at the graphics, it appears that mashed potatoes and gravy are going to be on a lot of tables in California today. I love California.

Happy Thanksgiving All!

via Serious Eats

Open House New York Food Map

jpreardon — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:46:23 +0000

Those visiting any of the Open House New York sites next weekend may find themselves in strange and unfamiliar neighborhoods. If you think you may find yourself in that situation, keep this OHNY Food Map from Serious Eats close at hand–just in case you get hungry.

Red Hook Food Map

jpreardon — Sat, 02 May 2009 16:35:38 +0000

Dave Cook created a great map of gastronomic highlights in Red Hook. The map includes, among other things, a comprehensive description of what is on offer at the Red Hook ball fields. Whether you are heading to Ikea to shop for low-cost goods, or just want to explore the neighborhood, this is a great map to have in your back pocket when hunger strikes.

Goodbye Old Devil Moon

jpreardon — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:31:58 +0000

It looks like Old Devil Moon has closed its doors. I will need to find another location to satisfy my occasional biscuit and gravy cravings. All suggestions are welcome.

Update: There is a massive NYC biscuits and gravy thread going on over at Blondie and Brownie. A bunch of those restaurants just went on my wish list.

jpreardon.com » Food & Drink

Restaurant Menu UX

In.gredients, the Zero-Packaging Supermarket

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