Having a well thought out and cleverly worded menu will give your diners the best insight into what dishes they would prefer. Whether it is with familiar flavors and textures or proper descriptions that give them a good idea of what to expect in a dish they’ve never had. Writing a descriptive restaurant menu can help people be more adventurous and try new things. Be sure to test your menu and ask diners how clear things were after the meal, or a server, can do this prior to taking an order.<\/p>\n

Words For Texture<\/h2>\n

Texture is important to note because some textures are unappealing to some (think jellyfish) diners. Also, when writing a descriptive restaurant menu, having a good description of texture allows people to know what to expect when thinking about the way in which a dish and its flavors are delivered.<\/p>\n

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• Airy:<\/strong> light, feathery textures, think whipped cream, or whipped omelet.<\/li>\n
• Buttery:<\/strong> silky, creamy and smooth like or tasting of butter.<\/li>\n
• Chewy:<\/strong> food with some elasticity and that will have some bite too it. Think of salt water taffy.<\/li>\n
• Crispy:<\/strong> crunchy but light textures, think well done French fries.<\/li>\n
• Crumble:<\/strong> a texture that will fall apart or break to bits when chewed or cut. Think apple crumb cake.<\/li>\n
• Crunch:<\/strong> like crispy but with a more firm crunch. Think thick cut kettle cooked potato chips. 4<\/li>\n
• Crusty:<\/strong> hard exterior with softer interior, think of a cal-zone or good a good French baguette.<\/li>\n
• Delicate:<\/strong> light and airy flavors that will break bend, or be cut easily. Think edible flowers.<\/li>\n
• Flaky:<\/strong> a texture that will literally fall apart in layers when cut. Think of quiche or a croissant.<\/li>\n
• Fluff:<\/strong> think of airy but with some more weight to it. Think a fluffy piece of cake or fluffy butternut squash puree.<\/li>\n
• Hearty:<\/strong> full-bodied, rich, and filling; think a stuffed baked potato or chili.<\/li>\n
• Silky:<\/strong> coating to the palette, this texture is refined yet rich. Think silky tiramisu.<\/li>\n
• Smooth:<\/strong> a texture that is consistent without granules or pieces. Think whipped cream.<\/li>\n
• Tenderness<\/strong>: texture that describes how easy something is to chew or its softness profile, think of tender filet mignon in comparison to a well done hamburger.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  Words for Taste<\/h2>\n

  First and foremost on a particular menu item, outside of the ingredients, will be taste and flavor profiles. Writing a descriptive restaurant menu that is well thought out\u00a0 can build anticipation and excitement in a particular dish, when used in conjunction with presentation, creates a complete from menu to taste atmosphere for your patrons. Here is the most common flavor words to use where applicable.<\/p>\n

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  • Acidity:<\/strong> sharp, almost biting taste used commonly to describe citrus, tartness, or vinegar heavy flavors.<\/li>\n
  • Bitterness:<\/strong> a sharp (but not acidic) flavor that can be perceived as overpowering or harsh, think broccoli-rabe.<\/li>\n
  • Brine:<\/strong> salt heavy flavors often with seafood, think the ocean.<\/li>\n
  • Citrus:<\/strong> tart, acidic, sweet or bitter, and fresh. Think lemon or other citrus fruit notes.<\/li>\n
  • Cooling:<\/strong> often paired with spicy food the cooling flavor will cool the pallet, think mint or yogurt with spicy food.<\/li>\n
  • Creamy:<\/strong> heavy milk or thin silky milk sauce, think new England clam chowder, or ice cream.<\/li>\n
  • Freshness:<\/strong> crisp and airy flavor, often describes fresh vegetables, salads, herbs, or also seafood describing it’s time from fisherman to table.<\/li>\n
  • Full-body:<\/strong> rich and heavy on the palette, think beef stew or creamy pasta.<\/li>\n
  • Herbal:<\/strong> robust flavors that enhance the flavor of meat or vegetables served with, think mint, rosemary, green tea, etc.<\/li>\n
  • Nutty:<\/strong> flavor that is close to or containing any variety of nuts. Think of a powerful provolone cheese or different mushroom varietals.<\/li>\n
  • Rich:<\/strong> full flavor that coats the entire pallet and tongue, think butter cooked filet mignon.<\/li>\n
  • Sharpness:<\/strong> a powerful flavor that can out shine other flavors. Think extra sharp cheddar cheese or pungent raw red onion.<\/li>\n
  • Smoke:<\/strong> flavor profile that has clear notes of burning or wood, think smoked ribs.<\/li>\n
  • Sourness:<\/strong> tart and even puckering to the pallet, think raw lemon or powerful citrus flavors.<\/li>\n
  • Spicy:<\/strong> hot and even burning to the pallet, this flavor can be mild, medium, hot and beyond and usually patrons will either love it or hate, but most can always take a little heat. Think chicken wings, in various spice levels.<\/li>\n
  • Sweetness:<\/strong> fruity or sugary flavors (does not necessarily mean desert level sweetness), think cake or maple syrup pancakes.<\/li>\n
  • Zesty:<\/strong> close to spicy, a noticeable and powerful flavor that doesn’t overpower a dish, offers some heat. Think Sriracha glaze on wasabi encrusted salmon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Writing a descriptive restaurant menu that people can understand means a few simple things, here we’ll look at the best strategies on how to write a menu that describes the food you serve. Word choice will be very important here because confusing or unclear menus can often put people off or feel uneasy about ordering […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":208497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[48,46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-208491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-restaurant-menu-design","category-restaurant-menus"],"yoast_head":"\n