I once ordered fish in a desert.
You can guess how that went.
Admittedly, I am told nothing else there was good. But it would have been less bad than the fish.
If you don't know what to get somewhere, get the local thing. If the restaurant's name is in a sauce or a dish, get that. The house sauce has never failed me.
If they're willing to stake their name on it, it's probably good.
If they're well known for it, it's probably good.
If it has their name or is well known, they probably make it a lot, so it's probably good.
The reasoning isn't hard.
If you're along the coast, the fish is probably fresh, so get some good seafood you won't be able to get elsewhere.
If you don't like seafood, get the sides known to go well with seafood. Those are likely to be good as well. Alternatively, go to a restaurant independently known for something other than seafood.
If you need comfort food, get the foods which are hard to screw up. Any restaurant can provide an acceptable version of their local soup or rice with vegetable and meat. Few can provide a good raw fish.
It's not hard to stack the odds in favor of a good meal. But no one ever explicitly pointed out to me while ordering that expected quality of a dish at that restaurant is just as important as if you think you'll like it.
- Rew
Nightly Notes
I disagree with most travel advice so I end up doing things like this based on my own bad decision making. It's steered me right more than wrong, but this is perhaps the most egregious example.
Explaining your reasoning is more important than any particular advice. I wish more people explained why they live the way they do.
- Rew