Building the Menu Around It

Prerequisites: Modules 35, 48.

The sequence

Put the governing tradition at the center.

Let others support where they genuinely belong.

Name a signature.

And cut what does not serve it.

The decisions

What supports and what dilutes. In Texas the traditions did in fact mix, which makes crossing them legitimate — beans and slaw beside brisket is Central Texas. Beans and slaw beside something unrelated is a collection.

Which means the test is whether the combination has a history or whether it is a list.

And what the signature is. One thing the room is known for, executed to a standard, and mentioned by everyone who describes the place.

What you are reading

Whether the menu can be said in a sentence.

What goes wrong here

Items added for reasons unrelated to the center — a guest asked, a cook can make it, a supplier had a deal.

Verification

The one-sentence test, again.

The boundary

Menu labeling and allergen disclosure are governed by applicable law and the local health authority.