Food Inspiration
The menu is a great place to go for inspiration. What kinds of foods are on the menu? How do they describe what they are serving? What ingredients are being used in the foods? How is that different from the things that you normally cook?
Once you place an order and get your food, make a note of the appearance. How are the colors? How is it arranged on the plate? With gourmet food, appearance is just as important as the recipes and the ingredients.
Gourmet chefs spend a long time looking for only the best ingredients. They tend to feature seasonal foods on their menus and only purchase things that are fresh, beautiful, and flavorful. They build their dishes around the ingredients and not the other way around. Here are some tips for finding the best ingredients: