The Tribune dining staff, perhaps in a moment of reflection inspired by an introspective Independence Day weekend, have compiled a list of their least-favorite menu phrases, ones they wish restaurateurs would stop using forever. Some of their gripes are just linguistic bugbears (the misuse of “Kobe,” the redundancies of “shrimp scampi” or “with au jus”), but we admit to sympathetic fatigue for phrases like “grilled to perfection,” “melt-in-your-mouth” (when applied to non-ice-cream products), and “world-famous.” As far as our own peeves, we bristle at near-constant reminders of kitchen equipment (“wood-fired oven” should appear once on the menu, if at all), and we get cranky when we read purveyor identifications when the farms in question are giant national brands (if we can buy that bacon in any grocery store in the country, we figure it’s not worth the spilled ink of a menu callout). What drives you crazy when you see it on a menu?
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