I got chicken at a burger place...

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I went to a lunch today at a really upscale burger joint. I opted for their roast chicken entree. Yeah, yeah, lololol ordering chicken at a burger place, but I just didn't feel like a burger and this place is owned by a company that has a variety of upscale joints throughout the state.

As I see it, one good measure of any restaurant, especially one with a premium label, is how well they do dishes other than their specialty. The basic expectations of any place like this are high price and high quality. This dish - "lemon and herb cured, roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts, pan jus" - was atrocious. The meat was tender enough, and the skin nicely crispy, but the sauce was totally dominated by salt, the kind of thing you'd expect from Red Lobster or Olive Garden. It soaked through and overwhelmed everything on the plate, and I would have sent it back if I hadn't thought I'd look like an ass in front of my coworkers and the vendor guy picking up the tab.

I dunno. I'd be curious to hear about places you've been to where this isn't the case, or from chefs about how and why this happens. I feel like any place that takes their reputation seriously wouldn't phone it in for any dish, no matter how much of a fringe item it might be.