This is probably going to sound really pitiful, but we've led sheltered food lives, so bear with me.

Now that we live somewhere with multiple options for a variety of cuisine, we want to branch out. We're going on many years of basic Southern, Chinese, Mexican, Italian types of food and want to expand.

There are many Thai/Indian/Korean/Japanese/and every other type restaurant you can think of near us now, but we have no idea where to start.

So if you're going to a new restaurant, how do you approach it? Do you research what the dishes are so you know what you might want to try or do you go in and just hellbent pick something at random and hope it works out?

If anything on the menu is labelled "pancake" you can guarantee it'll be good. This applies to every ethnic cuisine.

Amanda is so right. Also if you look on yelp you can see some of the favourite dishes from that restaurant, it's a good starting point.

The first dish I had from a Korean bbq was bim bim bap and from then on was SOLD and just branched out from there!

If there is Vietnamese food get some pho!! I usually will just go with a meat or veggie I know I like and just take a chance.

I have never once had anything under the auspices of "Indian Food" and been disappointed, ever. It was the first "exotic" (!) cuisine I had after I started branching out from living at home and eating fast food, carry-out Chinese, and frozen burger patties.

My attitude these days is, "if someone cooks it, someone eats it," so I have almost zero trepidation when eating ANYTHING. BUT it took me quite a while to get to that point (and working in Jeni's really, really helped EXPLODE my palate).

Good luck and share your adventures with us! P.S. bulgogi is Korean for "this will make you orgasm."

Great post.

Thanks, guys! Hearing dishes you all like really helps. I am terrified that I'll go in somewhere and order the one thing on the menu that NOBODY ever orders because it's too exotic.

I'm open to just about anything. And I'll check Yelp because I didn't think of that.

And yes, there is a Vietnamese place.

Oh! And here's a question for you. There is a strip mall looking place called Foods of the World or somesuch nearby with little restaurants from everywhere. Is this a good idea? I mean, a strip mall restaurant doesn't exactly shout out great authentic food to me most of the time, but I do know our favorite Chinese place in town so far is in a strip mall right between a grocery store and a tax prep place, so what do I know!?

If you guys have never tried Tapas, we're going to Humble Pie.

If you want to branch out and try French inspired Southern cuisine, we're going to Poole's Diner. We should go to Poole's Diner anyways just because it's the mother-fucking shit.

Never tried tapas. Am all for it!

Dommi, we wanted to go to Poole's Diner last night for Kasey's birthday dinner but they are closed Mondays! Argh. We went to a Mexican place close to campus that Dylan had gone to with his fraternity and while it was a little on the bland side, the staff was awesome and the atmosphere nice.

Payday is next week so I'll get up with you and we'll plan some culinary testing!

Strip mall does not necessarily mean poor quality! (Fancy-looking restaurant does not necessarily mean high quality either!)
If it's a stereotypical family-owned, immigrant-fresh kinda place, price also has zero correlation with quality.

Anyway, here are some stereotypically "safe" dishes to start with. So if you're going out with uma, one of you can order one of these and one of you can order something more adventurous, and worst case scenario you'll like at least one of them. :D

Thai: Pad thai (rice noodles, peanuts, egg, and shrimp or chicken)
Indian: Chicken tikka masala (chicken slow-cooked in a tomato cream sauce)
Korean: Bibim bap (rice, veggies, an egg, and meat; can be cold or hot, get it hot :D )
Japanese: Anything labeled "hibachi" is basically super quick stir fry. Noodle dishes tend to be pretty tame too.
Vietnamese: SPRING ROLLS (most restaurants serving an Asian cuisine will serve some kind of spring roll but Vietnamese spring rolls are AWESOME), and you can usually get them as an entree served on rice noodles with lettuce, cucumber, and tomato

Boudicca said:
Never tried tapas. Am all for it!

Dommi, we wanted to go to Poole's Diner last night for Kasey's birthday dinner but they are closed Mondays! Argh. We went to a Mexican place close to campus that Dylan had gone to with his fraternity and while ...

Yeah, if I had known, I would have warned you guys. Sunday Brunch only/no Mondays at Poole's. I get emails from them so I always have the head's up on when they'll be closed. Humble Pie is also Brunch only on Sundays, but they're open every other night.

Just text me and let me know where you guys want to go, and I'll meet up with you there.

I recommend staying away from Vietnamese until you have mastered all other Asian foods, because Vietnamese is the most like Klingon food. If you wish qogh was real and would try it without hesitation, then by all means skip to Vietnamese.

How are you guys on sushi? Lots, some, little or no experience?

Indian food is some of my favorite stuff on the planet!

All the stuff mentioned here is great, but here are some other great "starter" favorites:

- Saag Paneer: cooked spinach with a very simple, unsalted white cheese. The texture is similar to tofu, or Mexican queso fresco. There are also lamb and chicken versions, which are excellent, but I just like cheese a whole lot and Paneer isn't something you see every day.
- Biryani: Indian take on fried rice. Usually comes with lamb, chicken, shrimp, or all of the above and is really nicely spiced. I think it's a great introduction to the range of spices in Indian food.
- Tandoori Chicken: another great way to kind of get the hang of Indian spices, especially if you haven't quite warmed up to curry yet. It's tangy and delicious, and is usually offered in mild (which is usually really flavorful, regardless) or spicy. You also usually get half a chicken with your order.
- Raita: Yogurt dip made with cucumbers, tomatoes, dill, and sometimes potatoes. Really excellent on top of just about everything, and is great for cooling down hotter dishes.
- Mango Lassi: sweetened mango yogurt drink, kind of tastes like a frozen yogurt milkshake with the whole sweet/tart thing going on. There's a savory non-mango version, I do not particularly care for it.

Jarod, thanks for the tip! I think we'll try other stuff and lead up to Vietnamese.

I have zero experience with sushi. Uma and DG have both had it at least once, so very limited experience.

The Indian suggestions are VERY helpful! And sound delicious. I am very interested in trying Indian and Thai food myself.

For some reason, uma has zeroed in on Korean food. Any tips?

I LOVE INDIAN FOOD. I would eat it every day for the rest of my life it is so delicious.

In regards to trying new things, one thing you might do, if you're worried about ordering something and you don't know what it is, is look up recipes for a few dishes. Like, if you don't know anything about Korean food (super delicious) look up some Korean recipes and it'll give you an idea of what's in it and how that appeals to you. I also find that it gets me really excited about trying new things, since I can only imagine what they taste like.

Also, next time you come to DC I'm taking you to get Ethiopian food. It is my all-time favorite thing to introduce people to and it's so super delicious.

I haven't been exposed to Indian food AT ALL in my foodie quests. I want someone who is an experienced Indian food eater to take me out and show me the wonders of this spicy cuisine. I always read rants and raves but I am not that brave to go out and just try it on my own without someone who is familiar with the flavors. It is definitely on my list!

That is how I got into Korean and Thai food and thank the food Gods for that! Amazing stuff!

Introducing yourself to Thai:
Pad Thai w/ any meat/seafood is awesome
Panang Curry (yellow coconut curry, it is rich and REALLY flavorful)
Thai Iced Tea

Introducing yourself to Korean:
Bibim Bap
Bulgolgi (Basically it is a brasised and marinated meat in a soy sauce glaze topped with sesame seeds & thrown on some sticky jasmine rice)
Lettuce Wraps (usually chicken/meats that you wrap in lettuce and dip in an array of sauces)

Oh my god, Steph! I want to take you the BEST INDIAN BUFFET ever in Columbus! Matthew and I completely broke our diet eating there yesterday.

Oh Logan! I want to come visit and take you on a ALL THE FOODS tour!

There's actually an alt eats food tour here in Columbus, I wonder if there is something similar where you live?

A very quick google search brought up these food tours -
http://www.trianglefoodtour.com
http://www.tastecarolina.net

And check out this hip article in Bon Appetite!
http://...bonappetit.com/...aleigh-with-ashley-christensen

Lot's of people have made some great points. A number of truly ethnic restaurants owned by immigrants are in strip malls. No big! It's authentic, tasty and often cheaper than restaurants found in upscale touristy areas. Also check Yelp! Don't be afraid to ask questions to Yelp's Talk Board! Now that you live near a larger city, it might be awesome to start connecting via Yelp! I know that a lot of our local Yelpers get together for Pho Club and International Supper Club. Just check out the Raleigh Events Page for Yelp!
http://www.yelp.com/events/raleigh-nc

Everyone has talked about Indian and a plethora of Asian food - but don't rule out Ethiopian or Somalian food! Because of where Somali is located, you'll find a lot of Italian influence! Not too scary now, huh?

Walter! said:
Also, next time you come to DC I'm taking you to get Ethiopian food. It is my all-time favorite thing to introduce people to and it's so super delicious.

Yes, please!

These sugeestions are super helpful because they give me a place to start!

I'm not so much afraid of new foods as I don't want to go in and order something, hate it, and have a big heap of food sitting there going to waste while I'm starving. Not looking like an idiot is a plus!

LeeChan, the food tour is freaking fantastic and I never would have thought of it. This is what I'm talking about! And Poole's Diner is the place featured in the article you linked from Bon Appetit. They are a must on my list because I have heard lots about their food from many many people.

There's a super great Ethiopian place in Mission Valley near the movie theater and hookah bar. It's called Abyssinia and it's AMAZING.

Korean and Vietnamese I usually go to Durham for, and by usually I mean never because I am super lazy. But to start with for Korean, you can't go wrong with bulgogi; it's a pretty straight forward beef dish.

Let's make a Poole's Diner date for next week. I can't do Tuesday or Wednesday night, but if we do Thursday or Friday I'll have my Navy BFF with me.

vietnamese: banh xeo, banh mi

those are seriously the best!

Jarod has it right in that vietnamese cuisine can be pretty rough, but that's because they use a lot of offal in every day meals! The soups are the toughest to order, because they lose a lot in the experience if you don't go for the squidgy bits.

The two things I mention above are basically the best things in the world though, and they don't have any squidgy bits.