(Photo: Silja Gotz)

REALLY OLD STEAKS
Why pay $75 for that “specially aged” two-month-old hunk of beef when a good hanger steak will do?

PIT MASTERS
Three cheers for the barbecue revolution, but it’s time for a new name. Nobody ever dug barbecue pits in the sidewalks of New York.

STUFFED BIRDS AND ANIMAL HEADS AS A DECORATIVE MOTIF
Freemans started this absurdity. We challenge them to end it.

RUSTING FARM IMPLEMENTS AS A DECORATIVE MOTIF
No more old wagon wheels on the walls, please, or farm plows that look like they were dug up in China.

EGG-WHITE COCKTAIL DRINKS
And while we’re on the subject, the term mixologist is getting tired, too.

PICKLE JUICE AS A COCKTAIL MIXER
The Haute Barnyard movement jumps the shark.

PASTRY-CHEF RESTAURANTS
The experiment is over, and the results are in. He (or she) who bakes a fine éclair rarely ever cooks a good pork chop.

MARKET RESTAURANTS
Do you really want to purchase a $20 jar of artisanal honey after paying $150 for your meal?

WHITE TRUFFLES
Ounce for ounce, the most overrated (and overpriced) delicacy in the restaurant galaxy.

$40 ENTRÉES
Last year, we said we’d seen enough of entrées over $30. We remain eternally hopeful.

Related:

• Archive: “Cover Story”
• Articles by Adam Platt
• Table of Contents: January 7, 2008 issue of New York | Subscribe!