Why Anthony Bourdain Avoided Restaurants If Both Steak And Sushi Were On The Menu

Restaurants

Why Anthony Bourdain Avoided Restaurants If Both Steak And Sushi Were On The Menu By Creshonda A. Smith Aug. 8, 2025 7:00 pm EST

Anthony Bourdain was an incredible chef and food philosopher extraordinaire. He had strong opinions about what made a restaurant worth dining in, and one of his clearest rules (which he explained in an interview with First We Feast ) was that, if a restaurant serves both steak and sushi, consider it a red flag. For Bourdain, this kind of menu was a sign that the restaurant was trying too hard to please everyone — and likely not doing anything particularly well. Steak and sushi are radically different dishes, each requiring specific skills, tools, and sourcing.

One is all about fire, seasoning, and sear, while the other highlights prec