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This may belong in Other Culinary Chat, if so moderators please move it and accept my apology for incorrect placement.

So the other day I went with my daughter to a local North Shore restaurant for lunch, she LOVES their tomato soup and although it doesn't get much love from LTH, it's generally been pretty reliable. Not a chain but part of a well-known dining empire, I'll leave the name out of it for now. I wasn't sure what I was going to want and was pleased to see a special "Heirloom Tomato Salad with fresh mozzarella and grilled shrimp" which came with some sort of vinaigrette of no discernible flavor. But I digress.

The "heirloom tomatoes" did not look heirloom to me. I am NO expert on almost anything, but I've had amazing heirloom tomatoes in fine establishments and these weren't fitting the bill IMO. I was asked by my server how it was and I honestly commented, 'eh.' I asked if it would be possible to find out from the chef what types of tomatoes I was served, particularly since every other time I've had something like this the menu identified the selected tomatoes by name. One in particular, of which there were three large slices, seemed EXACTLY like under-ripe, grocery store beefsteaks: flavorless, colorless, eh. She came back with "heirloom" and sent the manager over. HE also told me they were 'heirloom.' From the market downtown, an assortment of unnamed tomatoes selected by the purveyor for the restaurant. I must have looked incredulous, as he asked me which were my favorite and I replied "the yellow ones." So he brought me a few more slices of the yellow ones. They were nothing special but at least seemed ripe.

Well my daughter was embarrassed (she's a teenager of course) and I didn't make any sort of scene, just finished and paid. But I have been thinking about this for 3 days now. (Too much time on my hands?)

Maybe I'm wrong for expecting true heirloom at a place like this, but the menu said it. Maybe I've assigned too much sophistication to this establishment and I should've just sucked it up and not questioned it. Maybe they were indeed some sort of heirloom type of tomatoes but they couldn't identify them. Maybe I'm cynical in thinking these were routine multi-colored tomatoes and their lack of taste and color was a dead giveaway.

What would you have done? Would you do any sort of follow-up? I'm honestly not looking to slam the place. Not trying for a free meal or anything, nor do I want to be "right" and have them proven wrong. I'm just sort of really bummed by the whole experience and need to get it out of my system.

Thanks.

"Heirloom" just means that they aren't a hybrid variety. It doesn't convey anything about the quality or ripeness.

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LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

Caveat emptor with so-called 'heirloom' tomatoes - it's nothing more than a marketing term. There is no specific legal definition of 'heirloom' with respect to agricultural products.

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Food & Flowers: Andre Jordan's sweet doodle for a cold winter's day; diary of an unhappy restaurateur, circa 1881; winter project - try a terrarium

Lies They Feed Us: "Wild," "Crab," Etc. http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4749

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"Playing the trumpet with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is the most fun that you can have with your clothes on." Adolph "Bud" Herseth

Here's a great example about the horsecrap marketing of "heirloom" tomatoes. From Wikipedia, via Seed Savers Exchange:

"Green Zebra was bred by Tom Wagner of Everett, Washington, and introduced in his Tater-Mater Seed Catalog in 1983. It is not an heirloom tomato, despite often being mistakenly designated as one."

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Food & Flowers: Andre Jordan's sweet doodle for a cold winter's day; diary of an unhappy restaurateur, circa 1881; winter project - try a terrarium

I would let it go but might not order it again or go back to the restaurant. Depends on whether they just had a bad dish or day. I guess I would not necessarily expect they would know the names of the heirlooms. I have seen heirlooms for sale at Whole foods and there is a big pile of assorted odd looking tomatoes. No name specifically. Even if the buyer at the place knew the names the servers, cooks and managers might not know the specific names.

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Toria

"I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - As You Like It,
W. Shakespeare

In fact I have heirlooms growing in my garden and do not remember their names. I think they were cool something like dark prince but who knows.

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Toria

"I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - As You Like It,
W. Shakespeare

What's interesting about Zebra, is that the original 'zebra' tomato --Mr. Stripey-- IS an heirloom.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Stripey

Geo

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