The Risotto Principle

I was told when I was young that one can make a bad impression on fellow diners if he takes too long to choose his meal from a menu. I took this advice to heart, and always try to make my decision in about 5-10 seconds. One advantage I have is that I'm allergic to both nuts and shell fish, so half of the menu is usually eliminated for me from the start.

When it comes down to a tough decision, I use two guiding principles. The first is obvious, and the second is less so. Here they are:

1. Order what the restaurant is known for - Don't get salmon at a steak place. Don't get chicken at a pizza place. If you wanted those foods, you should have gone somewhere else. The only time to violate this rule, is when you're at a restaurant to appease a significant other. If your partner really likes sushi, and you don't, it's fine to order cooked fish at a sushi place.
2. Order the dish that's harder to prepare at home - I call this, "The Risotto Principle" (not to be confused with the Bain Principle of Parking), because I always choose risotto on a menu when I'm deciding between that and anything else, since risotto is such an attention intensive dish to prepare. Additionally, while I never cook swordfish, my father is an absolute sansei when it comes to grilling the stuff, so I would never get that at a restaurant either. This is a good, quick heuristic to employ when you're down to two or three tasty options, and you need to finalize the selection.