Have you ever been to a restaurant and spotted their signature dish and went with it, because . . . well, it just seemed like the thing to do? Before lunching at Murry’s in Columbia for the first time in years, I went on line to see what was cooking at the ol’ watering hole.

During the last 33 years, Murry’s has earned a reputation for consistently turning out good food. From their website, and the advice of others, I learned that I should order the Green Peppers with Powdered Sugar.

Say what?

That didn’t even sound good! It must be a a joke. But I couldn’t get over how many people on line declared fried green peppers a must-have at Murry’s.

Going with the Signature Dish

Fast forward to Monday noon. I ordered the green peppers, with some reservations, though my server assured me it was an excellent choice. Still, my dining companions looked at me like I’d lost my mind. Sure enough, when the dish arrived it didn’t look like much: a large stack of horizontally sliced green peppers, lightly battered and over-doused with powdered sugar.

I shook off the excess and chowed down. Wow! The kitchen had managed to transform this simple appetizer into something greater than the sum of its parts. It really was good! I asked our server if she knew of any other place that served green peppers this way. She didn’t. So I guess you’d call my lunch at Murry’s an unique culinary experience. Those are always fun.

Now it’s your turn. Tell me if you’ve been pleasantly surprised by a weird item on a menu.

FYI

I was in Columbia for the annual presentation of the Gov. Mel Carnahan Public Service Award. The two recipients are shown below.

Congratulations!