The thread about favorite Chinese restaurant food got me thinking.
What we have nearly always done and still do at Chinese restaurants is
order at least one unfamiliar thing every time. We've found many now-
well-liked dishes this way. But we go to other restaurants, too,
which require different rules. In our experience, good steakhouses
tend to do a good job on steaks but other menu items are suspect. And
so on. Things change, but here are what would be our current
restaurant rules, assuming good restaurants of each category:

Chinese: always try at least one new dish, and avoid those you
can make at home.
Steakhouses: order steak. [exception: Keen's in NYC does a
great mutton chop.]
Italian: stuffed fresh pastas display the chef's skills better
and are much less likely to be pre-cooked/rewarmed.
Cuban: if rabo encendido (oxtail stew) is on the menu, order
it. If not, try for a combination of lechon (roast pork) and roast
chicken. Tostones always. This is a big exception to the "try new
things" general rule.
Spanish: tapas, paella, tapas, paella, tapas, paella -- and they
will all be different.
French: Many delicious classics can be made at home. Order
something you can't make, especially any game that's on the menu
(including rabbit).
Mexican: my test of the kitchen's skill is chiles rellenos; if
those are good, everything else will be good. In Mexico we go with
regional specialties and usually ask, what's fresh?
Indian: garlic naan, then follow the new dish rule, not
overlooking the salads/cold dishes.
Other countries: in L.A. we can find restaurants featuring many
many cuisines. The only rule is to ask lots of questions and enter
with an experimental frame of mind.

What is your approach? -aem