An Italian chef shares 8 dishes you should never order at an Italian restaurant, and what to try instead

"For Italians, food is more sacred than the Gospel and the Bible," Pollastrini told Insider.

"Having said that, I would give the Oscar to Americans for their reinterpretation of Italian cuisine," she said. "It is always fascinating — and at the same time horrifying — to see how it is common practice to try to mix or reinvent our recipes. It can be a crime." 

"Although I have lived in America for many years, I never get used to seeing some supposedly 'Italian' restaurants presenting some dishes, calling them true Italian cuisine," she said. 

So here's Pollastrini's guide on how to order when you want an authentic Italian dinner.

Shrimp scampi is a classic Italian-American recipe that typically features shrimp and pasta. 

But Pollastrini's main issue with the dish is that it usually "has enough garlic to kill every single vampire in the universe." 

"Why not make the shrimp simply poached with extra-virgin olive oil, parsley, good white wine, and salt and pepper?" she said. "I would be more than happy with it just like that." 

That means breadsticks dipped in marinara is a major no-no. 

Feel free to add a pinch of salt as well.

"Pasta with meat or chicken together on the plate is considered a crime," she said. "Take chicken fettuccine Alfredo, for instance. It's so wrong just to even say it." 

Pollastrini recommends pairing your fettuccine with butter and Parmigiano cheese, "which, by the way, is the real Alfredo sauce," she added.

Pollastrini didn't hold back when she saw Martha Stewart add heavy cream to her version of pasta carbonara.  

"In the real carbonara, we use just egg yolk, and absolutely no heavy cream," Pollastrini told Insider at the time. "You are not making an omelet." 

"If they don't offer the real version without butter and cream, don't order it," Pollastrini said. "I'd rather suffer with McDonald's as my punishment for eternity." 

Chicken parmigiana — also known as chicken parmesan — is an Italian-American dish that features breaded chicken cutlets, tomato sauce, and melted cheese on top. But Pollastrini isn't a fan. 

"It's just a version of eggplant parmigiana made with a chicken cutlet," she said. 

"Be sure to say, 'no sauce, no mozzarella, and definitely no pasta,'" Pollastrini added. 

"The Caesar salad has nothing to do with Julius Caesar or Rome," Pollastrini added. "We'd never serve mayonnaise on lettuce in Italy. The Caesar salad was originally made in Mexico by an Italian immigrant who lived in Tijuana." 

Pollastrini would keep it simple with just some lemon and olive oil.

True Italian cuisine, she said, is all about "lightness and flavor." 

"What, for us, is the ritual of the most classic Italian breakfast — a croissant and a cappuccino — for Americans is a drink to be enjoyed after lunch like a coffee," Pollastrini said. "Absolutely no. It would be like ordering a cup of cold milk and cornflakes after a meal." 

"Or, if you have to do it the American way, black coffee," Pollastrini added. 

"We don't dump a ton of parmesan onto pizza as seasoning," Pollastrini said.