Thanks everyone! Your responses were largely what I expected, that I don’t have the palate to fully appreciate that sort of meal, and would probably be happier with something less avant-garde (thanks for that description Shalmanese!) to begin with.
I think for our special occasion dinner I will go with the upmarket steakhouse that a lot of you have suggested. I’m not crazy into steak but maybe the experience will convert me, and I know that my fiance will love it.
And we’ll balance it out another time by going somewhere a bit out of our palates’ comfort zones, so thanks for the local recommendations. We might then work up to the $150 menu like Bridget Burke suggested. Or wait until work is picking up the tab.
What a shame! I’d have cancelled until I was well enough - it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. The only problem was, I had the taster menu of ten courses, and they waited about 20 minutes in between each course. I was starving for the first half of the meal, though by the end I was perfectly full. About seven of the dishes were the best examples of their respective ingredients that I’ve ever tasted. Ever.
I did a cookery course there a few weeks ago and am rockin’ it Blanc style now. (Well not quite, but I now know how to confit, make amazing stock, and do a really, really good pastry. And it completely sold me on wild mushrooms too.)
I’m a devoted food person; my husband prefers a steak and a baked potato. He splurged and took me to a very nice restaurant, in about that same price range. Even he loved it, and it was so far from his comfort zone.
Fine ingredients (like Kobe beef, something we would never ever buy at home), excellent service, and an unforgettable atmosphere made for a lovely evening. Even if you aren’t a serious foodie, it could be a wonderful experience. Maybe you might decide not to do it again, but it’s something new and different. If you can afford it, why not give it a try? Expand your horizons a little.
My husband enjoyed it so much that he’s willing to go to a high-end French restaurant for our anniversary next week. Now that is really stretching his boundaries, but I appreciate the attempt. He thinks French = snails, but he also thought Japanese = raw squid.
Mmm, maybe, maybe not. I get a vague sense of a wink and a nod from the descriptions, a subtle implication that the dishes will be served with just as much wit as professional style. That can be a good thing, certainly, and additional support for the price. The Wylie Dufresne restaurant I mentioned above? The last time I was there, my girlfriend and I laughed out loud at three or four of the courses in the tasting menu. Serious food can also be hilarious.
If that menu were presented with white gloves and a totally straight face, though, you’d have a point. I’d need to see it firsthand to know for sure.
Its also Australia. I’ve never been to Australia, so this is complete heresay, but my understanding from a friend who vacationed there is that dining out is REALLY expensive. Even for your basic pancakes for breakfast was three times what it would cost here.
But foodie meals are really something to work up to, not jump into.
Just because something is expensive doesn’t mean everyone will automatically love it. Many things up at the high end of the range have a quality that is subtle enough that you have to learn to recognize and appreciate it. And fine cuisine is one of these things. You might like the meal but you wouldn’t get the full value of the money you spent on it.
Offal and foie gras should never be mentioned in the same sentence!
And fwiw, Tokay is just…unbelievable, and a much better deal than the likes of Y’Quem. And a better, more acidic match with the foie, too. Auslese and Eiswein from renowned producers fit that bill excellently too.
Favorite sweetie: Donhoff Hermansholle.
So in other words, I’m not wealthy so it’s a rare treat!
Truly.
But one must also consider that this is a machine, a machine made through art, craft, wholesale, and technology for profit. This production… this assembly line is geared to a product, and they are bringing the product to you at a premium, rather than a discount. Value is a consideration. I can embellish and bullshit a meal for you with artistic value, but I will never charge you an arm and a leg for it. I pride myself as an artist, but I’d never conceive my worth as much… and maybe that is my problem. It’s almost an ethical concern for me, that the haute experience and gouging.
I just want to say something on the relative ‘cost’ of fine dining. I believe that although you pay far more to eat out at a fine restaurant I actually think the value, i.e. what you get for your money is probably better the higher end it is. The Fat Duck for example has a taster menu that is £115 per head (going up to £125 in March) but that involves 17 courses prepared by three of the best trained chefs per table (I’ve heard per person as well but cannot find a cite), of which there are only six. On top of this they use the finest ingredients available with up to 70% wastage; this must push the food cost percentage through the roof. On top of this they have the most highly skilled Sommeliers and wait staff that are absolutely top of their game (and probably cost accordingly) I think that when you look at somewhere like Pizza Express (a reasonably priced fairly decent pizza/Italian chain in England) with one guy cooking pizzas for hundreds of people at a cost of pennies per portion served by wait staff who although adequate are on minimum wage you actually are getting an awful lot less for your money. The point is that nobody can really afford to eat at that level regularly and most wouldn’t want to, I like it as an occasional treat and think that over exposure would detract from the experience but even if you don’t value the experience you need to understand that the prices are high for a reason, I expect that most high end restaurants lose money on a lot of their dishes and that they really make their money from alcohol sales. If you want a bargain, don’t drink!
I’ve never been to Vue de Monde for the works, but I have been there for the set price lunch. In my view it was excellent for the price. Although they do get you with the extras - wine and coffee cost a bundle there too. Four of us went and ended up costing $75 each, but really, really good. The petit fours that come with the coffee alone make it worth it.
If you can get there for the lunch, I highly recommend it.
I don’t know that restaurant exactly, but if it’s your first foray into the world of fine dining, you might feel self-conscious and out-of-place.
Men will be eating with NICE jackets and ties. You’ll have a lot of crazy shit on your table. You’ll be in the position of the waiter knowing more about everything than you.
If you’re going to do that, it’s more fun with someone who has been there before. It’s not like you’ll get tossed out of the joint, but I can’t concentrate on my food when I’m in that type of mindset.
I think that a good fine dining restaurant should make every effort to not make you feel that way.
Claridges was my wife’s first top end restaurant experience and she said the wait staff made her feel very relaxed and not at all out of place, she was convinced beforehand that she would feel very self conscious about her lack of culinary knowledge.
I seriously think this is dying out. It is in the UK anyway. I wore slacks and a short-sleeved shirt with no tie to both Claridge’s and Le Manoir, and nobody batted an eyelid.
Well, I have been back a couple of times when healthy enough to enjoy. The “sick” time was a taster menu too - I think 8 courses. Suddenly I am feeling very old, as I am remembering it was the Cup Final day when Gascoigne got himself stretchered off injured, and i had to bribe the waiters to keep me updated on the scores.
What amazed me about the place was that even when I didn’t overly like a particular item, you could absolutely tell the quality and on some level appreciate it.
I know the Foodie Police will probably revoke my membership to the club, but I have to agree with Cinnamon on foie gras.
Nearly every tasting menu I’ve ever had has included one dish with fois gras, and my reaction every time was “meh”. Given that The Boy has usually rolled his eyes back with delight, I have to eliminate the possibility of sub-standard quality or preparation… so my only conclusion is that I’m immune to its charms.
(for that matter, raw oysters and caviar are also on my “huh? people eat this willingly?” list)
No matter. Organ meat of all sorts belongs in pet food, not my plate.
The reason people developed things like Hog’s Ear Soup and Pig Whisker Surprise is because some rich bugger made off with the rest of the pig, not because the ingredients were somehow superior. Chef’s who pride themselves on weird combinations are posers.
