Off the top of my head, at Alinea we had courses that:
were served on a 700 degree slab of metal. The main thing we had to know about eating that course was DO NOT TOUCH the dish!
One of the desserts was a collection of creamy/gooey things, served in a glass straw. You put one end in your mouth and sucked it all in.
Another course was in a shot glass, and was meant to be eaten like you’d do a shot. The server told us “open your mouth wider than you think you should”
It’s probably very good food, except that having a head chef named “Wylie Dufresne” makes me think of the guy who ladles chipped beef on toast at Maine State Prison.
Genuine 
He kind of looks like that guy, too.
Add me to the insanely jealous, and I would definitely go for the tasting menu with the wine pairings.
Pretty much. And then you spend a minute or two marveling at the dish, while the server explains how to eat it, a minute eating it, and then the remaining time discussion the flavors, textures etc. until the next one comes.
All of those talking about how the food wouldn’t “fill you up” are missing the point. If all you want is a stuffed gut full of food, these are definitely not the places you want to go. Go grab yourself some nutrient slurry or something. This food is meant as art, not as sustenance.
For an example, for the cost of the dinner we had at Alinea, my wife and I could have split 224 Big Macs (at 2009 Big Mac Index prices). You can decide for yourself which you are more interested in.
Exactly. The bus will get you into town. So will a nice ten speed bike.
But neither of those options is the same experience as driving a Ferrari.
Now if you don’t really care about or appreciate the care that goes into making a Ferrari then you are absolutely correct to spend your money and time on other things that are important or at least enjoyable to you.
For most of us, a dining experience like this happens a few times in our lives. It’s really not meant to be an everyday activity. If I drove said Ferrari to the train station every day I’m sure I’d be pissed at how it jerks forward at every GD light or stop sign and how the F’ing thing is a pain in the ass to make tight turns at 5-10 mph. But practicality does not enter into the equation in these limited and rare circumstances.
Also if you’re standing next to a Ferrari with the keys in your hand and your first thought is “that’s a really nice shade of red - I wonder how the drapes in the living room would look in red…” then you’re kind of missing the point.
What I like to tell people who gasp in astonishment over how much a meal at one of these places cost is that it’s like a sporting event. Nobody expresses much surprise at the idea that great tickets to a great game may cost many hundreds of dollars each, but for some reason people never want to think that a meal is worth that.
I couldn’t care less about sitting courtside watching a basketball game, but I’ll willingly go into a lot of debt if I thought I had a snowball’s chance in hell at going to El Bulli before it closes.
Because it has all of the components that go into eggs benedict. The crouton looking things are actually hollandaise stabilized with various food chemistry wizardry and deep fried with english muffin crumb breading. The yellow cylinders are carefully poached egg yolks and it is garnished with some of the finest shaved canadian bacon in the world.
I am very envious, if I could eat at only one place in NYC it would be WD-50. :>
Bumping this up to add pics of our dinner.
We choose the tasting menu.
First course:
Scallops, spring onion, lovage, worcestershire
A nice combination of the crunchy and the smooth texture of the scallops.
Next course:
Everything bagel, smoked salmon threads, crispy cream cheese
Basically an ice cream with a bit of savory flavors. I don’t particularly like ice cream so this was not my favorite but the combination was interesting.
Next course
Foie gras, passionfruit, chinese celery
The foie gras was smooth as silk and the passionfruit added a very pleasant note of unexpected sweetness
Next course:
Scrambled egg ravioli, charred avocado, kindai kampachi
Basically another version of breakfast. The scrambled eggs were delicious and the avocado added a nice touch. The kampachi was sort of superfluous. The little dots at the end of the plate were potato. Nicely crispy.
Next course:
Cold fried chicken, caviar, buttermilk ricotta, tabasco
The chicken was excellent. It had a nice texture that was crunchy without being hard to eat. The buttermilk ricotta was like really good mashed potatoes. The only thing I thought didn’t work was the tabasco. Tabasco and caviar really do not mix.
Next course:
Sweet shrimp, red pepper, black sesame, shiso
Very mild dish. The shrimp were underneath the sesame layer and worked well with it.
Next course:
*Beef and bearnaise *
Basically four dumplings with a beef broth topped with shredded pea pods. My favorite course of the night. The broth was incredibly intensely beefy. The dumplings were like the lightest most potatoish gnocchi / matzo balls I’ve ever eaten.
Next course:
Lamb loin, black garlic romesco, soybean
Perfectly cooked lamb with deliciously garlicy sauce. Another excellent course.
Dessert:
Hazelnut tart, coconut, chocolate, chicory
I did not taste the chicory here. The hazelnut tart was reminded me of the best chocolate pudding imaginable.
There were other desserts but I forgot to photograph them.
A very nice meal with many fascinating tastes and textures.
