# To H\*LL with Pretentious restaurants! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 2, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718 "2008-04-02T20:40:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/1 "2008-04-02T20:40:51Z")
Just a bit of a rant, but I don’t understand why these new restaurants have to arrange your food in such bizarre ways. Case in point :a recent meal at a new place-$85 bought me; -an enormous plate (18” diameter), with a puddle of “herb infused tomato coulis” -sitting in the puddle of this ketchup-tasting glop was: - a mound of mashed potatoes (garlic-infused); on top of which was: -a 4 ounce piece of steak-seared black outside, blood raw inside On top of that was some “julienned” (shredded) vegetable (carrots, string beans, zucchini) This mess was presented with great flourish, by a haughty, pretentious waiter. My assessment: About $5.00 worth of meat; $80 worth of hype. I would have done better at the local steakhouse down the street! ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/2 "2008-04-02T20:42:43Z")
Please do go there. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/3 "2008-04-02T20:49:16Z")
You could have spent that eighty bucks on a burger. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/4 "2008-04-02T20:49:57Z")
Why are you wishing pretentious restaurants on Hull? Ottawa deserves them more. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/5 "2008-04-02T20:53:39Z")
Sounds like _nouvelle cuisine_, which I think is French for “barely enough food to make a decent mouthful, artfully arranged on a plate with a drizzle of sauce and priced high enough to impress food snobs”. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/6 "2008-04-02T20:56:31Z")
I didn’t think there were restaurants that really still did nouvelle cuisine these days. Sounds hideous. Next time go for the local steakhouse. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/7 "2008-04-02T20:59:14Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] I would have done better at the local steakhouse down the street! [/QUOTE] Why you could have gotten a Bloomin’ Onion, a salad with Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, and a “fully loaded” potato with your seasoned sirlion at a fraction of the cost! :rolleyes: MeanJoe ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/8 "2008-04-02T21:01:51Z")
Years ago a friend’s band was playing at some weird restaurant/club. A bunch of us decided to get dinner there before seeing the band. We called in to find out what the menu was, and it was something like this: -2 string beans on a tablespoon of hummus -Arugula and tuna in a teacup -3 scallops on a bed of water -Half roasted chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and a salad We figured that the chicken sounded good, and all of us were going to get that. We got there and the place was incredibly pretentious. The prices were really high, and the waiter was more concerned with his hip image than in actually serving us. He gave us some really snooty attitude when we expressed disappointment that there was only one order of the chicken available. It did not become our favorite restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/9 "2008-04-02T21:04:30Z")
$85? Yikes. I’m a total food snob and have no trouble spending my disposable income on pricey, fancy meals, but $85 for a piece of steak, some mashed potatoes, and coulis is way out of proportion to what I’m used to, and I live in one of the more expensive cities in the country. I’m going out tonight for a five-course, $65 meal which promises to be spectacular, and had a $125 tasting menu over the weekend that was simply awesome (I don’t have, y’know, a girlfriend or a car or a house, so this is what I spend my money on), and both times I got ample amounts of food, artfully arranged but absolutely delicious…maybe it’s your particular choice of pretentious restaurants that’s the issue? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/10 "2008-04-02T21:08:34Z")
[QUOTE=MeanJoe] Why you could have gotten a Bloomin’ Onion, a salad with Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, and a “fully loaded” potato with your seasoned sirlion at a fraction of the cost! :rolleyes: [/quote] Have you ever even been to a steakhouse? (Note: Applebee’s is not a steakhouse.) There’s nothing worse than badly cooked meat ruined by being dunked in some ghastly sauce. Unfortunately, that type of abomination seems to enthrall young chefs: “Oh, look at my new invention: it’s a lovely bechemel infused with nacho cheese and an Italian beet reduction! How clever! Let’s pour a gallon on a filet mignon!” ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/11 "2008-04-02T21:14:28Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] Just a bit of a rant, but I don’t understand why these new restaurants have to arrange your food in such bizarre ways. [/QUOTE] “new”, “bizarre” Welcome to decades ago, Ralph! ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/12 "2008-04-02T21:16:17Z")
The OP reminds me for an ad currently on TV where they say their servings look like “elf food.” Always makes me giggle. I don’t eat out much, not to mention highbrow eateries, but when I do eat out, my problem is usually the opposite - they serve me a platter of food large enough to serve a family of 4. Heaven forbid you should want an appetizer, soup or salad, or a dessert. Must just be my petite figure to blame. (NOT!) ---
**Author:** ![THespos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/13 "2008-04-02T21:22:41Z")
Sounds like somebody needs a Fribble and a Fishamajig… ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/14 "2008-04-02T21:23:06Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] There’s nothing worse than badly cooked meat ruined by being dunked in some ghastly sauce. Unfortunately, that type of abomination seems to enthrall young chefs: “Oh, look at my new invention: it’s a lovely bechemel infused with nacho cheese and an Italian beet reduction! How clever! Let’s pour a gallon on a filet mignon!” [/QUOTE] The thing is, the meat sounds perfectly cooked in the OP. And there is nothing wrong with selling a 4 ounce steak - personally I like a larger portion, though there are times I could go for that size. I’m also not a filet mignon fan. I find it so lacking in flavor and marbelling that it needs a sauce with it to be edible. Nasty nasty cut of meat. The price in the OP sounds over the top. But I doubt they hid the cost from public view. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/15 "2008-04-02T21:24:38Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] Just a bit of a rant, but I don’t understand why these new restaurants have to arrange your food in such bizarre ways. Case in point :a recent meal at a new place-$85 bought me… [/QUOTE] Are you saying that the entree alone cost $85? Or that your salad, wine, entree, and anything else cost $85? Because if your entree alone cost $85, you must have been at a Michelin three-star restaurant, in which case you should have known what you were getting yourself into. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/16 "2008-04-02T21:25:05Z")
Yipe! My SO and I went to a wonderful hibachi/sushi place, had two drinks each, and were out for less than $85, 20% tip included, and we were stuffed. You wuz robbed. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/17 "2008-04-02T21:26:54Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] You wuz robbed. [/QUOTE] Not unless he wasn’t told the price before he ordered. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/18 "2008-04-02T21:28:22Z")
[QUOTE=villa] I’m also not a flit mignon fan. I find it so lacking in flavor and marbelling that it needs a sauce with it to be edible. Nasty nasty cut of meat. [/QUOTE] Is that a permethrin marinade? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/19 "2008-04-02T21:29:09Z")
Caught it on the edit! ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718/20 "2008-04-02T21:29:37Z")
[QUOTE=Dinsdale] I don’t eat out much, not to mention highbrow eateries, but when I do eat out, my problem is usually the opposite - they serve me a platter of food large enough to serve a family of 4. Heaven forbid you should want an appetizer, soup or salad, or a dessert. [/QUOTE] That’s one thing I love about most fish and chip places around home (the other thing being that living on the coast, it was always good and fresh). Good food, good price, and plenty to go around. I think it’s telling that many of them have half-orders as a menu item. Dammit, now I have a craving for deep-fried fresh haddock. And I’m in Nebraska ☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-h-ll-with-pretentious-restaurants/443718.md?page=2)