Watching the 'Great Chefs' cook, and I just wondered ..

I like to occasionally watch those ‘Great Chefs of the World’ programs on educational TV, and I’m always impressed at how much they go through to produce a plate full of something delicious that I’d go through in about 5 minutes.

I have never eaten at a 4 star restaurant, though I did stop in at a 2 star one some years ago for Steak Diane that took forever to get, minutes to demolish and left me wondering if I should have just gone to the steak house down the road. I think, back then, the check was $20. (I could have gotten 3 1/2 ribeyes with baked potatoes, great rolls, drink and fried onions for that.)

So, I’m curious. For, say one person, if you go to one of these high quality restaurants and have a meal, medium priced, something fancy like stuffed Salmon fillets, marinated lamb chops served on wilted spinach and wild herbs, and whatever accouterments goes with the meal, excluding wine (I don’t drink wine), what would it cost and how long would it take to be served?

I just know some of you eat in such places frequently.

Their desserts are enough to make me want to eat the TV screen.

Nothing, please, like Iron Chef, because they cook disgusting things and like to rip living critters apart with their bare hands and heave them in the pot without benefit of even being chilled into unconsciousness first.

Probably less that you think, excluding wine. Wine and other drinks can cost the earth. Drinks are where a lot of restaurants really make their money.

Let’s see. At what I would call a “fancy” restaurant:

Appetizer: $8 - $15 (Note: soups and salads are usually less)
Entree: $15 - $40
Dessert: ~$10

So you could easily get out of even a very fancy restaurant under $35, even with a three course meal.

This is assuming you are only drinking water. They would probably sock you another $5 at least if you had anything else.

See, around here (the Bay Area), if you don’t at least have the option of getting a 7 course meal, it’s not a fancy restuarant.

A 7 course meal would typically cost $70-$90 and take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours to eat, depending on the place.

But to answer your questions, what I nice thing like a single dish of fish or lamb would cost: $25 - $35, for a nice dish. I’m assuming you go to a very nice place… places that are only nice may cost $15-$20.

Nice food doesn’t take any longer to cook than anything else. These restuarants have serving these things quickly down to a science - many people would work in parallel, if it’s a complicated dish. Working that way, the only bottleneck is the longest cooking time of the dish. Those who have actually workedin kitchen can correct me if I am wrong.

You also asked about time. At a good restaurant you should never feel rushed, nor should you be sitting around wondering where the next course is.

Most restaurant dishes don’t take that long to make. It’s not like they start simmering the soup stock when you place your order. They also have huge staffs of people doing the chopping and whatnot.

I don’t know why your steak Diane took so long. It’s really a very simple dish that anyone could cook–it’s a staple of 50s and 60s cookbooks for people of limited cooking experience who want make something that looks fancy. Isn’t it supposed to be cooked at your table anyway? Sounds like you just got bad service.

Go to a good restaurant that offers a “Tasting Dinner”. This is where the chef gives you several small portions of the house specialities. Do not pretend that you are going to get stuffed to the gills. Instead, you will have the chance to discover flavors and combinations that you might never try. Once you find a particularly delightful dish, you can go ahead and order the full size plate of it the next time around.

A good restaurant will offer such a meal for between $35 - $50, and it can be a joy to experience. I also recommend that you have something else than water with your meal. Whether it is beer or hot tea doesn’t matter but it is important to have a beverage that will “cleanse” your palate before going on to taste another course.

If you like to cook, drop by my recipe thread and try preparing some of the dishes listed in it. Many are fairly easy, economical and provide a definite break from the usual fare.