canadianbeaver Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 French Laundry in San Francisco ... needed a reservation weeks in advance and was going to cost $500 a couple. We passed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anacostiakat Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 This is exactly why we don't eat out much any more. Maybe for a special occasion once in a blue moon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celtmick1984 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I am over eating out. As restaurant dining came into vogue, I lost interest in it. Lady Piggy is a great cook and for people on a budget we eat pretty well still. Lord knows you don't get my girth by starving! I am the master at stocking up when things are cheap. I bought prime tri-tip the other day at $4.79/lb. Not bad for prime beef. Why would I go out to dinner when I can eat prime beef at home? I don't have to tip Lady Piggy at all, just do a little clean up and she can consume the whole bottle of wine and not have to worry about driving... or even falling out of her chair! I am terribly un-hip, I admit it! Frankly if I cannot light up, nor get a meal better than I can cook for myself, screw going to dinner! I have a dishwasher that works for me at home. I call him Mr. Bosch... -the Pig This. x2 Oh, and I blame it on the baby boomers. A glut of people with disposable income, raised too few kids (raising the cost of low-skill jobs), and the ones they did they never taught to be polite = crappy service that costs too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sengjc Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Maybe it is an Australian malaise.Once upon a time in the land of Oz, going to dinner at a decent restaurant...3 courses and a bottle of wine would work out to $70 a head. Today there is little escape from $125 -$150 a head at any of the say top 30 restaurants in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne or Perth. The food is generally always good but Pork belly, beef cheeks, cervice abounds in different formats. The higher the price...the less quantity the food ....but by God the plate looks pretty with all those little garnishes!!!! Since when was filled mushroom or meat ball tapas deserving of $18 a plate? We have lost the plot in this country. Breakfasts are now $20 for a "big Breakfast" of eggs, bacon, a piece of sourdough and a side of mushrooms. Is it the same in your neck of the woods? Same in Melbourne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrims Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 In UK especially London it is really variable, I work in the wine trade and eat out a fair bit, some places are very good value and allow you to take wine and pay corkage (£10-25 a bottle) which is fair enough given that is probably the mark up they would make on the house wine. Definitely worth asking around for advice, if you go anywhere that is trying too hard you pay though the nose as there are still some "horror shows" out there but most are fairly easy to avoid... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warren516 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 i dont go fancy and expensive restos. 2 young 2 poor. maybe i start spend less on my GFs sausage and beer in street in prague not . many local restos not expensive and ! usually 20-25 USD each person with beer and wine! When I was in Prague last September the cost of eating was not bad at all. You just had to stay away from the main square. The cost of beer (cheap) was even better We did eat at a place called Restaurant Apetit which is down the street from the LCDH. You have to go downtairs for the place, but the roasted pig leg was twice the size we saw in the tourist areas for the same prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirk76 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 One such deal is a famous steakhouse, Morton's. They have a deal that is not on the menu. It is called their "internet deal". For $75 pp, you get an app, main and dessert. Wish that deal was available at the Morton's near me. My wife and I spent $350 there on Superbowl Sunday. Ugh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surucipe Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Maybe it is an Australian malaise. Once upon a time in the land of Oz, going to dinner at a decent restaurant...3 courses and a bottle of wine would work out to $70 a head. Today there is little escape from $125 -$150 a head at any of the say top 30 restaurants in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne or Perth. The food is generally always good but Pork belly, beef cheeks, cervice abounds in different formats. The higher the price...the less quantity the food ....but by God the plate looks pretty with all those little garnishes!!!! Since when was filled mushroom or meat ball tapas deserving of $18 a plate? We have lost the plot in this country. Breakfasts are now $20 for a "big Breakfast" of eggs, bacon, a piece of sourdough and a side of mushrooms. Is it the same in your neck of the woods? Certainly not only in Australia! It’s pretty difficult to beat Switzerland when it comes to charging outrageous prices in restaurants. The quality of the food in general is quite ok in restaurants here but they do charge you an arm and a leg for it. Wine is also a lot more expensive here than it is in many other European countries. What keeps on surprising me though is that even the very high end places are always fully booked, in spite of the stiff prices. Try making a last minute reservation in one of these places, good luck! Economic crisis? Which economic crisis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I don't mind paying for quality food and good service, however in Perth we pay a premium for mediocre quality. Annoys the hell out of me when you pay top dollar for a meal that you can cook better yourself at home - and I am no chef!! Whilst I am on the soap box, what's with the photo / blogs of food these days?? For me food / drink should be the conduit for great conversation amongst friends and loved ones Cheers Joker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusguy Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I am what you would call a "foodie" - I don't mind dropping top dollar on a high-end meal (usually steak) once in a while but it better be outstanding. Too many places charge $$$$ for mediocre food - most recent experience for example Sixty Harbour steak house in Toronto. Luckily, my work allows me to try out some places with customers on company dime. I stick to a few trusted places when it's my own money. Ethnic food is the ticket when we just don't want to cook. Top-notch Asian food and Mexican food in my neck of the woods for cheap. And don't forget In'N'Out burger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion21 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 When my wife and I eat out we usually spend quite a bit because mediocre food is too easy to find. We also are willing to pay for ambiance you won't find at a TGI McFunsters (to quote Anthony Boudain) and ambiance does not come cheap. Also, unless you are going to a really $$$$$ fix price place, or live in NYC, you should be able to "eat" anywhere for $45-$55 per person with dessert. If you break it down - $10 app, $35 entree and $8 dessert. What gets me is the markup on booze and wine. It's criminal how much the markup is on a bottle of California Cabernet in the Western US. As an example, Silver Oak is a VERY popular (if overrated) California Cabernet that runs $45-$90 depending on the bottling. I normally see this wine marked up 3 times the bottle price. $13+ cocktails, wine and a three course meal and it is easy to spend hundreds. However, if you know your wine there are ways to find the values on every list. Case in point - my wife and I went out to a fantastic meal last week. I was looking over the wine list and most bottles were marked up 2-4 times retail (no corkage allowed in my state) but I did find a couple of bottles that were not even marked up 1 times. Really good bottles that I had drunk in the past - $30-$35 bottles for $48 and $54 dollars. So instead of eating an extra hundred dollars for some other wine that would not have been any better I went with the $54 Newton Cabernet and it was wonderful. I saved $50 a person just on the wine, without getting crap. So I guess the moral is to pay for the food and be smart about the drinks. You can't avoid $35+ entrees, but you can avoid $45 bottles of wine marked up to $140 if you know your producers. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyfall Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 French Laundry in San Francisco ... needed a reservation weeks in advance and was going to cost $500 a couple. We passed. Worth every penny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenpimp Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I make my own sushi from local fish. We have great local wine. The happy cows dot the hillsides. I cook all the time and frankly am often angry by the time a "nice" meal out is over. You started with these fantastic ingredients and did this to them!? A truly superlative restaurant experience is worth every penny. I have had too few of those, unfortunately. I am often mad I wasn't able to cook it myself. Save some extraordinary dinners, of course. Poor portion size, improper cooking technique, sauces not correct or well used, ruined by the end service! Etc etc etc. I still eat out but not very frequently. If I am going to spend 500 dollars on a meal I want seared foie gras, prime dry aged filet cooked properly, toro sushi, dark chocolate creme brulee, and 250 dollars left over for top notch wine and champagne! And I can sit around my fireplace and have a nice cigar after! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion21 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Worth every penny! Have heard mixed reviews since Keller is rarely in the kitchen and if he is does not cook any longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianbeaver Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 We had lunch at Chez Panisse and it was to die for!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKA27 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Nice post Rob and my sentiments exactly. We're getting Royally shafted here and it's getting worse. To take a family of 4 out to a simple movie costs close to $100 just for tickets which is a good example of something that once was a staple getaway for families. Dinners out are sky high! I recall being in Santiago Chile in 2010, the cost for most items like clothing, electronics and the like were almost relative to here BUT, the cost for groceries, going out for drinks and dinners were a quarter the cost compared to here. Simple example, my last night in Santiago, we went to a wonderful place where they made Argentinian BBQ, there were 25 of us, we had served, Beer, wine, spirits, and of course loads of BBQ meats. All up, it cost me the equivalent of $280.00 AUD FOR 25 PEOPLE! Greed here knows no bounds... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangolf18 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 We had lunch at Chez Panisse and it was to die for!! Chez Panisse is great though they recently closed due to a fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Presidente Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 I am over eating out. As restaurant dining came into vogue, I lost interest in it. Lady Piggy is a great cook and for people on a budget we eat pretty well still. Lord knows you don't get my girth by starving! I am the master at stocking up when things are cheap. I bought prime tri-tip the other day at $4.79/lb. Not bad for prime beef. Why would I go out to dinner when I can eat prime beef at home? I don't have to tip Lady Piggy at all, just do a little clean up and she can consume the whole bottle of wine and not have to worry about driving... or even falling out of her chair! I am terribly un-hip, I admit it! Frankly if I cannot light up, nor get a meal better than I can cook for myself, screw going to dinner! I have a dishwasher that works for me at home. I call him Mr. Bosch... -the Pig I agree Ray. Overall I am a pretty good cook taught by my mother from a young age. I doubt there is a Spanish dish that I can't whip up and I like nothing more than preparing a meal from friends and family at home or on the deck at czars. Last Saturday I went to a French cooking class where you prepare 3 courses and sit down to eat what you prepared with a few glasses of wine. Excellent way to spend an afternoon. Educational and fun. I will be doing a Thai class next. Fully recommend such classes for single blokes or even better, take your partner. The motivation for doing so was that I am tired of being royally shafted. I will still go out to my favourite Korean BBQ/Asian etal for a night out and maybe once or twice to a top tier "name" restaurant once or twice a year for a special occasion. I love eating out in South and central America and much of Asia where there is still great value for money dining to be had. Even in the US there is great dining at a reasonable price. I always shake my head however when I see great Aussie wine on menu's in the US at 20% less than what we would purchase the same wine in Australian bottle-shops. It may be our high wage structure, our high commercial rents but there is no hiding the fact that entree's have gone from $16 to $24+ and mains from $25 to $37 + in the past 5 years. A ticket to the movies is $18. An average ticket to Cavalia $200, breakfast + 2 coffees $30+, A ticket to the Lions rugby test match in June $200+, $2 to download a song from apple Itunes, $30 for a new paperback release that you can buy on Amazon for $15, Take a loan out for a textbook. An average house in an average suburb $550,000. Book a **** hotel in any of our capitals $350 -$450 a night. My brother went to the Reds (rugby game) with his wife Saturday night and was running late. Parked for 4 hours at a nearby commercial car park. $58. Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusguy Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I just returned from Germany and was once again blown away by how cheap Single Malt is, compared to California - where I pay $12-$14 for a dram of, say, Talisker 10, the same was under 4 euros in Germany I also paid $60 to park overnight in San Francisco the other weekend - a parking ticket would have been cheaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion21 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I just found myself nodding my head while I read your last post Rob. The price of things has inflated at an alarming rate in the past 15 years. It could be blamed on so many things from taxation that is out of control to the third world developing and getting a clue about the exotic offerings they can export for a profit. Either way it has become more and more expensive to run a business, especially a service business all over the world. The USA, China, Japan, Europe, Russia, Australia and even part of South and Central America are more prosperous than anytime in history. Being prosperous is expensive my friend and when people have disposable income it's easy to keep increasing prices until the market won't bare it anymore. Especially when there are so many double income households compared to 30+ years ago and people save so little and consume so much. I feel for those that retired 10+ years ago. How it must hurt to be in their shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLC Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 $180 TIP!!! That's highway robbery. I would go absolutely nuts if I ever saw that on a bill. Most "better" restaurants in the US would add 18% to that bill for the tip. Interesting that tipping isn't the norm in OZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Presidente Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 Most "better" restaurants in the US would add 18% to that bill for the tip. Interesting that tipping isn't the norm in OZ. Oz minimum casual rate of pay in a restaurant for adult waitstaff is $21.60 an hour. It is more for weekends and public holidays. Top end restaurants with top end experienced wait staff can double that rate. Tipping is at the discretion of the diner. 10% would be the norm but the service must be excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangolf18 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Have any of you eaten out at a nice restaurant in London? I dined alone at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon...tasting menu with wine was 280£. Most expensive meal I've ever had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asmith Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Rob are you forgetting the $95 for tap water they hit us with on the bill as well at Aria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polarbear Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Last time I was in Melbourne I went to a cafe and saw on the menu- "A Triple smoked side of pork, between 2 pieces of sourdough bread cooked to your liking with a fried farm fesh egg and home made tomato relish" I went up to the counter and said to the guy "Bud, thats a bacon and egg sandwhich isnt it?" He looked at me for a second and then sheepishly replied "Yeah" I asked " why dont you just call it a bacon and egg sandwhich then?" His reply? "Cause you cant charge $15 for a bacon and egg sandwhich" Maddness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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