Dining Out....has the world lost the plot!

[khomeinist]

Chez Panisse is great though they recently closed due to a fire.

That is unfortunate. Used to live in Berkeley. Been to that restaurant many times. Always had a good experience. The cafe upstairs is the type of fine dining that I don't mind supporting.

[khomeinist]

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

Venture around the US. My favorite bar in downstate Illinois had Glenlivet, Macallan and such for $6. The pour was a California quad. Two glasses and it was lights out.

[Lotusguy]

Venture around the US. My favorite bar in downstate Illinois had Glenlivet, Macallan and such for $6. The pour was a California quad. Two classes and it was lights out.

The joy of living in the Bay Area

I usually just drink at home

[thecrowder]

The cost of dining out in Sydney is what motivated me to learn more about cooking. Being from the US I still have a minor heart attack whenever I hear the cost of anything in Australia, but, $65/person for horrible Mexican food is what pushed me over the edge.

I attended a cooking class as a date and it was awesome! I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking of taking one.

[Duxnutz]

Have you been to Margeritaville at Darling Harbour? Went there first time on Saturday after a fondness for the place carried over from the States. Holy Moses!

[Ryan]

One of the positives from the festering mess that is Ireland's economy for the last 6 years is that prices have come down and standards have gone up in most places.

The service industry has had to come up with new ideas and has had to be competitive in order to survive, some good new ideas.

One example, a cinema near me partnered with a "gastro-pub" beside it (they share a car park) to do a deal of a cinema ticket plus a three course dinner with pint/glass of wine for 20 euro a head, food is decent. A cinema ticket normally is about 9 euro here.

A night out for 20 euro a head was unheard of in the "boom-years" here.

Eating out has come down generally by 10%-20% from 2007 prices, drink prices in pubs too.

The Irish food and drink industry is finally beginning to cotton on to the fact that we have a good climate for growing organic food (organic meaning "value added"). Aside from the odd horse burger, it's doing very well.

There is more worldwide demand for grass-fed beef and lamb and things like "legacy" pig breeds and Ireland is positioning itself quite well in the areas.

Then there's Irish whiskey, with double digit growth worldwide for at least the last ten years, more distilleries opening up producing small batch whiskeys, finally breaking the Irish Distillers/Diageo monopoly.

There's the cliché "necessity breeds invention", but it is working here when it comes to providing a better, less expensive level of service, at all levels.

[Blackham]

Nowadays only 50% of the food goes into your stomach, the remaining half goes to your camera/facebook/instagram. The roast pig at the FOH herf is heavenly delicious, but at the same time showing your friends the photo of the pig head smoking a cigar is also priceless.

I limit myself to 1 "expensive" meal per month, just to expand my food horizon. If a particular appear interesting to me, or one that will offer surprises, it will be on my to-go list. If there's a dish on that menu that I have never heard before, I will order it without hesitations.

I also don't order things that I can cook at home, eg that wild mushroom risotto that costs $25 when I can make mine for $5 at home that tastes equally better.

There are always over-achiever around town that makes amazing food for very little, you just have to go around and try out different things and eventually you will find that place

[AndrewNR]

Rob are you forgetting the $95 for tap water they hit us with on the bill as well at Aria.

Believe it or not.. It wasn't until here in this thread I got grumpy. Thats bloody ridiculous.. I've spent enough time in the belly of the beast to understand it.. thats not to say I agree with it.

I consider myself a foodie too, Although If i go out and grow weak at the knee's and opt for the steak, I consider myself to be betraying myself as a foodie. The things you'll do to get a truly amazingly bred cut sometimes though..

Some resteraunts consider they need higher prices and they'll justify it however thry like. End of the day mark ups and profit margins are usually as ridiculous as the prices and excuses.

I don't know whats happened to resteraunts or that you certainly don't pay for a gaurentee of quality anymore but I do know that top dollar has always been reserved for the peasants food. So any talk of that changing is hogwash.. Look back as far as you like and the rich and powerful were throwing lavish dinners of mock turtle soup etc..

[El Presidente]

I wonder what would have happened had it been me who started this thread instead of prez...? LOL

The thread has gone fine

Good discussion. Illumination of prices, service and processes around the restaurant world.

informative, entertaining and devoid of any personal vitriol.

[Orion21]

I normally don't order steak out either. I usually don't enjoy it and find it bland. I did, however, pay over $250 (including wine pairing and tip) to enjoy a Waygu beef tasting menu at Craftsteak in Vegas. This meal blew me away and I left feeling like I 100% got my money's worth. 180 degrees from that was my first and last experience at Ruth's Chris . . . it sucked.

On average I think the price of food has gone up significantly and the reality food tv culture has assisted in the trend. Now chef's are celebrities and are charging for the "right" to eat their food.

[Skyfall]

if I pay $60 for a steak, $8 for a potato and $20 for a salad.........

[Lotusguy]

at Ruth's Chris

That was your first mistake right there

[canadianbeaver]

I normally don't order steak out either. I usually don't enjoy it and find it bland. I did, however, pay over $250 (including wine pairing and tip) to enjoy a Waygu beef tasting menu at Craftsteak in Vegas. This meal blew me away and I left feeling like I 100% got my money's worth. 180 degrees from that was my first and last experience at Ruth's Chris . . . it sucked.

On average I think the price of food has gone up significantly and the reality food tv culture has assisted in the trend. Now chef's are celebrities and are charging for the "right" to eat their food.

Agree with this. Many of us, especially if we know about specific high quality taste/expensive profile items like cigars, wine or scotch, cook at home or know what highest standard restaurants should offer.

The best defense is research, reviews or referrals from trusted friends.

[Skyfall]

That was your first mistake right there

^ This x 100

[El Presidente]

Then let me add my opinion. I don't mind paying a lot for food. What I mind paying a lot for is something that does not represent any value for me.

Agreed. It is about reciving utility.

At high end restaurants it is not about getting "full". it should be about experienceing something special. blow me away and my CC is yours. Go through the motions and present a pretty plate with good food ....then go "Ta Daaaaa"....and expect top prices and an ovation.....get rooted.

[Skyfall]

My collective thoughts encompassing several comments previously mentioned.

I too am a foodie, home cook, and enjoy higher quality ingredients, and cooking with them and eating them. I don't mind throwing down some cheese for a good quality meal, especially for a "dinning experience": (Sushi does tend to get a free ride sometimes from the guilty conscience Shlomo's right about that)

Three Rules for me:

1) Portions better damn well be proportionate to the cost. Or if each plate is intended for a child, there better be 15 courses!

2) They better have some form of wine special running so it's not a 400x's retail markup.

3) Don't take a perfectly good plate of food and try to up-charge me $18 Milliondy Dollars to ruin the dish with truffle infused truffles with truffled truffle oil, truffledy truffle salt, cream of truffles, truffle essence, truffle ala mode finished with truffle wrapped truffles poached in truffle juice! (White or Black...I'm not a truffle racist!)

[Ken Gargett]

Rob, we were at Aria Brisbane a month ago. 11 of us. took it easy on the wine. $2500 price tag of which they included a tip of $180 in the final bill.

Food was good. Nothing special. You come away feeling used.

on what basis did they choose the tip? and why did you let them?

a top restaurant that performs as it should is a wonderful thing but it is like anything else. if it is not up to expectations then of course you feel dudded. but that applies to everything. if i pay a lot for a cigar and it disappoints, same thing. but you have to cop it, to a degree.

what i mean, just as i would most likely not buy that cigar again, and tell others, if a restaurant disappoints, i don't go back and tell people.

and if good, just as happy to go back and tell encourage others.

[Ken Gargett]

informative, entertaining and devoid of any personal vitriol.

i'd be happy to help that.

[El Presidente]

on what basis did they choose the tip? and why did you let them?

Ken, the tip amount of $180 was in the final bill.

Don't worry....it was removed upon "full and frank" discussion.

[Lotusguy]

Your telling me you don't enjoy a hand tossed, fresh cut, dripping ceasar salad with croutons, bacon and anchovies prepared right at your table by a guy wearing white gloves and looking super constipated? Come on now.

I've been to that steak house in Toronto... the salad was meh, but the Steak was top 5 in my life

[Ken Gargett]

3) Don't take a perfectly good plate of food and try to up-charge me $18 Milliondy Dollars to ruin the dish with truffle infused truffles with truffled truffle oil, truffledy truffle salt, cream of truffles, truffle essence, truffle ala mode finished with truffle wrapped truffles poached in truffle juice! (White or Black...I'm not a truffle racist!)

in other words, don't truffle with you?

[Skyfall]

in other words, don't truffle with you?

Indeed!

[AndrewNR]

I paid 22 dollars from a take away place for lunch for 6 oysters Tokyo style 6 tempura.. I got 7 tempura and 4 half prepared Tokyo.. I guess I'm partially to blAme for fish and chip shop oysters

[shiva13]

They'll keep charging more till people refuse/cant afford to pay. The market will then correct itself.

Sounds like its pretty close to that point.....

[Nino]

Reading the comments ( and the price ranges quoted ) I guess I consider myself lucky in this corner of the planet.

A regular meal, decent wine, won't cost you more than 10-15 pP € here in the region.

A better meal, bottle of wine, maybe 20-25 pP €.

The best places we have here, an Italian and an Alsatian, great food & service, good wines, run around 30-40 pP for app, mc, dessert and wines ...

Tip is not customary here, we mostly round up or 10% max if very good.

And so far ( no end in sight ) we are allowed to legally smoke cigars inside the restaurants ... as long as we don't complain of the chef smoking his Marboros at our table :-)