[ds968]

The Old Homestead restaurant in New York thanksgiving menu had a $ 35,000 prix fixe fare ( for a party of four ) and reportedly were sold out, with patrons shelling out nearly $ 9,000 a person - actually more assuming they left a tip - to enjoy that meal. Now, I have been a " foodie " ( aka " gourmand " for you sophisticated folks , lol ) and fortunate enough to enjoy meals at some of the most renown temples of haute cuisine during my lifetime, but even on others' expense accounts I still felt somewhat awkward when the cost was pushing the $ 500 / person price point, and that included fine wine ! But $ 9,000 for a meal ?! Wow, that's ...obscene ? ...stupid ? ...ridiculous...? beyond words ?

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[JTP]

If it was for a charity fund raising event I could understand but no dinner is worth $9000 per plate. You are literally flushing $9000 down the toilet in about 6 hrs.

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[ds968]

That aside, foodies in California are celebrating the recent decision by a federal judge to strike down the state's ban on foie gras , so restaurants have already started serving it again, and for those who want to prepare it at home, fine grocery stores will be selling it again, as well. I think I hear those Sauternes bottle corks popping everywhere in celebration. Not a cheap meal either , but at least it's not $ 9,000 :-) .

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[Ryan]

Nothing more fun than force-feeding a duck corn.....

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[ds968]

The handful of propaganda videos on YouTube and / or which have been shown by the media depicting the force feeding of geese or ducks reflect the exceptions to the norm, at farms which are mostly renegade , unregulated and ones from which very few respectable restaurants or shops ( at least in the U.S. ) buy their foie gras. You can find just as many videos that show how the majority of farms which are controlled and inspected by the FDA and by buyers, over-feed the birds to expedite their fattening and you'll notice those birds are actually rushing on their own to the farmers waiting to be "force-fed" and leaving after the feeding wagging their little tails, without the slightest appearance of any distress. I'm no goose whisperer, lol, but I am pretty confident based on what I have seen that the birds are not at all traumatized by this process..when performed the way it's supposed to be done. Chickens raised for egg production or just for food are subjected to less humane conditions than those geese are, with thousands caged in such crammed spaces next to one another they can hardly move. But that's also now the exception to the norm, thanks to a lot of activism which has put pressure on farmers to change the way they raise and treat chickens ( at least, those farmers who want to sell to reputable grocery stores..) Most of those stores have their own inspectors who audit the farms from which they buy.

I am completely in support of the ethical treatment of animals, I am anti-hunting if its purely for sport, anti-whale or other endangered species hunting, and I think anyone who is cruel to animals in general should be jailed, but I am not an extremist when it comes to food so I still do eat chicken, or beef, or fish , and yes even veal or foie gras on occasion. But if anyone is really that concerned about any animals ( which are raised for food ) suffering, they should probably convert to being a vegan.

Nothing wrong with that.

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[Rap]

I wonder why Michelle Obama hasn't taken up the cause for obese geese?

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[94SilverCab]

I had dinner at French Laundry, roughly $600 for 2...worth every penny. I've had dinner at Old Homestead and on a regular Tuesday night it could easily go $300-400 per person, the $9,000 dinner was a marketing act, and if I'm paying for anything to get soaked in Courvoisier L'Esprit Cognac, It's going to be me <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.png" class="smilie" alt="" />



http://ny.eater.com/2014/11/21/7262343/o...anksgiving



Jay

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[Cloud9...68]

Wow, I couldn't fathon paying more that $50 for a meal anywhere, anytime. That's a 25-minute session at the version of Driveway Austin's track that includes the downhill turn that mimics the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca! Just shows you the different priorites people have. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. Fortunately, my wife has zero interest in high end dining, either.

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[Rap]

I've eaten at some expensive restaurants over the years. None quite as expensive as noted above, but I've reached the conclusion that most expensive places aren't worth the $, the wines are absolutely overpriced and you walk out wondering why you just paid that amount. The real problem with going to real good restaurants is that you raise your bar and are inevitably disappointed in most others subsequently. I have been going to this familyish restaurant on Long Beach Island for years. It consistently serves the best swordfish. I order nothing else. I haven't found better swordfish. I've never been served a bad piece. It's a byob. If you walked inside you would be nonplussed.An Italian family has run it for years and they have the best seafood and fish.

Don't ask I ain't telling!!

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[Grandpa#3]

If one has the money to spend $9,000 for a meal and thinks nothing of it he/she is way out of my league and can well afford the meal. I'm just an old meat and potatoes kind of gent and love a home cooked meal with apple pie.



Cheers,

Larry

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[JTP]

I must not be very cultured because I have no idea what those fancy dishes described about are except Rap's swordfish and Larry's meat/potatoes/apple pie.

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[flash]

it's pretty easy to drop a couple hundred bucks on a decent dinner. heck, i do that on sushi all the time. but, good restaurants are few and far between, and grossly outnumbered by the mediocre, which makes people feel badly about the expense.



the key is in your palate being developed enough to know the difference between denny's and dan tana's. the problem though is that once you have had great food, you become blase to the rest. that makes it really hard when it comes time to choose where to go.



it's not all that different though from race cars. once you've driven a formula car, odds are that you'll never get back into a production car.

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[MCL968]

The problem becomes even more acute when your spouse is an extraordinary chef. We rarely go out (except for sushi) because the meals are ultimately disappointing and often expensive. But, as was stated above, it was a fundraiser and if the money went to a good cause, then the food was just the icing on the cake.

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[Bulti]

I can enjoy pizza or french fries just as much a a dinner in a Michelin star restaurant, it just depends on the occasion. Sometimes simple (and greasy) is all a man needs. Sometimes a 4 hour gourmet feast is in order. And after a period of excess, like the end-of-year holidays, a home cooked meal just can't be beaten.

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[flash]

agreed. i think the issue is all the stuff in the middle. i love to cook. almost always more satisfying than going out. however, i also really enjoy a few restaurants. but, i won't go into one of those big chain restaurants. it's always disappointing. those places give "going out to eat" a bad rap. that's one of the reasons i hate traveling in the U.S. the entire middle of the country is overrun with big chains. it's not much better anywhere else in the states. it's like the whole country has become one giant mall. we have settled on mediocrity. sad.



p.s. - i've been to a couple of those big rubber chicken dinners too. necessary evils.

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[MCL968]

Chain food services in the US are a prime example of what Ritzer was writing about in his book The McDonaldization of Society. It's all about efficiency, predictability, and profit. When cooking at home is more expensive and more work than going out, the only thing left is the diminished quality of the chain food. And to appreciate that difference, you first have to be able to recognize it.



But discussing such a topic on a forum like this is silly, given we all have the same penchant for uniqueness and performance.

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[Bulti]

Re rubber chicken dinners: must be a US thing, please elaborate :-)



I like to eat McDo or something similar crappy maybe once a month, but calling it cheap? For what you get, I think fast food is pretty expensive, but prices for that stuff are probably lower in the States. Cooking at home is far cheaper over here AND you don't become hungry again after an hour or so.

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[Cloud9...68]

The thing I hate about eating out, whether at an expensive or an inexpensive restaurant, is the quality of the food. I'm a total, psycho, over-the-top health fanatic, which is why I like to prepare my own food - that way, I know exactly what's going into it. Restaurants have two priorities with their food - that it maximizes their profit, and that it tastes good. Which means they will dump as much sugar, trans fat, and highly processed cheap junk as they can get away with into it. I always feel a little "off" after eating out, and I'm sure it's because I've just eaten something that I would never put into anything I would make on my own. Saves a lot of money, too.

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[ds968]

One complaint I have about some fast food restaurants chains in the U.S. is that they do not serve beer or wine. Take In-n-Out burger for example, which IMHO is by far the best burger ( chain ) restaurant in the country . How can someone have a near-gourmet, delicious burger like that without a glass of beer or red wine, which would make that meal simply perfect ?! Even McDonalds in France or Italy serves wine and beer, what the heck is wrong with our country, lol ! Pepsi or 7-up with a juicy burger ?! Yuk ! ( ok, you can also have milk which is not all that bad as an accompanying drink, but I'm just sayin'...give me a real drink with that meal, and supersize it ! )

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[flash]

in and out??? really??? i've heard that before, but i don't get it. i don't find anything special about their burger. plain old fried burger. i'll take wendy's, carl's, or burger king over in and out. i must be missing something though, because you're not the only one who thinks that way. maybe i'm not ordering right? i know they have a "secret" menu, but i've never ordered from it.

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