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Just make it for yourself at home the way it is made in the restaurants and feel free to put as much on your plate as you desire. It will save you plenty of money because you won't be hiring a highly trained staff to prepare and serve it and you can even eat it off a paper plate if you don't feel like doing dishes.
I cook for my family, and I can make some reasonably delicious food (according to my family anyway). I can make food that's as good as the typical American restaurant. So I go to "fancy" restaurants (including a few three-star places) to find food that I cannot make myself. Either because I don't have the skill, the knowledge, or the time (or all three). I also get ideas for things to try at home.
The kind of food usually only very well off people eat at like 3 star Michelin restaurants etc. Where you pay hundreds for just a little bit on your plate, is it really worth it or do most just eat it as a status symbol? You really never seem to have much on a plate and spending loads of money for it. And for a person used to an American fast-food diet how would eating such taste?
First, it isn't "just a little bit on your plate". It's a reasonable sized portion instead of the heaping oversized portions that some American restaurants drop in front of you. Second, most of these restaurants will serve food in multiple courses. So one course may look small, but after 5 of them you are very full! Yes I believe it is worth it. You are paying for more than the food. You are paying for the expert preparation, the presentation, the unique combination of ingredients, the ambiance, the service, and everything else that makes up the experience. I've had some memorable and amazingly good food at these restaurants. I can't say that about Olive Garden or Applebee's.
I love most food. I eat at McD and especially like the fries, which I can't make at home the same way.
I am an expert home cook.
That said, just a few days ago, I dined at a Michelin starred Jean George restaurant. I had forgotten how wonderful it is to eat amazing ingredients, expertly prepared and served. As an example the foie gras -is not available to a retail consumer at any butcher in the small quantity plus I don't own the tools needed or the other fresh ingredients needed for the preparation. The salad had gem lettuce that I would have no idea where to source.
Wine pairing from vineyards that only supply the restaurant. The "dining room" was outdoors on a patio, away from the street across from central park, each table spaced far and separated by Plexiglas with a ton of potted trees and outdoor lighting, comfortable seats that your butt can sit in for 3 hours. Each course had new silverware delivered in individually wrapped envelops so the server did not touch the utensils.
It was an amazing meal and an amazing evening.
I can't go to Alsace so the next best thing is to try to transport myself through the food, wine, service.
Is it worth it? IMO yes and I have been to various 3 and 4 star places. it's a nice evening out where I get dressed up, have a fancy drink and enjoy a nice meal with my husband. We are overdue to go out like that. it's been 1 year. Gary Dankos comes to mind, ate there on our honeymoon. Do we eat out like this often? No, maybe 2 times a year.
In my experience (admittedly limited to a handful of 2 and 3 star places), a lot of the cost at a starred restaurant is driven by almost neurotic attention to a million tiny details. Individually, those details are almost imperceptible. Taken all together, they result in an overall experience that’s definitely different from even a really nice restaurant. Is it worth it? Maybe once a year. The most memorable meal I ever had cost €11...foie gras and fig flammekuchen with a mixed salad and Belgian beer at a tiny, ancient, riverside cafe in Strasbourg. I have a picture of that meal somewhere...I would honestly choose it over the most expensive meal I’ve ever had at any starred restaurant.
There's no way for Person 'A' to tell Person 'B' if it's worth it, unless much more context and information is given from the OP asking the question.
I can say what I believe, which is that once in a while, yes, it is definitely worth it to ME.
I've seen threads like this go sideways when later downthread the OP reveals their general food choices and anyone could see that a high end restaurant would not be worth it to them.
In my experience (admittedly limited to a handful of 2 and 3 star places), a lot of the cost at a starred restaurant is driven by almost neurotic attention to a million tiny details. Individually, those details are almost imperceptible. Taken all together, they result in an overall experience that’s definitely different from even a really nice restaurant. Is it worth it? Maybe once a year. The most memorable meal I ever had cost €11...foie gras and fig flammekuchen with a mixed salad and Belgian beer at a tiny, ancient, riverside cafe in Strasbourg. I have a picture of that meal somewhere...I would honestly choose it over the most expensive meal I’ve ever had at any starred restaurant.
I would also choose the Strasbourg restaurant given a choice but I can’t make a reservation for tomorrow night and the cost to get there is far more than at the local fancy place.
I would also choose the Strasbourg restaurant given a choice but I can’t make a reservation for tomorrow night and the cost to get there is far more than at the local fancy place.
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