Most Expensive Tasting Menus in The US - Maybe Ever? Per Se and Masa Say: Let Them Eat Cake!

[weinoo]

I know some were kvetching when the price for eleven Madison Park's vegan tasting menu became known...$335 per person. (Though they actually do have a shorter, plant-based tasting menu in the lounge, at $175).

 

But how about this...

 

 

Quote

 

Two of the country’s most-expensive culinary establishments, Masa and Per Se, will soon become even more inaccessible as the oligarch-friendly venues push the costs of their most-luxe offerings — along with their steep cancellation fees — further into the stratosphere. This is the story of two $800 tasting menus, a restaurant pricing tier that appears to be without precedent in the U.S.

Wine is extra. That means dinner for two can easily hit $2,000 at either venue, a price tag that’s surely out-of-reach even for patrons who like to save up for special-occasion meals, the way theatergoers or sports fans might splurge on great seats.

 

 

 

 With New $800 Menus, Masa and Per Se Become Even More Inaccessible

[TdeV]

My, oh my!

[Anna N]

It’s hard to swallow. 

Well at least José Andrés has $100 million with which to help feed the poor. Which really doesn’t go anywhere near to bridging the gap between the haves and the have nots.     Here.

 

just saying. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

IMHO these menus and their prices reflect more on the target diners and the restauratuers than the cost or execution of the food.

[heidih]

Diner's choice. Have at it

[paulraphael]

On 7/21/2021 at 6:48 PM, Margaret Pilgrim said:

IMHO these menus and their prices reflect more on the target diners and the restauratuers than the cost or execution of the food.

I don't think that's true. Fine dining is built on a precarious economic model. No one's figured out a good one. A restaurant like Per Se can have more people in the kitchen than in the dining room. Skilled people who are at the top of their industry. They're using the highest quality ingredients available (often investing in suppliers to just make those ingredients available) and putting together meals of over a dozen courses, each with multiple components with complex preparations.

 

It's been common for restaurants in this category to grossly underpay staff, and still to lose money on the food. Profits often come from the wine list, where the markup can be several hundred percent and there's no labor. 

 

All it would take to create an $800 price tag is to break the broken model. Pay the staff what their worth. Give them reasonable work schedules and benefits. Mark up the food enough to pay for its preparation and the overhead. 

 

I don't know if that's what's going on at these restaurants. But that's all it would take. I wish there were other ways out. Not being a member of the oligarch class, I will not be enjoying one of these meals. Not being a fan of the oligarch class, I share the world's annoyance at the prices. But I see value in the preservation of this kind of cuisine as an art form. Not sure what the solution is here ... NEA grants?

[ElsieD]

And then there is this:

 

https://ottawacitizen.com/life/food/ottawas-atelier-restaurant-wants-to-ring-out-2022-with-a-private-20000-dinner-for-four

[Anna N]

Taken from the Masa website. The bolding is mine.
 

"Additionally, we offer our Hinoki Counter Experience. This experience is $950 per person, not including beverage and tax. This reservation guarantees seating at our carefully crafted sushi counter with one of our highly skilled sushi Chefs."

 

$800 starting to sound like a bargain.