As a foodie, you might think that I frequent the New York Times "Dining and Wine" section. Actually, "frequent" is not quite the right word. I only read the New York Times when I have run out of Facebook, Tumblr, and StumbleUpon, and that almost never happens. However, I did recently venture to that corner of the internet, and the journey was well worth it. I found a thought-provoking article on tasting menus, by none other than Pete Wells, the New York Times' chief restaurant critic.
Wells discussed the growing trend of tasting menus, and expressed concern that food is becoming too elite. I agree with Wells on this point. Not only is it somewhat impractical to pay hundreds of dollars for a meal, it's also well beyond the means of many food-lovers. As Mr. Sutton would say, dining at these tasting menu restaurants, amazing as they are, hints slightly at conspicuous consumption.
Wells also mentioned that tasting menus can make him feel trapped. When a diner asks for a tasting menu, he or she is totally under the control of the chef. And, Wells says, if the food doesn't have enough panache or variety, the diner is left unsatisfied and broke.
What I drew out of the article was a question. Are tasting menus really worth the trouble, or the expense, or even the time? What's the point? Wells says, "the format presents formidable hurdles for customers and restaurants, enough to cause us to stop and wonder how many more meals like this we need."
My answer to the question is this: tasting menus are certainly worth it. They give the chef a chance to shine, and the diner the chance for some variety in their meal. I would be crushed if tasting menus went out of fashion before I even got to try one.
However, restaurants do have to be careful. Wells provides many guidelines for restaurants: they should offer more options than just one tasting menu, they need enough variety, et cetera. I also think it's important for restaurants to keep their prices in check (no pun intended), or tasting menus will be only for the super-rich. And restaurants want to make everyone happy, right?
To read the full article, visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/dining/tasting-menus-can-be-too-much-of-a-good-thing.html?ref=dining&_r=0
P.S. I decided it was time for a new look on my blog, so I changed the font. I hope it's an improvement!
This post continues your run of taking a subject, food, that for most of us is just a daily chore, and turning it into an enjoyable hobby. I had never heard of a tasting menu. If I had money to burn, a tasting menu makes sense. I wouldn't want to spend fifty to one hundred dollars on a plateful of something that I might not even want to finish. This still sounds like something I would never do unless I was in a big group of friends that were willing to share the cost. Your enthusiasm for all things food is infectious.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that, while I love food and believe that it's worth spending money on, I have pretty serious reservations about tasting menus. I have a good friend who likes to go to Alinea in Chicago once a year, and he raves about the experience, but at $200 plus per person (drinks extra, and usually running about $25), I just can't fathom actually wanting to do it. No matter how much money I had, I think I'd feel wrong spending that much on one meal. (And my friend is person of relatively modest means.)
ReplyDeleteBut, then again, most of us have something we're willing to splurge on. I guess we all choose our version of extravagance. I'd rather buy a plane ticket.