336028 Sat Oct 21 16:42:44 -0700 2006 29 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 1962676 The NY Times has an article about how restaurants are now pricing entrees at $40, often without sides. Has anybody seen that around here? Seems to me $30 is still close to the limit. Looking at a few of the more expensive restaurants' menus the top I find is $39.50 for steak at Boulevard, and that includes several side dishes. If you want to talk about the article there's a topic on the Food Media and News board (with a link to the article): http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/335993 Sat Oct 21 16:42:44 -0700 2006 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 1962679 I've seen $40 for just a steak at some steak joints without any sides. I think Alexander's in Cupertino and Bobo's on Lombard. Sat Oct 21 16:45:02 -0700 2006 1962676 11745 Cary 2 1962704 Hmmm, yeah, half Alexander's entrees are $40 and up. The most expensive entree $100! And they have several >$20 appetizers. Who says the dot-com era is over? http://www.alexanderssteakhouse.com/site/jdinner2.pdf The "Bobo's-style porterhouse" is $58, but that's two steaks, which would be $62 if ordered separately. http://www.boboquivaris.com/menu.html Sat Oct 21 17:00:22 -0700 2006 1962679 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 1962733 Even though technically it's two steaks, it's one cut with the ny strip on one side of the bone and the filet on the other. It's really one cut, one $58 dish, no side, for one person. I did have the porterhouse the one time I went; it was very good but I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon. Sat Oct 21 17:14:05 -0700 2006 1962704 11745 Cary 4 1962817 I'm just quoting the menu: "BOBO'S - STYLE PORTERHOUSE (NEW YORK & PETIT FILET MIGNON COOKED SEPARATELY)." The New York and the petit filet mignon are listed separately at $38 and $24. Alfred's by comparison, charges $33 for a large New York, $29 for a small filet, and $30 for a porterhouse. Sat Oct 21 18:17:08 -0700 2006 1962733 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 1962708 Press in St. Helena has (unless things changed from when they opened a year ago), a $40 chicken and a $99 steak... Sat Oct 21 17:02:09 -0700 2006 1962676 16933 Carrie 218 2 1962745 Well, technically there's that $38 chicken at Zuni, if they haven't raised the price ... but that is for two. I wonder if Chez Spencer has gotten that pricy. They were always a step above price-wise (and quality-wise). I'm sure the new Westfield Center will have some with that nine buck sandwhich shop. The problem is that if one does it and is successful, the others follow. Sat Oct 21 17:21:33 -0700 2006 1962708 10264 rworange 3 1962821 $38 / 2 = $19, pretty cheap entree for a place like Zuni. Sat Oct 21 18:18:40 -0700 2006 1962745 11369 Robert Lauriston 4 1962933 Even so, we are talking about a $38 chicken. Sat Oct 21 19:28:23 -0700 2006 1962821 10264 rworange 5 1963065 True, but it is two honest entree portions. I'm a big eater and after half that plate I'm often too full for dessert. Split two ways, the chicken's usually the cheapest entree. On the recent menupages sample, the others are $22-26 (including sides). http://sanfrancisco.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?restaurantid=8702 Sat Oct 21 21:20:29 -0700 2006 1962933 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 1962864 Their on-line menu conveniently doesn't list prices... http://www.presssthelena.com/index2.aspx?t=the_food/sample_menu.chtml Sat Oct 21 18:46:06 -0700 2006 1962708 10793 Morton the Mousse 1 1962730 Yah, I just read the article in the paper. I'm sure if you go to Gary Danko they'll have steaks over 40 bucks.On the subject of price, get this: there's a sushi restaurant in New York that I've wanted to go to that's like 15 bucks for a piece of sushi. So you can drop 90 dollars for a 6-piece sushi dinner there. Do you really even enjoy the food when your paying that much for it? Sat Oct 21 17:13:17 -0700 2006 1962676 10949 SamuelA.L. 2 1962829 Gary Danko doesn't have steak at all, and they don't price a la carte. They charge a flat rate of three dishes of your choice for $61, four for $77, or five for $92 (same price as the tasting menu). http://www.garydanko.com/site/menu.html Aqua and La Folie, among others, do a similar thing. Sat Oct 21 18:23:36 -0700 2006 1962730 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 1964684 My bad, I don't know why I said Gary Danko. I got it confused with another place out in Walnut Creek. Stewart's something, something. I had been their once a year ago on business and saw steaks well over 40 dollars. Sun Oct 22 23:04:21 -0700 2006 1962829 10949 SamuelA.L. 2 1963377 For sushi, price can get astronomical. You're paying for the ingredient (probably flown in from the Tsukiji market), skill of cutting the seafood, skill of making the nigiri, and whatever decoration/presentation stuff which takes lots of skill. Sun Oct 22 00:56:31 -0700 2006 1962730 11745 Cary 3 1964691 Yes, you're right. It's supposed to be most likely the best sushi in the U.S. Made perfectly. Sun Oct 22 23:06:40 -0700 2006 1963377 10949 SamuelA.L. 1 1962839 I think you see it at Ruth's Chris steak house - I saw it here in Boston last night, so I guess you will see it in SF too. Sat Oct 21 18:31:39 -0700 2006 1962676 45250 ptrefler 1 1962861 Jardiniere has a $42 steak, $37 salmon and $36 hen, duck and halibut. Those do come with sides, but $36 for halibut strikes me as obscene. I think the reason we don't see more $40 entrees is because most high end restaurants in the area offer tasting menus at a fixed price. I'm sure that if you ordered the kobe from the bar at Michael Mina it would be over $40. Sat Oct 21 18:44:23 -0700 2006 1962676 10793 Morton the Mousse 2 1962885 Mina's three-course prix fixe is $88, so yeah, that's definitely in the >$40 entree range. Seems like a ripoff considering that you can get e.g. three courses for $65 or five for $85 at La Folie. Sat Oct 21 18:59:26 -0700 2006 1962861 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 1963356 Masa's three course is $79. As the NYT mentioned thats a $40 entree and a $20 app plus the bonus $19 dessert. Sun Oct 22 00:40:42 -0700 2006 1962885 13497 Chris Rising 3 1963374 I've tried both and much, much prefer everything about Mina's. Sun Oct 22 00:54:38 -0700 2006 1962885 13497 Chris Rising 1 1963104 Ame has a beef entree at $38 and a seafood entree at $37. Sat Oct 21 21:43:48 -0700 2006 1962676 46871 rgj 1 1963107 Can you imagine the size of a $40 burrito in the mission district? Sat Oct 21 21:46:07 -0700 2006 1962676 19119 Tandoori Girl 2 1963206 In San Pablo there's a joint that sells and $11.99 torta. It is not the price, but the calorie hit that keeps me from ordering it ... chowdown perhaps? Sat Oct 21 22:56:54 -0700 2006 1963107 10264 rworange 2 1963508 Hee hee. Sun Oct 22 02:52:38 -0700 2006 1963107 40489 P. Punko 2 1965327 Check out the triple threat burrito at Papalote -- it's a (fairly) normal-sized burrito with chicken, steak, and shrimp that runs you about $13.. Mon Oct 23 07:55:57 -0700 2006 1963107 11741 jkg 1 1963234 Well, at our chow banquet at Asian Pearl last Thursday night, Norbert told us that the abalone cost $1000 (or was it $3000?) a pound. Of course the whole banquet cost us $45 each so I guess this doesn't count. ;+) Sat Oct 21 23:08:20 -0700 2006 1962676 10245 oakjoan 1 1963373 There are plenty for $40. Seasons at the Four Seasons has at least a couple. The Fifth Floor: 4 of 6 hit 40. Lamb for 49!, tuna for 45, trout for 43, and venison for 40. Sun Oct 22 00:53:35 -0700 2006 1962676 13497 Chris Rising 1 1966462 Off the top of my head, I can't think of any $40 entrees (haven't been to Four Seasons), but I see $30-something entrees all the time, most recently at Mecca ($37 for the steak). Mon Oct 23 18:56:22 -0700 2006 1962676 29802 dunstable 2 1966585 Steaks tend to be at the leading edge on pricing, since the ingredient cost has gotten so steep. Mon Oct 23 19:31:46 -0700 2006 1966462 11369 Robert Lauriston