Pretentious Super Taster Fancy Dancy Thread

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Alex

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The most expensive restaurant I've ever paid for was Nobu (LA location). I think it was worth it and an amazing experience, but I don't know if I'd pay more than that even if the place was higher quality. Just a lot of money for a meal.
 

edko

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So ya, it was a great experience. Wife and I even decided we'd probably do it again in a year or two maybe in spring or summer for a totally different menu vibe.

What we did was order each supplemental, but only one so we could also try the non supplemental, so on the supplemental course we'd have two different plates come out and we'd eat half and swap plates. Worked out best for trying the maximum amount of stuff, although for the "legendary" oyster and pearls 1st course which is served year round, i'd highly recomend skipping the $60 supplemental (for the upgraded cavier) because the supplemental is an almost completely different bowl and you don't get the oysters but a trout cake. It was really good, and you could definately notice a difference in the 'pearls', but the OG oyster dish was so amazing we instantly regretted having to share it.

I'd say all other supplementals were worth the extra money. We got lucky and hit the window of white truffle season so the supplemental white truffle risotto was something i'd never thought would live up to the hype but dang it was memorable, and I have a feeling they don't make any money on it looking at white truffle prices online. It cost an extra $175 but I swear to god they shave at least half an ounce of truffle on your risotto in front of you (seems like more than half ounce really but I doubt it was).

The a5 wagyu was an extra 100 bucks but it was really cool to try, especially considering the non-supplemental counterpart was lamb, and although lamb is one of my favorite meats it was fairly underwhelming as far as the whole meal went.

Wine, we said fuck it and didn't really care about the price so we told the sommelier to pick us out three glasses to get us through the three sections of the meal (start / fish / meat). It was all great but added a total of $300 to the bill.

Major highlights in order were:

White truffle risotto
Oyster and Pearls
A5 Wagyu dish

Those will probably be the three dishes that I can conjure up the tastes and experience eating years from now. Everything else was great, but those stood out.

Total cost was something like 1200 bucks, which isn't a huge deal on paper for us but still seems like insanity for a 3 hour meal but it is a helluva experience. In the future we'd probably opt out of the wine and not get the oyster and pearl supplemental, which would have brought the bill down around 800, although if you know it's going to be the only time you ever go you might as well say fuck it and get the wine.

Some other random notes:

Wear the lightest sports coat, shirt and pants you can find. You're expected to keep your coat on during the meal and it can get warm.

If you really want to nail a special date for reservations and money is less of a concern, just get a reservation for 4 (they are always available a couple months out). We saw multiple couples that did this and they'll give you more dishes (looked like some special ones) and/or let you pick and choose extra plates from the vegetarian (garden) menu as you go.

Sounds good. My food snobness approves. Good hit on the truffles. Worth every penny.
 
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Itlan

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Kiroy Kiroy are you a surgeon or something? Sorry, picked up on the "on call" and the $1200 meal. Sounds like you're a surgeon.
 

TomServo

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So far while living in NYC I have eaten at Eleven Madison for my wife's birthday July 2016, Per Se this past summer for her birthday and Jean George for a fun lunch tasting menu in October with another visit for the winter at Eleven Madison in January after their renovation. Eleven Madison wins hands down, with Jean George being a fun lunch meal. Per Se is a pile of fucking garbage with terrible service and boring ass food.

Eleven Madison takes it for being cool with you wearing a tshirt and nice jeans.
 

Alex

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It's not super expensive like the others you listed, but I think ABC Kitchen is the best restaurant I've been to in NY. I went with some friends and we ordered almost the whole menu and shared. Damn was that a great meal. We got this roasted corn that had cheese on it so finely grated that it melted in your mouth as soon as it hit your tongue. It was like fancy white man's elote.
 

Alex

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I think I should give Momofuku another shot. I went to the one in NY but wasn't too impressed. But I did not get ramen which is what everyone says you should get. I got the big ass fried chicken meal that you need to order like a couple weeks in advance. But if I'm going for ramen in NY, I can't pass up Ippudo. Place is the jam. They opened a location in Berkeley - first west coast location. I need to check it out.
 
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chaos

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Bro, I get that this is the pretentious foodie thread, but that's $150+ for a 12 piece bucket. That better be some relevatory as fuck fried chicken.
 
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Void

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I think I should give Momofuku another shot. I went to the one in NY but wasn't too impressed. But I did not get ramen which is what everyone says you should get. I got the big ass fried chicken meal that you need to order like a couple weeks in advance. But if I'm going for ramen in NY, I can't pass up Ippudo. Place is the jam. They opened a location in Berkeley - first west coast location. I need to check it out.
Is any food worth going to Berkeley for??
 
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Alex

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Is any food worth going to Berkeley for??

That's the issue. Especially when they're supposedly opening what will be their largest location in the world in SF in 2018. There are some really good breweries in Berkeley these days so we'll do some brewery hopping over there but usually the crew is too large to even bother trying to get a table at Ippudo. That's a four or less type of joint.
 

Asshat wormie

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I think I should give Momofuku another shot. I went to the one in NY but wasn't too impressed. But I did not get ramen which is what everyone says you should get. I got the big ass fried chicken meal that you need to order like a couple weeks in advance. But if I'm going for ramen in NY, I can't pass up Ippudo. Place is the jam. They opened a location in Berkeley - first west coast location. I need to check it out.
Ippudo has ridiculous lines. Also momofuko is overrated imo.
 
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Alex

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I know the lines are usually ridiculous. I've been to both NY Ippudo locations multiple times. It's worth the ~hour wait. And it's not like you have to stand there the whole time. The 51st St location has a bar and the 4th Ave location has a couple bars next door and they'll text you when your table is ready. Ippudo is the best ramen I've ever had so it's worth it to me.
 

Asshat wormie

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I know the lines are usually ridiculous. I've been to both NY Ippudo locations multiple times. It's worth the ~hour wait. And it's not like you have to stand there the whole time. The 51st St location has a bar and the 4th Ave location has a couple bars next door and they'll text you when your table is ready. Ippudo is the best ramen I've ever had so it's worth it to me.
An hour doesnt sound bad but the few times i tried its been longer. There are other ramen places that are good so fuck it, its not like i am visiting, I live here. Visiting would be a different story.
 

lurkingdirk

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I've got some free time. I'll do it.

I AM a doctor. I mean, it's a Ph.D., but how hard can eyes be?
 
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Alex

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Seems like we've got at least a couple bay area folks in here. Anyone been to any of the newer 1 star places yet? Wife and I are wondering what's worth trying.

San Francisco’s 2018 Michelin Stars, Mapped

Only one I've been to on that list is Kin Khao which is excellent. The wings there are extremely good - great flavor and spice level. Most surprising delicious item I've had there is the curry mushroom mousse. Sounds odd, but it's really good.

I do have plans to go to State Bird next month so I can provide an update on that one then. Only problem with State Bird is that it's a block away from Marufuku which has the best ramen I've had in the Bay Area (yes, better than Ramen Dojo in San Mateo) so I typically go there.
 
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