Good food is never expensive!

aaron, ditto for the mystery shot. i vaguely remember the texture and, yes, it was very smooth w/o much residue. i did like it quite a bit – i just forget the details (the problems w/ not taking notes.)

Just curious about the “mystery shot” at the end. Was it a hot/cold, white chocolate/dark chocolate consomme layered shot? Johnny Iuzzini had told me a while back he was playing around with that. If that’s what you had, it has a remarkably clean mouth-feel for being chocolate, doesn’t it? Leaves no residue in the mouth afterwards at all.

We used a similar approach at Le Bernardin (we asked instead of being offered) that same evening and, as you’ll see, the meal was nowhere near what it should have been.

I’ve thought about this approach before and whether it’s even necessary. If it’s your first few times at a restaurant, I think one should order the “classics” and the tasting menu on offer to get a feel for the chef. If you like what you eat, or what it hints at, I think it makes sense to ask for something more. At this point, you’re probably a much-better-than-average customer and the restaurant/chef is willing to: a) experiment on you w/ new dishes and b) procure special ingredients for your visit.

Of course, the counter-argument is that it announces to the house that you’re serious about what you eat (and they should be serving.) In a way, it’s the omakase principle at work – you serve but it had better be the best or suffer eternal shame.

When you’re not a known great customer, I think asking merely gets you a combination of what’s on the menu with an additional one or two courses. The downside is that it gives the restaurant carte blanche to charge whatever they like (you’ve more or less asked for it.) Be careful of what you ask for – they can easily bump up the bill w/ a mediocre dish or two featuring some expensive ingredient.

It is the only way I go to Manresa. My last meal at Quince was sublime (sorry, no pics nor report.) The Keyah Grande meals were excellent but, then again, that was their format. My French is not that good (make that non-existant) to ask for it in France, nor do I feel I’ve had enough exposure to their normal dishes.

The best approach is probably to set it up ahead of time.  Let the kitchen know you want their best – whether it be through telling the reservationist (it could work?) or asking friends of the chef to put in a good word.