Any "Foodies" here?

[Dixiethedog]

Yesterday I found out that my wife and I have been invited to stay overnight at a very nice (apparently) hotel that serves food under the name of a famous chef with a Michelin star (or two?) under his belt. "It is all paid for blah blah... "she told me, so it won't cost you a penny.

I like to eat to keep myself going but the thought of a £50 bowl of soup or a £100 steak does not sit right with me.

I have eaten in nice enough places, some good and some indifferent, but has anybody here experienced Michelin-star quality food? Will it be as exciting as yesterday's FM3 firmware update or will it be cold soggy salad?

Where has been the best place that you have ever eaten, and why?

I would be happy enough with something from a burger van with 4 Michelin tyres. But I suppose you have to try new things once in a while.

 

[Dixiethedog]

The rules are already being laid down. "You can't go to that hotel with holes in your socks", she said.

The burger van does not care what socks I have on.

 

[marsonic]

has anybody here experienced Michelin-star quality food?

Almost. Not Michelin star, but noted/recommended in NYT, Travel & Leisure, Esquire, Bon Apeteit, USA Today, Rachel Ray's thing, etc. (this is all the same resaturant), plus others that have been recommended in at least one of those.

Some of the price goes into the overall experience, and that's pretty much always been fantastic. At least in Atlanta, there are no rude, rushed, or busy waiters in those restaurants.

Will it be as exciting as yesterday's FM3 firmware update or will it be cold soggy salad?

It's in-between.

The $100+ steak at the famous restaurant was very good. The $40-80 ones at very good but less famous restaurants were maybe 90% there. A "normal" steakhouse is probably at 70% if they actually believe how I want it and don't over cook it.

But, I've been wavering between keto, carnivore, and paleo-ish diets for the last several years. I've easily cooked well over 1000 steaks since 2018. If I actually bother to get good meat from a local farm and cook it my way (dry brine, reverse sear, blue rare, skillet with grass fed butter in cast iron), it's ~95% of the way to the famous/expensive one. I honestly think the difference is just that their pepper is fancier/fresher than the pre-filled grinders I get from costco...might also be a different variety/mix of pepper.

 

[Androo]

It should be very exciting if you're open to it. Plan to spend a good 4-5 hours at the table. It may be a fixed menu with a choice among some courses. If there is a menu, I'd say do it instead of a-la-carte. Do get the matched wine selection(s), that was the part that blew my mind. Even with the amazing food, something extra magical happens there with the combination from an expert sommalier. I used to think it was an over-stated and pretentious afffectation until I had it. As you don't need to be concerned about the price, don't be concerned about the price...and be treated to something new with good company.

Where has been the best place that you have ever eaten, and why?

I think the best I've had was at Couvert-Couvert (1-star), which I liked more than the only 2-star I went to so I won't name it. The combination of flavors was unique and delicious. The matching wines took it to another level. The place was super mellow, not pretentious and my wife paid the bill so I didn't have to see it.

You should be excited. It's really a treat. I hope you love it.

 

[Dixiethedog]

Plan to spend a good 4-5 hours at the table.

What??? With my wife?????? That is a recipe for indigestion and a headache! LOL

 

[Admin M@]

I can't answer questions about "the best" since it is too subjective.

I believe in enjoying food experiences and will spend the money to make a few memorable hours with friends and family. I've been to about a dozen highly satisfying Michelin-starred restaurants, 1s, 2s, and 3s, but I can also enjoy a cheap pizzeria or taco truck to the absolute limit of human capacity. Life is what you make it.

One of the most memorable meals I ever had was not so because of the taste experience but because of its supercharged meaning. Morimoto himself prepared me the last wild Matsutake from a forest that had been effectively destroyed by the Fukushima nuclear accident.

When I look back on life though, my Memom's bracciole is what I imagine they'd serve in heaven. (Today would have been her eleventy-first birthday!)

 

[Androo]

What??? With my wife?????? That is a recipe for indigestion and a headache! LOL

Like I said: get the wines. After 5 courses you'll have a bottle in you each and you're in a hotel... I only see good things. Replace "indigestion" with "indescretion" and I'm with you. Headache is definitely possible though. Drink water too

 

[bleujazz3]

Nope. Only time I've eaten at a quality restaurant was for my college graduation. My immediate family took me to a decent place mid-state named Hawthorne's. I recall ordering the glass of merlot, prime rib, baked potato and garlic haricots verts. My brothers made with their best jokes for the occasion (over my head, as usual). Some kind of chocolate lava dessert. They footed the bill. They also had the waitress attach balloons to my chair for the occasion, which I could have done without, but hey, it was a celebration.

Family seldom if ever gathers for restaurant meals; we just don't spend cash dining out unless it's me and a buddy at an open-mic where food costs much less. I'm not cheap, but I don't see any sense in spending boatloads of cash on a meal unless it's a significant milestone...

 

[yek]

has anybody here experienced Michelin-star quality food?

Where has been the best place that you have ever eaten, and why?

Michelin stars are not only an indication of the quality of the food, but also everything that else (experience).

The food is alway excellent. The environment, well, that depends.

I've visited star-rated restaurants where you're surrounded by wealthy couples of certain ages who don't speak.
3 stars for food, zero stars for ambience. I'll never return there.

But I also visited star-rated restaurants where you can have a laugh with the personnel, and not only because you pay good money.

Yes, it can be worth the money. Consider the amount of work spent on preparation.

Is it decadent to spend so much money on food? Not IMO, because people are employed there and get salaries.

Best experiences: Ciel Bleu (Okura), Amsterdam (2 stars), and La Colombe, Capetown (no stars).

 

[Dixiethedog]

Away from food, I can relate to what @yek was saying.

I recently stayed in a 5 star hotel where I was called Sir by the staff (which I hated) and the place had absolutely no atmosphere. The guests were all of an older age and would not have known an Eddie Van Halen hammer on if it came and slapped them around their faces like a wet kipper. It was a terrible experience.

As I hope you can see I am just a normal man. Last week I was forced by my wife to put my holey-soled steel capped boots in the bin. Hmm.. and I wonder why my socks always have holes in them. I suppose that sums me up. Holey boots with holey socks. But happy in my own World.

It sounds like some of you have had some great "foodie" experiences, but for me, what is around the corner for me just gives me a feeling of dread. I enjoy nice food but in this instance, four Michelin tires attached to a burger van sounds like more fun. LOL.

But thank you one and all for your input, it is always fantastic to hear other people's experiences. After all, we all eat when not playing our guitars!