´ graywolf wrote:
I once paid $22 for a steak dinner. It was lousy. I once went into a restaurant that charged $250 for a steak dinner. They tossed me out because I was not dressed to their satisfaction. Just as well, I did not have $250 in the bank much less on me.
Just because it happened once, that sets the course for the rest of forever?
Somehow, I don't think you guys eat in the same kinds of restaurants as most of us do.
Sure we do. Well, I do.
We go to a Shakey's pizza place, or a local Mexican restaurant, or a small family restaurant for the usual dinner out. That's "eating out", not dining.
On the subject of cost for a fine restaurant, I seriously doubt I have ever ordered an entree that cost more than about $30-32. Most of the time it's around $22-28, even in the better ones.
It's the fine wine that costs dearly, and if you have a small coffee after, perhaps an apertif with dessert, it all adds up.
Then, usually a 20% tip, if the service has been exemplary.
$5 to the car park.
On the other hand, I sure don't do this every week!
Perhaps not every month.
I insist on dressing for dinner. That comes from the old school.
Used to be in San Francisco that literally everyone dressed for dinner -- for a night out on the town.
With the advent of pants suits and the proliferation of topless night clubs (and of course, that is not a cause and effect happening) things started going to hell in S.F.
Used to be, like you pointed out, if you weren't dressed right -- which usually meant a tie and a jacket -- you weren't admitted.
The better restaurants usually had a tie in the cloak room, even a spare jacket for the rare occasion where circumstances forced you to show up "undressed."
It's that sort of service, and good company, that drew most in. Why not? It was an event. A special time for all.
It's hard to find a place with a dress code any more. Oh, I'm sure if you go to one of the more exclusive 5-star restaurants, it will have one, but we don't dine like that. For us, that's excessively costly. But dining out is one of the great pleasures of "the good life." For us.
Some folks go gambling for a special weekend, or have some other favorite way to waste their money. We dress for a night out and eat well. And probably spend less, overall.
Life being what you make it, someone else will have his or her own opinion of what the good life comprises...and I'm sure it will be different from mine. <smile> Bon appetite!
keith whaley
--
Paul Stenquist wrote:
That's true. At one time, San Francisco was California's first city of food, but no more. Money has a way of reshaping those kinds of things. And LA money has made it a major restaurant city. Yet California's and perhaps America's best restaurant isn't in LA or San Francisco, it's up in the Napa valley town Yountville, and it's called French Laundry. Am I opinionated when it comes to food? You bet :-).. See http://www.sterba.net/yountville/frenchlaundry/
On Apr 12, 2004, at 10:10 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
And the scenery is pretty. But, never mind, LA has come up from behind, after
all.
Hehehehehehe.
Marnie aka Doe
