I had dinner at a great local spot the other night and on the wall were 5 posters that were hand written - each with one of "The 5 Faces of Food." They are: Hunger, Flavor, Nourish, Nurture, Heal.
I thought a lot about these 5 Faces of Food as I read this article posted on Bloomberg this week about the U.S.'s Priciest Eateries. The article talks about 7 of our finest, priciest restaurants including Masa where you'll pay $450 for a prixe-fixe sushi menu and French Laundry of Napa Valley where a dinner for 2 will easily cost $1500. The dining rooms are still filling up, but now it's easier to get a reservation. Hmm, wonder why?
Let's rewind to the original 5 faces of food: Hunger, Flavor, Nourish, Nurture, Heal. I don't see price on this list?
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Masa and French Laundry...the 2 restaurants that have toped my list of "Restaurants I would LOVE to eat at if I had the Money". This is similar to my list, "Hotels I would love to stay at if I had the Money"...Twin Farms tops that list, gosh if only I had the opportunity to see this place, maybe some of my dreams could come true!
You are right, price probably should be the 6th face of food. Price is more so the face of food's ugly stepsister! Those 7 restaurants have to charge high prices to cover their PR costs..its a question of Food or Fad? The French Laundry was once a HUGE deal here in California. Everyone wanted to eat there probably for the reason... everyone wanted to eat there. I have eaten at the sister restaurant, Bouchon, in Las Vegas...the food was only so, so.
Masa on the other hand, may be a fad worth pursuing. Each piece of fish is flown in from the area of the world where its the best THAT day.
Agreed on Hunger, Flavor, Nourish, Nurture, Heal, and....Price! Interesting comments on pricing and fads. Re: fads, one might think that the current economy and personal budgets will be an equalizer for dining fads. But I suspect that experienced diners now might go out less frequently, but when they do they still will pay for the unique experience and unique cuisine. I don't count out the impact of customers seeking convenience and value in '09, though. It will be interesting to see what happens to dining fads this year.
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