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Kitchen Table Kibitzing January 28, 2024 [1]

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Date: 2024-01-28  

One of the best. During Netroots in Atlanta. Reasonable prices.

Priced out

One of my favorite sections of the Sunday paper is called Dining Out. One section has short stories of what’s new in local dining, special events, and restaurant openings and closings. Then there’s always a comprehensive review of one restaurant. We have several knowledgeable reviewers who take turns. I have been writing about inflation for years, and following its rise and ostensible leveling off.

I have previously mentioned the over-the-top prices at Michelin-starred places, such as the French Laundry

(While not a frugal, cheap eats spot, a night out at The French Laundry can cost a table of two $700 for cuisine only — not including any drinks or a table in their recently renovated courtyard)

or Healdsburg’s Single Thread (Rooms start at $700 and dinner for two with drinks pushes close to $1,000)

These, in my opinion, are anomalies for most folks except those for whom money is not a consideration.

We’ve been seeing 10 to 20% increases in prices at our standby restaurants, even at Mexican restaurants which held prices steady for quite a while.

The featured restaurant in today’s paper is a sushi place, part of a chain. The review is positive in many respects, but the price is$185 per person! One assumes that drinks and tip will push this into the $200s.

So I turned to the event column. Here’s a pop-up dinner event, $130 per person. Here’s a Mexican dinner in Napa for $125.

So everybody’s leaving California, due to high prices, or so I’ve heard.

Overall, 75,423 Californians left in 2023.

That's a lot of people, but still, it's crowded in the big cities and traffic continues to be a nightmare.

However, it wasn't the state that saw the biggest population decline. That honor goes to New York, which saw a population dip of nearly 102,000. I suspect New York’s restaurant prices are high as well.

Are the prices I described even close to your local experience? Have you been priced out of any favorite shops or restaurants? I do understand that restaurants are not the be-all and end-all for everyone, but for me….why else are we here?

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