Comments on: Pete Wells In the Kitchen of a Landmark Event: The Per Se/Alinea Dinner Tonight

By: Guy Anderson

Guy Anderson — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

So while I saw posts that had nothing to do with the dinner – did I miss the story about what they did as far as menu items?

By: Lydia

Lydia — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

That last line about “a nation of culinary sissies” is golden. That’s why I read you. A friend I had dinner with tonight was telling me about going on vacation with a friend who supposedly had all these allergies to gluten etc, and they had to leave a few restaurants that didn’t serve anything guaranteed gluten-free. When he told her he had similar allergies, she said, “What do you do?” He said, “I SUCK IT UP.”

By: Franknwine

Franknwine — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Why “supposedly?” And at $1500 a head the boys damn well better take anybody’s allergies, real or imagined or feigned, into account. Oh, wait, they did seem quite willing to do so…but it’s a problem for you? Hmmm…

By: Lydia

Lydia — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

“Supposedly” because most people I know who say they have allergies, including me, are self-diagnosed. I’ve decided I’m allergic to avocado because the 2 times I’ve eaten it in my life, I threw up. I don’t really want to experiment with it any more.

By: Tags

Tags — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

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Keller always says he puts just enough food in each course to make people wish they had one more bite.

So maybe tasting menu is a misnomer.

Teasing menu would be more accurate.

By: mirinblue

mirinblue — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Spend what you can afford or feel comfortable with and make choices that please you. Donate as much as you can to charities that touch your heart. When did we begin to feel obligated to judge how others spend money?

As for me, I will have one of everything..no allergies here, thanks! And I will happily spend $1500 to do so, the food may go quickly, but the memories live forever. A once-in-a lifetime opportunity and you want me NOT to take it???

By: S. Woody

S. Woody — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

The smoked salmon/yuzu/capers combination sounds interesting. I could actually try something with that mix of flavors here at home.

That’s assuming I can get some yuzu, or yuzu juice. Right now, the local gourmet shoppe has a yuzu-containing bottled ponzu sauce, which isn’t the same thing exactly. But at least the menu has me thinking of flavors.

(Ponzu is a great foil for roasted beets, by the way.)

By: Mantonat

Mantonat — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Pretty much everything in America is a luxury item. How much is a year’s worth of high-speed internet – $700-$800? Couldn’t you give that money to the poor and hungry? Probably just about everything in your house that’s not a bag of rice would be considered a luxury in most other places in the world. Give what you can when you can, but don’t assume you are better than someone who spends $1500 on a dinner when you don’t know that person and what they do with the rest of their money. Elitism is not enjoying good food or art, it’s judging based on what you perceive as your own superior morals.

By: redredsteve

redredsteve — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Dick – Pasta for the third night in a row.

Ruhlman – Where or where can we see some pics of this madness? Please tell me we CAN see pics…?

By: Laurence

Laurence — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

There are always going to be people who climb on their high horse to finger-wag at the way other people spend their own money, be it on cars, houses, vacations, whatever. The funniest of these killjoys do it on-line, with their fancy computers and broadband internet access. Don’t they care about the kids in Africa who can’t surf the web?

Oh, and last night we ate leftover braised chicken.

By: Derek

Derek — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

While I don’t agree with them, I think the point the “haters” are trying to make is that in their world view, it is NEVER acceptable to blow $1,500 on a one-shot luxury. I also suspect that they are also upset with people who purchase $100,000 cars or $30,000,000 homes. The fact that they only griped about rich foodies in the article’s comments doesn’t mean they are being hypocritical (the article is about a specific meal, not all luxuries everywhere).

By: Rhonda

Rhonda — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

FoodPuta:

I just came across the Per Se/Alinea menu. Pete Wells provides a link to it in his article under the Diners Journal column in the NY times.

Yum!

By: FoodPuta

FoodPuta — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Thanks Rhonda, pretty amazing looking! At $75 per item, I’m not sure which ONE dish I would go with……

By: Natalie Sztern

Natalie Sztern — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

For as long as there are people in this world, there will always be a market for luxury for those that can afford it. what is wrong with that, isn’t that the American way?

Personally, if this dinner was created to support any cause of fundraising and the market accepts it, then congratulations it was sold out.

These readers have to wake up and realize that if they are chefs or in the trade: the first luxury to go is jewelry, the second is $$$$ and $$$ restaurants, and the third is probably waiting another two years to buy that new car.

By: FoodPuta

FoodPuta — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Uh, can I get menu please?

By: Maura

Maura — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

i agree with joyciel–if you get mad at someone who spends that kind of dough on dinner, where is your anger at people who drive expensive cars and where expensive shoes and live in $30 million houses?

I think the difference is that cars, shoes and houses don’t disappear in a few hours. A $1500 meal is here and gone in a short period of time. They’re not taking into account that this dinner is a rare opportunity and more than just food on the table.

I wouldn’t pay $1500 for a meal if God’s chef were cooking, but I’m a cheapskate even when I do have money. I feel like I should be het up about this, but I just don’t care. I think it’s kind of awesome, in fact.

This is an experience, and not just a thing. There’s some real substance to this dinner, whereas a pair of Manolos is just a pair of shoes*. If you have the means to do something special, you shouldn’t have to give it up because others can’t. It’s unfair to make assumptions about people attending this dinner. We don’t know what else they do with their money, or whether they do or don’t care about poor people. That someone will pay $1500 for this event says nothing more to me than “they have to money to do it”. Maybe it’s decadent, but I’m a fan of decadence.
__________

*God knows I love fashion, especially shoes, but there’s not a pair of shoes in the world worth the amount of money you have to pay for Manolos or Jimmy Choos.

By: ruhlman

ruhlman — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

By: oregoncoastgirl

oregoncoastgirl — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Politics & guilt inspiring/ laden comments aside (really?!), this sounds like a f*cking wet dream. Mmmmm. Thanks for the fantasy, Chef. I’ll make sure I drop some change in a donation bucket for reading it.

By: joyciel

joyciel — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

The comments left on the news article are kind of infuriating. Even if someone is not eating a $1500 meal doesn’t mean they are going to give it to charity or something =/.

By: Salty

Salty — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Gee, all they need now are some clowns, a lion tamer and a bearded lady.