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Woman Orders $600 Meal For 1 At One Of America’s Most Expensive Restaurants, And Posts The Meals She Gets
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to treat yourself to a $600 meal at one of the world’s best restaurants? While clearly no substitute for the real thing (the crucial senses of taste and smell cannot be replicated over the internet… yet), Imgur user Hoptail has allowed us to eat vicariously through her graphic descriptions and photos from a restaurant in San Francisco.
“So I got sent to San Francisco for work and I always make a habit of visiting the best restaurants when I travel. I’m not well-off by any means – I’m a college student. But I love good food and I save up for this shit. So please enjoy living vicariously through these photos of my dinner for 1 at Saison,” she said.
Taking us on a mouthwatering tour of the meal, which included an astonishing array of courses, Hoptail manages to convey her fine dining experience beautifully and without a hint of the snobbish tone usually reserved for such reviews.
Despite this, the young Aussie still copped quite a bit of flak on the net (inevitably) for her apparent extravagance in choosing to spend her money in such a fashion while a student, from vegans and from those vigorously opposed to the rampant restaurant photography that seems to have become the norm these days. “Documenting your food is becoming more and more acceptable now, even in high-end restaurants,” she explained. “I’m aware that I looked like an instawhore, but.. well, firstly, I don’t have Instagram, and secondly, if I’m going to spend that much on a meal, I want to be able to appreciate it later and share it with people who would find it interesting.”
Helpfully, Hoptail added a short FAQ at the end of her post, which she used to address some of these concerns in a satisfyingly forthright way. “For those of you with the disparaging comments about this endeavour not being worth it, or that I shouldn’t be spending my money on stuff like this if I’m not financially well-to-do. Kindly shove it up your arse. It’s my money, and this is what I like. I could be strung out on cocaine or have a crippling meth addiction. Cut me some slack. Go to Wendy’s if you WANT to, ain’t nothing wrong with that – you do you.”
Fair enough, Hoptail. Scroll down to check out her pics and descriptions below, and feel free to share your own fine dining experiences in the comments. Also feel free to discuss the merits or otherwise of spending a ton of cash on a single meal. Is it worth it for the experience? Let us know what you think!
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“The most heavenly tea I’ve ever had in my life. Each little bushel had douglas fir, yarrow, chamomile, lemon balm, anise and hyssop all picked fresh from the restaurant farm and steeped in hot meyer lemon water”
“Up next, baby spinach, roasted kelp cooked in clarified butter (compliments of their jersey cow Bella) and topped with caviar”
“Turbot fish – 2 ways. Sashimi was amazing. The second preparation was grilled with a light soy glaze. Came with little heirloom tomatoes and some sort of deepfried flower”
“A Geoduck. If you’ve never heard of them before, Google it. They are freaky looking AF. Honestly, it wasn’t that good. Just kind of chewy and the marinade was super overwhelming I couldn’t actually taste the meat”
“This was, hands down, my favourite course. Fresh sea urchin on grilled bread that was basted in a sauce made of the off-cuts of the bread. It was SUPER creamy.. like the butter of the sea. So amazingly fresh and the sauce in the bread was incredible”
“That’s sliced radish on top (again from their farm) with Bella’s clarified butter”
“Underneath there was a sort of radish jelly vinegar reduction, the radish tops and cubes of marinated radish. It was super fresh and tart and a really good transition from the richness of the previous course”
“This is roasted pumpkin – 3 ways. The first to the left is kind of like agedashi tofu except it’s torn roast pumpkin topped with octopus flakes”
“Second preparation was pumpkin hung over their in-house fire and slow roasted for like 8 hours with a buttermilk cream. Caramelisation was incredible”
“Not sure about this one. Pumpkin puree in cold-pressed pumpkin seed oil. It felt like it was kind of added as an afterthought and was way too salty. I’m not even sure how I was supposed to eat it”
“This is antelope. It came with stuffed radicchio, herb salad and really nice biscuits and honey butter that tasted like pancakes”
“It was well-seasoned and had the texture of a cross between venison and beef and was perfectly medium-rare”
“Antelope bone broth with sage. It was actually really nice, but I needed to move on from Bambi’s relatives”
“This is smoked ice cream. Don’t ask me the science behind how one smokes ice cream – but it’s got something to do incorporating exotic wood embers into the cream. So incredible though, and came with life-changing salted caramel”
“Accompanying assortment of candied toppings (walnuts, peanuts, cacao nibs and pine nuts)”
“Dessert, yes. The best part. Praise Jesus, my palette has been blessed. Amen”
“Orange buttermilk creamsicle”
“Super smooth, really creamy and had hidden segments of candied oranges at the bottom”
“Blueberry sorbet on top of brandy macerated blueberries. Topped with more brandy. Good if you like brandy. I don’t”
“The Saison “Snickers” bar. This is an off-menu item that comes if you befriend the right waiter. Some sort of dark chocolate and nut brownie base, salted caramel centre, chocolate ganache and topped with 24K gold”
“Honestly, this was an awesome experience and, for me, well worth the money”
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What do you think ?
Ed Mo 7 years ago
I think people criticizing various aspects of this are failing to put it all together. Hell yeah, $600 is a lot but this so much more than an exquisite meal, it's an experience that everyone should indulge at least once in their lifetime. These photos cannot capture the sights & smells, fresh linens instead of paper napkins, being treated like royalty, & the wine pairings with each course that come with such a meal. Portions are small because there are so many courses, it's not meant to be a plateful of meat 'n taters to wolf down. All of this is prepared fresh & carefully by highly trained chefs & staff, not hash slingers throwing something frozen in the deep fryer. It's the difference between Dodge & Lamborghini.
Stille20 7 years ago
Agreed. On a very rare occasion, I have gone for a tasting meal with a few friends. By the time we add drinks and tip, it is aprox $200 per person, but it is often a 3+ hour meal where each unique item is carefully prepared and described and service is always perfect.
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Kate Szymanski 7 years ago
honestly that was a s**t ton of food! Not individually of course but if you put all of that together that was a big portion with honestly pretty healthy ingredients save the dessert. If I get to a point in my life when I'm financially secure and can afford some luxuries, food like this would be right up there with travel. Life is short, experience everything you can and that's not something anyone should hate on.
Victor Calamity 7 years ago
I get that there's plenty of room for ridicule or contempt here...but I see where she's coming from, here. This was not just a meal, but an experience: exotic, flavorful, colorful, and unique. Watching these photos was like travelling to restaurants all over the world. She feels that it was worth the money, and I believe her. It wouldn't be worth it for me, of course--after all, a thing is only "worth" what you're willing to pay for it--but she makes a compelling case for the meal as an experience.
Just Caturday 3.0 6 years ago
I don't see plenty of room for ridicule or contempt. Nothing wrong with holding on to working class values, for sure, but nothing wrong with valuing the pleasures of the senses.
Load More Replies... Ed Mo 7 years ago
I think people criticizing various aspects of this are failing to put it all together. Hell yeah, $600 is a lot but this so much more than an exquisite meal, it's an experience that everyone should indulge at least once in their lifetime. These photos cannot capture the sights & smells, fresh linens instead of paper napkins, being treated like royalty, & the wine pairings with each course that come with such a meal. Portions are small because there are so many courses, it's not meant to be a plateful of meat 'n taters to wolf down. All of this is prepared fresh & carefully by highly trained chefs & staff, not hash slingers throwing something frozen in the deep fryer. It's the difference between Dodge & Lamborghini.
Stille20 7 years ago
Agreed. On a very rare occasion, I have gone for a tasting meal with a few friends. By the time we add drinks and tip, it is aprox $200 per person, but it is often a 3+ hour meal where each unique item is carefully prepared and described and service is always perfect.
Load More Replies... Kate Szymanski 7 years ago
honestly that was a s**t ton of food! Not individually of course but if you put all of that together that was a big portion with honestly pretty healthy ingredients save the dessert. If I get to a point in my life when I'm financially secure and can afford some luxuries, food like this would be right up there with travel. Life is short, experience everything you can and that's not something anyone should hate on.
Victor Calamity 7 years ago
I get that there's plenty of room for ridicule or contempt here...but I see where she's coming from, here. This was not just a meal, but an experience: exotic, flavorful, colorful, and unique. Watching these photos was like travelling to restaurants all over the world. She feels that it was worth the money, and I believe her. It wouldn't be worth it for me, of course--after all, a thing is only "worth" what you're willing to pay for it--but she makes a compelling case for the meal as an experience.
Just Caturday 3.0 6 years ago
I don't see plenty of room for ridicule or contempt. Nothing wrong with holding on to working class values, for sure, but nothing wrong with valuing the pleasures of the senses.
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