Hi Tony,
I am on the same page as you. Super expensive, 18 course degustation menus are fine and all, but does that make the restaurant better from one offering a la carte? Pretty sure I’ve had that seafood fried rice you speak of too, and agree, it is pretty amazing.
One of the most insidious trends to permeate the Melbourne eating scene is the “no bookings” restaurant. Seriously, if I want to go for some food with a/some friends, I like to know I am going to be able to get some food. I get why restaurants complain about bookings not showing. I blame the serious foodie and the media for playing into this hype. I also blame the serious foodie and media for not having the common courtesy of calling to cancel a booking.
Picture this, showing up with 3 friends to a no-booking restaurant at 6pm, expecting that a sitting will be assured within a few minutes, only to be told said restaurant is already full, but we can find a table for you in about 4 hours. Take my number, you ask? “No, we don’t do that”. Find a bar nearby, where you drink (with no food) for a few hours and forget to check back about a table. You arrive late to check back to find your name has been crossed off, because “we found a table for you 2 hours ago and you weren’t to be found”. No, don’t go postal, it’s about creating an artificial demand.
If the restaurant is good, no-shows for bookings will not matter as there are plenty of walk-ins to fill the table.
The newest experiment is prix fix (pay fixed amount for 2 or 3 courses at booking – non-refundable). Must admit, this solves many of the issues. If you are the type to blow off a restaurant booking…well, you’ve already paid, so restaurant is ok on revenue front. They may even be lucky enough to fill your table with some walks ins. It’s a 2 for 1 switch!
We are spoilt for choices in Melbourne, but I refuse to line up for one of these no-bookings restaurants. I can do better and know I’m going to be eating when I chose to, or near enough to it.
Back to the US. We headed to Lake Tahoe. A stunning part of the world. Odd, but stunning. I am still trying to figure out why there are a multi-million dollars houses and only a Safeway to get groceries. Where is the providore? The fishmonger? The artisan baker?
I went back to an old favourite (Rosie’s Café) for a burger, and again for breakfast. Perhaps because it was close. Not sure. What I did recall was that we returned to the “it’s bigger, therefore better” attitude. The café latte was no exception. Pretty sure it was a good solid litre! Was it good? Well…it was big.
South Lake Tahoe was worse. Cal/Nev border means wanna-be glitzy casinos on one side of the street and run down motels on the other. Nothing about it was good. We didn’t stop, just stared.
Mammoth Lakes was next stop. This is where we were pleasantly surprised, but it wasn’t because of some funky place in town, but rather the food at the daylodge at Mammoth Mountain. I don’t think I’ve ever seen snowboarders with plates of salad before….certainly not with pants hanging around thighs and for lunch at a ski resort?!
LA was final stop. I was going to say something about LA, but I still think the best part of LA is leaving…
Back in Melbourne now. Big weekend planned, a ball, a 50th and rounding things off with a Eurovision party with some Danish friends (who had no choice but to host…both the party and Eurovision).
Dan