Happy Valentine's Day....hand over all your cash!
Today I have a commentary on price-gouging for dining on holidays.
So we went out to dinner on Saturday for our Valentine's Day date, as Daddy McA will be traveling on Tuesday. He had made reservations at a local, well-reviewed spot which we had not previously been to, and was told there would be a special Valentine prix-fixed menu. OK, fine. I would expect there to be a special menu, and prixe-fixed seems to be the theme for holiday dining lately.
We get there, and notice that the parking lot is remarkably empty, save just a few cars - one being a Rolls - that should have been our first warning. We enter, get seated, and are handed our menus. They did the gentleman/lady menu thing where the prices are only on the man's. Interesting note: every couple that came in that I could see switched menus so the woman could see the prices. Too funny!
YIKES! Can you say sticker shock? We were tempted to get up and leave, and probably would have if we had been paying for babysitting (thanks! Nana & Papa!). They were asking an exorbitant amount of money for a 4 course meal, and didn't even offer wine pairings.
We witnessed several couples come in, get seated, and then leave. After a while we noticed that the waiter was handing out regular menus along with the holiday menu. A smart decision on the part of the management, but we felt jipped! We would have ordered from the regular menu, had we been offered one, but were unlucky enough to be some of the first people in. I know why they do this - because they can....I guess we're the poster children for the over-priced-prixe-fixed menu....but it still chaps me.
Despite the outrageous prices and the fact that we felt like we were robbed, the food was excellent. All except for the dessert, which was too dense, and we were too full, but everything else was really good.
The moral of this story? Reservation-maker beware! Ask the price of that special menu.
So we went out to dinner on Saturday for our Valentine's Day date, as Daddy McA will be traveling on Tuesday. He had made reservations at a local, well-reviewed spot which we had not previously been to, and was told there would be a special Valentine prix-fixed menu. OK, fine. I would expect there to be a special menu, and prixe-fixed seems to be the theme for holiday dining lately.
We get there, and notice that the parking lot is remarkably empty, save just a few cars - one being a Rolls - that should have been our first warning. We enter, get seated, and are handed our menus. They did the gentleman/lady menu thing where the prices are only on the man's. Interesting note: every couple that came in that I could see switched menus so the woman could see the prices. Too funny!
YIKES! Can you say sticker shock? We were tempted to get up and leave, and probably would have if we had been paying for babysitting (thanks! Nana & Papa!). They were asking an exorbitant amount of money for a 4 course meal, and didn't even offer wine pairings.
We witnessed several couples come in, get seated, and then leave. After a while we noticed that the waiter was handing out regular menus along with the holiday menu. A smart decision on the part of the management, but we felt jipped! We would have ordered from the regular menu, had we been offered one, but were unlucky enough to be some of the first people in. I know why they do this - because they can....I guess we're the poster children for the over-priced-prixe-fixed menu....but it still chaps me.
Despite the outrageous prices and the fact that we felt like we were robbed, the food was excellent. All except for the dessert, which was too dense, and we were too full, but everything else was really good.
The moral of this story? Reservation-maker beware! Ask the price of that special menu.
posted by Leska McCall at 2/13/2006 06:46:00 AM
8 Comments:
I would be ticked as well! No doubt!
Ridiculous and that explains why we dont go out for Valentines day we go out after!
That is so very annoying. Is your hubs going where mine is?
Hey, at least you guys got a (very expensive) night out!!
Where did you go?
I've seen that on several holiday occasions when my family has gone out. We've learned to go ahead and ask if we can order off the regular menu when the price looks a littl too steep.
We went to Emerald in Bee Cave. Dale Rice said it was great, quiet, authentic, etc. It was really good, and everywhere else is probably just as bad on the gouging thing, but to ask $90 and not include some alcohol is really pushing it.
Oh my. That is outrageous.
That is why I don't like V-Day. Everything is overpriced. A spare dozen roses is $100. Crazy.
Holy crap. I waited tables in a 5 star restaurant and we NEVER did that. That is appalling. I would write to the management or owners. That is disgusting.
Outrageous!
We don't ever go out to dinner for V day.
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