Got dragged to a fancy tasting menu place and left hangry

My sister made me go to this $200 a person place in Portland last Saturday called something like 'Root and Stone'. Tiny portions, 12 courses, took almost 4 hours. One course was literally a single radish on a rock with some foam on it. I ate a whole bag of chips from the gas station on the way home. The whole thing felt like a joke where you're the punchline. I don't get how people rave about this stuff when a decent burger and fries hits way harder for way less. Anyone else feel like these tasting menus are just for bragging rights?

3 comments

3 Comments

ben_nguyen2mo ago

That $200 radish on a rock thing cracks me up every time, but serious question though. Did you ask your sister if she actually enjoyed it or if she was just trying to flex on Instagram with the pics? Feels like half the hype is just people convincing themselves they had a good time so they don't feel ripped off.

olivia_harris192mo ago

Did your sister actually admit the radish was just okay, like a normal person would?

finleyw991mo ago

Used to be one of those people who thought fancy food was mostly for show, but honestly this changed my mind. My buddy dragged me to a tasting menu place last year where they served a single carrot with some truffle shavings and I was ready to hate it. Turns out that carrot was the best thing I've eaten all year, perfectly roasted with this weird earthy sweetness I still think about. Not everything at those places is a hit, but I've stopped assuming people are just pretending. Sometimes a radish really is just okay, but sometimes it's actually crazy good.