Heh. Well, I’ve survived a meal or two at places that were the equivalent in their time, and I guess the performance art doesn’t impress me. It’s that bread and circuses rating that James Ward uses in his reviews, you know? I take food seriously, and prefer not to mix it with circus entertainment. 🙂
My tastes in food may be rather plebean, too. I’d certainly take the Machine Shed in Rockford over any number of snooty, frou-frou places. Even if someone else is picking up the tab.

Well, I think it’s apples and oranges, really. I love to cook (as might be assumed by careful readers 🙂 and at the same time, I’m what is known in the vernacular as a “cheap bastard”. I know what it costs to make a plate of fettucine alfredo and if some place tries to charge me $14.95 for it, I’ve got a problem with that. A hearty meal at home trumps a frou frou presentation of chicken piccata with a sprig of parsley every time.
Places like Alinea and Moto, though, I don’t think you can compare to an ordinary restaurant. In a lot of ways it’s more like performance art or culinary theater. For me, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime meal because I sure as hell am never going to spend that much for a meal twice in my life! 🙂