7 ms·

>> To reply to your thoughts, I always had read that restaurants and food in general were cheaper in the U.S. Curious that you found the opposite to be true. I

>> To reply to your thoughts, I always had read that restaurants and food in general were cheaper in the U.S. Curious that you found the opposite to be true. If you compare the same quality food, it is way more expensive in the US. I can get a very decent 3-course meal here (Netherlands) for $20, maybe $30 if you include drinks (wine, beer). To get the same quality food in CA (and I've visited many, many places there) I would have to spend at least $50 without drinks, without tips. Of course I can get food for $20 or $30 in CA at every corner of the street as well, but the quality will be way below what I expect for that money. The difference in perspective is probably that in the US there seem to be 9 low-end places for every decend mid-range restaurant, while here it's more like 50-50. Not trying to be a snob here, that's just my perception. At the high-end it's way worse even, by the way. For $100 I can get a royal 6-course high-cuisine meal with accompanying wines for every course here, even at some restaurants rated with a Michelin star. I've been to places in e.g. Palo Alto, which were pretty good, but nowhere near the level of even a single michelin star, and the bill would approach $200 per person after including drinks and tips. Portion size was not a problem in these cases, by the way ;-)

dsfyu404ed 8y ago
I assume by CA you mean SV. It's wildly inappropriate to generalize SV experiences to the US as a whole. It's about as applicable to the reality most people live in as Floridaman stories.
- w0utert 8y ago
  Not just SV, I've been all around the pacific coast, but also inland (Central Valley, San Bernadino, etc). You won't find a lot more than Denny's, KFC and McDonalds there anyway ;-)
  - theandrewbailey 8y ago
    Try the Midwest or South. If all you've experienced in the US is the west, you're missing a lot.
clairity 8y ago
it's just harder to find the good, cheaper places in california because they don't have the budget to advertise like the expensive places (by that i mean acquiring "free" press from local food critics, newspapers, and the like, not just literally paying yelp). also, good western european(?) food (spanish/french/italian/etc) is more expensive than, say, good asian or latin american food. the plating of food into courses will bias you toward those more expensive restaurants, by the way. my favorite restaurants are typically single plate/bowl by design, which you can then share family-style by ordering a few items. i'd also echo the point that good food costs way more in northern california than in southern california. socal just has many more cheaper, good restaurants to choose from.

dsfyu404ed 8y ago

I assume by CA you mean SV. It's wildly inappropriate to generalize SV experiences to the US as a whole. It's about as applicable to the reality most people live in as Floridaman stories.

w0utert 8y ago
Not just SV, I've been all around the pacific coast, but also inland (Central Valley, San Bernadino, etc). You won't find a lot more than Denny's, KFC and McDonalds there anyway ;-)
- theandrewbailey 8y ago
  Try the Midwest or South. If all you've experienced in the US is the west, you're missing a lot.

clairity 8y ago

it's just harder to find the good, cheaper places in california because they don't have the budget to advertise like the expensive places (by that i mean acquiring "free" press from local food critics, newspapers, and the like, not just literally paying yelp). also, good western european(?) food (spanish/french/italian/etc) is more expensive than, say, good asian or latin american food. the plating of food into courses will bias you toward those more expensive restaurants, by the way. my favorite restaurants are typically single plate/bowl by design, which you can then share family-style by ordering a few items. i'd also echo the point that good food costs way more in northern california than in southern california. socal just has many more cheaper, good restaurants to choose from.