I can make this at home for cheaper...

SFGate.com had an interesting article today about restaurant mark-ups on food - Restaurant markups deconstructed.

Whenever I go to a restaurant, I always look at the menu and base my choices on 3 questions:

1. Can I make it at home?
2. Can I make it at home, but never cook it?
3. What is the price of ingredients and cooking time in relation to the cost of menu price?

Basically, is it worth it to me?  I know that to base my choices on these types of questions makes me a horrible foodie, but I am also first & foremost a frugal Asian person.  For example, I hardly ever order pasta because it's so cheap to make it at home.  Unless it's gnocchi...I effing love freshly made gnocchi and making it at home just isn't the same.  I'm Asian, not Italian.

So now, after reading this article, I will have to make some adjustments to what's considered 'worth it.'  I never thought about the cost of insurance needing to be factored into my food.  From now on, I'll know that it costs $1 just to wash my cup of free water.

Burger Throw Down

A Ham Burger Today did a taste test against In-N-Out vs Five Guys vs Shake Shack.  In-N-Out clearly won based on their own scoring criteria.  However, they pretty much said, 'Fuck the scoring sheet.  Shake Shack is the winner.'

Numbers aren't everything, and the Shack's dominance in the meat department should clearly be weighted more heavily than the other categories.


Seriously?  You created your own scoring sheet, but decide that it's really not that important since your fave burger place didn't win.  I was excited to read the article, but then when I saw how they came to the results I felt like I was being Bush-boozled.

Long Meadow Ranch Winery & Farmstead

2 dollar corkage fee!

BF, mom, and I went to wine country for Mother's Day.  After boozing it for several hours we had a late lunch at Long Meadow Ranch Winery & Farmstead.  This place is effing amazing - cheap corkage fee, fantastic food, and you get a token to drink more for FREE in their tasting room.

STARTERS

Creamy Mac + Cheese

Pretty dang creamy & cheesy.  It was good, but I'm not a mac & cheese person.  Mom & I had a bite each while BF slopped up the rest like a Dyson.



Cheddar Biscuits With Honey Butter

My friends know that I have had a long time obsession with butter.  (BTW, fave butters are Spaghetti Factory's garlic butter and Neiman Marcus' strawberry butter) But these biscuits were so oily and cheesy to begin with that I didn't put any butter on it.  Slightly crispy on the outisde and warm, moist, and chewy on the inside.  So good and I'm a sucker for anything that comes in a cast iron skillet, but I was annoyed. 

     SERVER: Would you like me to bring you some bread or chedder biscuits?

     BF + MOM: Sure!  We'll take some biscuits.

     (Server leaves)

     ME: You know they charge us for that, right?

The server made it sound like, 'Oh yea, sure...we give bread to everybody.'  Rule of thumb that I never can remember:

     FREE = Bread is brought to you automatically

     $ = Server asks if you want bread

I shouldn't be eating carbs anyway.

Salad of Lacinato Kale with Chile Pequin, Lemon and Toasted Grana

The picture makes the food look kinda gross, but it's really good.  Even BF, who can't stand kale actually like it.

Potato Gnocchi with Lamb Ragu, Peas, Mint and Grana

This was my dish and I couldn't be happier.  Being a drinking light weight I needed as much fatty & rich foods to keep me from passing out at the table in front of mummy dearest.  The ragu was perfectly gamey, but not too gamey, and had the perfect sauce-to-chunky meat ratio.  The gnocchi was crazy good.  They were teeny tiny soft pillows of carby goodness.  I would squish each pillow between my tongue and the roof of my mouth and it would ooze like butter down my throat.  Hands down the best gnocchi I've ever had in the whole entire world.

Cheeseburger on a Potato Bun with California Cheddar and Arugula

I thought this was a great burger with the nutty arugula and soft bun, but BF didn't think so.  Here are his thoughts:

The burger they serve is not a burger in my opinion. It tasted more like an Italian meatloaf. Don't get me wrong its good but I wasn't in the mood for a meatloaf sandwich. I was really craving the taste of a grilled beef burger. That charbroiled or grilled flavor of beef you get from a burger. So if you're looking for a good juicy burger know that this is closer to a meatloaf than a burger.

California Rock Bass With Wood Roasted Sausage, Fingerling Potatoes

And Cioppino Broth

This was Mom's dish and I had 1 bite and it was delicious.  She also Dyson'ed up this dish so I guess she really liked it.

More Drinking?

We were too full for dessert, and too sleepy from all the wine.  But for anyone who wanted to drink more they give you a token for a free wine tasting across the pathway for up to 4 people.  We didn't have to use it that day, so it's being saved for our next trip there.

 

Ambiance

The restaurant was converted from a nursery, so it looks like a barn inside with huge airy vaulted ceilings with a shabby chic country coziness to it.  I would definitely come back here again.