The Tasting Menu: Food Elevated to Art

Sweet-Butter-Poached Maine Lobster at The French Laundry

The French call it Degustation.  The Japanese call it Omakase.  In 'merica we call it The Tasting Menu. If ala carte dining (order what YOU want) is a $10 caricature artist in Old Town Scottsdale The Tasting Menu is Chef's Piccaso.  In the same way as when you go to a museum or a concert you DO NOT dictate what the artist does, when you chose a Tasting Menu you DO NOT chose what chef puts in front of you...in some cases you won't know until it is actually in front of you...no menu...no problem.

Here are some FAQs on The Tasting Menu: 



Why would anyone want to cede control of a meal in this way?:

Croque Madame at Hafield's

I get it, sometimes you just want a burger and fries...me too...often. But sometimes you want something more.  Don't get me wrong, if you have a particular allergy LET CHEF KNOW...they are happy to work around it. But, if you want your palette challenged you'll want what chef believes to be HIS/HER best shot.  If you want something beautiful from first sight to last taste the best way to assure this is the tasting menu.


Are you friggin' kidding me!!??  All I get is a bite of this and a dash of that!?  What am I a 
rabbit!?:

Pastrami on Rye and Strawberry Pop at Eleven Madison Park

This is a common misconception.  Uraswa (sushi Mecca in LA I mentioned here) served us TWENTY-FIVE separate courses including 14 pieces Nigri (sashimi with rice).  Joel Robuchon served 14 courses and 3 Amuse Bouche (bite size appetizer which is meant to amuse the pallet...the warm up!). This is typically enough food to feed a family of four.  A marathon meal, often taking 3-4 hours from start to finish...buckle up!! With rare exception, you have to prepare yourself by dining very, VERY lightly earlier that day.  (my brother and I chose a cognac lunch before Elven Madison Park).

Tesseron 29 at Brasserie Cognac

But the only way to have the tasting menu is to pay a small fortune!!:

Sashimi at Urasawa

This CAN be true but is not ALWAYS the case.  Joel Robuchon and Urasawa are hundreds of dollars for the tasting menu.  But Sage, in Vegas, has a killer tasting menu for $89.  POSH, in Scottsdale does a 5 course menu starting at $65.  In addition, in some restaurants, if you give chef notice, they can put a menu together with your budget in mind.  We have done this many times with one of our favorite local chefs, James Porter at Petite Maison in Scottsdale.

Bone Marrow at Petite Maison

***pro tip. wine pairings are often offered at an additional cost.  the idea being the wine director picks wines that enhance the flavor of the food.  to save money (and/or your liver) you can order a crisp glass of white (chablis or sauvignon blanc) and a medium to full bodied red (bordeaux or a cab blend). 



The Tasting Menu format is not for everyone and certainly not for every meal.  But if you want to kick up your "food game" to the next level it is an absolute must!

Thanks for reading!

Doc Jay!!