When $40 is the new $30
Just saw this article online about how restaurant prices are steadily rising and $40 for an entree is becoming the standard in the restaurant world! It seems true everywhere you go…and Sacramento is no different…even a casual meal at CPK could put you back $20. Local places like Chops are not exactly cheap, and chains like Morton’s will set you back a pretty penny…plus, Morton’s does the a la carte thing where you order an entree, a salad, a potato side, and a vegetable all separately…$40 would be a STEAL there!!!
Are any of these places even worth it?
Depends - are you spending your money or sticking it on ye olde expense report?
I think a place is worth it if it’s worth it to you. But I’d temper that with some basic food-value knowledge. For example, don’t pay too much for dishes that are cheap - salads and pasta are made with pennies’ worth of ingredients, so they may be “worth” less unless it’s a particular blend of tastes you just adore. On the other hand, some meats and fishes are expensive, but don’t get the same kind of mark-up that salads and pasta do.
Oh - and I think it was Anthony Bourdain who advised readers not to order fish on Sundays (it won’t be fresh because there’s no catch Sunday morning - and generally, most all dishes will be a pastiche of leftovers - yum!).
Feeling strapped? Lunch menus are usually the same as dinner menus at pricier places - but about half the dollars. I tried this trick at the Firehouse in Old Sac and it worked a treat!