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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
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Hey Al G
$120 for a Silver Oak? That's a bargain. Saw it on a wine list last night for $180 (I had a very tasty and far less expensive Malbec instead).
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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JESSE
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 11-5-2002
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Barry A.
---------if I spent that kind of money on a "dinner". 
There is tons of room in between the extremes that you mention--------i.e. eating at "Wendy's", or eating at "Laja's", it seems to me. We love to eat
(dine??) out, but feel that it is not neccessary to squander money that could be put to use much better use elsewhere.
It is all a matter of priorities, I guess. Since these extravagant restaurants exist, that is testimony to the validity of what you say, but we
simply will not be partaking of their service. Live, and let live, I am thinking.
"Bon apatit", or whatever the saying is.  |
Barry,
The 1st time i had dinner at Laja will stay with me for ever, i remember every dish, textures, taste, the way we where all in silence eating not being
able to speak a word because the food was so good, and the experience so unique, i probably spent 70 bucks myself, but the experience was worth way
more than that.
Eating at a restaurant like Laja is not just eating, the food is so good, so far better than anything found in 95% of all restaurants, that it becomes
an ocassion. The closest i can describe eating at Laja is, remeber that time you ate something you found truly good, truly amazing?
Now imagine that everything that is served to you in Laja, the 5 or 7 courses, provoke the same reaccion from every bite, that is priceless.
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bajabound2005
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2760
Registered: 10-15-2005
Location: Punta Banda, BCN
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Mood: words cannot describe...
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Laja can only be described as an exquisite restaurant. It would stand up to anything in NYC or San Francisco. We've dined there a number of times
and each time was Nirvana. The prices are comparable to US restaurants of the same caliber. The location is the Guadalupe Valley in the heart of
Baja wine country. It is well marked from either direction on the Ruta del Vino at KM 83 and is just west of Francisco Zarco. As for the empty
dining room most people go there later in the day. On Wednesdays they are open 1:30 - 3:30 and on Fri, Sat and Sun 1:30 - 8:30. The currest prices
are $400 pesos for the 4 course meal and $585 for the full 7-8 course meal, and it's worth every centavo. Tax not included in these prices, nor is
the wine.
The chef, Jair Tellez and his wife, Laura Reinert, opened the restaurant in 2001 and are still there today. The restaurant name comes from the
owners' first names (LA from Laura and JA from Jair. You'll see things on the menu like arugula salad with Fuyu persimmon; yellowtail carpaccio with
avocado and preserved lemon; cauliflower ravioli; pan-roasted rock cod with lemon, raisins, capers and almonds; locally raised pork with creamy
cauliflower, house-cured jam and blue potatoes; and Mandarin orange and pineapple sorbets with lemon verbena granita.
If it's in your budget and you love fine dining, you'll enjoy Laja. Website is www.lajamexico.com
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
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Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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Jesse and BajaBound--------
-----you both paint a beautiful picture, and the prices you quote are deffinitely worth paying for that type of experience. But some were mentioning
$300, or $500 for two-----now THOSE prices are way beyond rediculous, at least to me and Meredith.
Of course, it is all in what "turns you on". Maybe my tastebuds never developed, but "food" is not a high priority--------to me almost EVERYTHING
taste great, including the lowly "kipper snacks", so probably it is a waste of money for me to go to a truly gourmet restaurant.
Nothing (NOTHING) beats a slab of fresh tuna grilled on the beaches of Baja 15 mins. after catching it, in my opinion, and eating it with good
friends-------or a freshly grilled, medium rare New York steak------my mouth is watering as I write-----------
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elgatoloco
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 11-19-2002
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Jesse- we agree 100%. It is an occasion, and thank you againfor turning us on to LAJA way back when!
bajabound2005- Did you know that Laja is also what the stone they used to build the restaurant is referred to? When were you there last and did you
see Laura?
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
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Location: on the bayou
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High Dollar Munchos
Sorta lose my appetite when the cost of the meal exceeds the price of the raw ingredients by a factor of 10.
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
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Jesse's description reminds me of a lunch my wife and I had with 6 friends at the French Laundry up north. 9 courses, each with its own wine. We'd
eat a course, talk about it, get up and go outside on the balcony for a breather, wander back in for the next course. We ate for 3 and a half hours.
Every single thing about it was dead solid perfect -- the standard by which every other fine dining experience should be measured. You don't even
want to know how much it cost. But I saved money on the next three meals, since I didn't eat again until dinner the next day.
By the same token, sometimes perfection comes free, or almost. Last week we were scouting for lobsters at Puerto Santo Tomas. One of the pangueros
we know well who was coming in from his boat said he was sorry he didn't have any lobster, but he did have nice yellowtail he'd just caught and gave
it to us for a couple of beers. Took it home, cut thin slices from the raw filets and fanned them on a plate, scattered some thinly sliced jalapeno
over them, and drizzled them with lemon juice and a few drops of soy sauce. Fantastic.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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bajabound2005
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Punta Banda, BCN
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Laja is often referred to as the French Laundry of Mexico.
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DanO
Super Nomad
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Location: Not far from the Pacific
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OK, you got me. I'm going next trip down.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
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| Quote: | Originally posted by elgatoloco
Did you know that Laja is also what the stone they used to build the restaurant is referred to? |
Isn't Laja stone a type of flagstone?
http://www.old-stones.com/fotoshtm/paneles/m-099ing.htm
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JESSE
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 11-5-2002
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cypress
Sorta lose my appetite when the cost of the meal exceeds the price of the raw ingredients by a factor of 10. |
How much do you think Picasso or Monet spent on canvas and paint for their masterpieces? a few dollars maybe? and how much are the painting worth?
The value is not on the physical qualities of the food, but on the preparation methods. Anybody can buy the best beef, the best vegetables, and the
best spices, but only a few know how to blend and prepare those perfectly, THAT is what you pay for.
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
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Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Jesse-----
-----I hope my wife does not read this thread, especially your post. She is a fantastic cook, but I can see her demanding big bucks after reading it.
I have always been uncomfortable having folks (waiters) scurrying around trying to make me happy------somehow it seemed demeaning for them-----I am
probably wrong, but that is how I have felt in places like that.
On the other hand, 6 of us used to go down to Mexicali to a place called "Casa del Patron", and have their special 3 course dinner of Chateau
Briand------there would be at least 3 waiters, and the whole evening would take about 2 1/2 hours, and yes, it was very special and delicious, BUT it
only cost each of us about $26, in the early ' 80's, (which was a lot of money, or so we felt).
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
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Location: South of the broder
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$26 in the early 80's = what $75-$100 today?
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
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Barry, you are indeed dead wrong to say that serving food to people is demeaning. It is a way many, many people make their living. In my younger
days I was a waiter and made pretty decent money at it. In my experience, working in restaurants was fun and frenetic. Everyone worked hard and
played hard after work as well.
The only thing that I didn't like about it was the occasional jerkoff who would make all sorts of special requests, complain the whole time you were
bending over backwards to make sure their meal was perfect, and then stiff you on the tip. Those bastards were most numerous in the brunch crowd. At
a place I worked at in New York, one of them left me a $5 tip on a $250 check. While he was waiting for his Cadillac to be brought up by the valet
(powder blue with a white landau top, wouldncha know it?), and in front of his entire family, I tapped him on the shoulder, held up the fiver, and
said,
"Excuse me sir, but I believe you left this on the table inside."
"Oh no, that's for you," he replied.
"Was there some problem with the service?"
"Oh no, I always tip people that amount."
"Fine," I responded, and then slowly tore the $5 bill into tiny shreds and dropped them on the ground in front of him. Then I said, "don't ever come
back here again." (I had received clearance from the maitre'd to do this on my way out the door.) Had to be one of the most satisfying things I've
ever done.
On the other hand, I had some great tippers. At the same place in New York, I waited on a Upper East Side family (blue blazers, shirts with family
crests, "wasn't Muffy's party last weekend in the Hampton's just smashing?", etc.). Dinner for the group, there were 8 or 10 of them, I think, was a
little under $700. The patriarch of the family, who was as old as parchment, handed me a $1000 bill (first one I'd ever seen, actually) and when I
brought the change, he waived me off. Since the guy seemed pretty clearly to be senile, I discreetly caught his wife's attention as they were leaving
and told her that he couldn't possibly have meant to leave that large a tip. She patted me on the hand, thanked me for being such a nice young man,
and told me to keep it. My back waiter (I had to share tips with him and he'd begged me not to try to give the money back) let out a whoop from the
back stairs that made everybody in the place jump. Much fun was had by all.
[Edited on 7-10-2006 by DanO]
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
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Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Dano-------
-----great story, and you certainly made your point
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jimgrms
Senior Nomad
Posts: 664
Registered: 9-30-2005
Location: oceanside ca
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Mood: its always good
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barry i am with you spam guys or canned beans, but i really like the hi dollar wine the new stuff with the threaded caps not that cheap stuff with
corks in the top
[Edited on 7-11-2006 by jimgrms]
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
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Location: Not far from the Pacific
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Screw caps
They're the wave of the future. Lots of Australian and South American producers are starting to use them, and they're turning up on some pretty
decent California wines as well. I like 'em -- no cork for your corkscrew to crumble up into the wine (and the wine makes it into the glass a lot
faster).
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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Paulina
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3810
Registered: 8-31-2002
Location: BCN
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Dan O,
Great story. Thank you for sharing. You hit the nail on the head.
If you are not in the restaurant business, you just don't get it. You get what you pay for, and you pay for what you get. Period.
We will check that place out the next time we pass that way and pay gladly for what we order and for the service provided.
P.<*)))><
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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Paulina-----
------my family has been in the restaurant business for some 40 years, and believe me, "I get it". ALL our restaurants have been total successes,
in and around the San Diego area. WE STARTED, "HUNGRY HUNTER", "THE JOLLY OX", "TORTILLA FLATS", "THE OLD OX" both in Mission Valley and in Pacific
beach, and others. None of these restaurants were "pricey", but they consistantly made money, and the feedback was great. We have sold them all.
We are totally OUT of the business, now.
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Paulina
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3810
Registered: 8-31-2002
Location: BCN
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Barry A.
Congratulations on your success. Our wish is that some day we could claim the same and be OUT of the business as well.
P.<*)))><
[Edited on 11-7-2006 by Paulina]
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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