Bloomberg's Ryan Sutton Takes Aim at Saison's Prices

The Prike Hike's Ryan Sutton takes aim at Saison's new pre-paid ticketing system, noting that dinner for two at the Chef’s Counter, after tax, service and beverage pairings, will cost $1,281. "That’s a $285 or 29% jump from the March price of $996 for couples." Sutton commends Saison for allowing wine pairings to be purchased at the restaurant, so they're not subject to the ticketing system's processing fee, but the jury is still out: is Saison a buy?

Recall chef-owner Josh Skenes' earlier explanation that his food costs are "much more than almost any other restaurant in America, save a few." Now he tells Sutton he thinks his prices are "a relative bargain," that his guests are responding well to the changes in reservation policy and prices and that he's "serving the best ingredients in America." Now here is a look at the most current $198 weekday menu, which includes caviar, kindai bluefin tuna, sea urchin, and wood pigeon, and ends up costing $268 per ticket, sans wine. At posting time, there were a few seats available for dinner tomorrow night should you wish to dine.

· Chatting With Saison’s Chef About Serving `The Best Ingredients in America’ [The Price Hike]
· All Saison Coverage [~ ESF ~]