Curious. How much does a small plate of yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno run?

(1) Can't wait for The French Laundry to open a branch in PA.
(2) Looking forward to Gail Johnson's take on this one. *L*

@ R. Winslow:

About $28 is my guess.

Menus for the Palo Alto store have not yet been posted to the Nobu website but that's the price at three other California stores.

> About $28 is my guess.

I'll pass. It's not so much about the pocketbook 'hit' but rather personal guidelines/perspectives/ceilings regarding what I consider to be common sense expenditures in relation to the cuisine being presented and served. While I'm not advocating mundane 'all you can eat' $10 buffets, having dined at the aforementioned French Laundry as well as the opening of Stars in SF many years ago, I have found these kinds of establishment to be somewhat over-hyped and generally over-priced.

It's easy for a food critic to write glowing restaurant reviews as they often dine for free, provide advance notice to the restaurant of their upcoming arrival and hold the power of the pen (or word processor) when it comes to 'spreading the word'.

A business expense account is the ideal option for these kinds of restaurants and those who enjoy expensive/overpriced dining experiences.

BTW, I also won't spend over $25.00 for a plate of pasta even if the chef flew in from Milan by private jet just to make it. Noodles are noodles.

@ R. Winslow:

I agree that the price-value analysis is an individual decision which is why people like Elena should continue covering these types of places. They're not meant to be for everyone, actually no restaurant is. Every restaurant basically says, "this is what we serve and this is how much it will cost." One can privately think/say, "No, thank you" without turning it into a Shakespearean drama.

Now if they had eye of newt with toe of frog - that would be a Shakespearean repast!

I'll just watch from across the street at Palo Alto Creamery.
Always a satisfying meal.

This sounds great. Anxiously awaiting the opening. That plate looks like a bargain for $28. Nice presentation, and hopefully a new standard for fine dining in PA.

Looks like Bologna with cilantro ... no thanks.

Money no problem if food good and waiter polite. No tip if rude. Raw fish OK if fresh. Old fish good for bait or garden if no cats.

Japanese food more expensive than hamburger.

I sure is heck aint eating here. I'll stick to Buck's or Bentley's, heck, I'd hit up Sizzler before I eat at Nobu. This dog wont hunt. I prefer my meat medium rare.

When it comes to dining out, the number of upscale-designer people willing to pay more to get less is truly amazing. Are they spendthrifts or cultural elitists? Yes, the featured plates may resemble paintings but once you start sticking a fork into them, the lines, depths and textures are radically altered to the point of non-recognition. From there this culinary 'art' begins its nascent journey towards eventual containment at the PA Baylands.

The world of gastronomy is a peculiar one at best.

@reader
> One can privately think/say, "No, thank you" without turning it into a Shakespearean drama.

This discussion is actually turning into more of a Shakespearean comedy with the skeptics convinced that most of these upscale brasseries are "Much Ado About Nothing."

As long as the food is exceptional, I enjoy expensive restaurants as I can easily afford it. The detractors can eat cake or go to Taco Bell.

"When it comes to dining out, the number of upscale-designer people willing to pay more to get less is truly amazing. Are they spendthrifts or cultural elitists?"

"with the skeptics convinced that most of these upscale brasseries are "Much Ado About Nothing." "

I find comments such as those astounding, but enlightening. As if confirming the fashion (rampant in US national politics for years, and in overdrive since 2016) for projecting assumptions, from within the unknown boundaries of your personal world-view, about what motivates other people, or what they think -- never, ever, actually asking them, and maybe thereby learning something you didn't suspect.

Like (offhand instances): maybe some customers are, actually, getting more -- not less -- at some of these restaurants you haughtily disdain, but you don't know it. Maybe the "more" that they get is something your're indifferent to. Maybe "upscale-designer" isn't just a cheap shot, but waaaaaay off-target about who actually goes there. Maybe other people who dine at The French Laundry get things out of it that R. Winslow didn't, and therefore, "over-priced" is a totally subjective call. As for "over-hyped," R. Winslow records notions above about "food critics" that depart further from reality, the more serious and influential the critic. The best-respected independent publication that strongly praises that same French Laundry always operates not just anonymously, but so confidentially that its agents (all culinary-school graduates) are trained to work without taking notes, and are fired if they tell anyone, even their parents (never mind any restaurant!) that they do it; their experience isn't "free dining" but hard work, being required not only to memorize the details but accurately back-engineer how each dish was made, for their internal reports, all while appearing at the time to relax and enjoy; candidate top-rated restaurants always get repeat visits by different agents, and simultaneous tables of agents, so one table can do something unusual (special requests, difficult customers) while other tables note if it affects the service they're simultaneously getting.

The impression created by years of disdainful comments like those visible here is that some people aren't content just to judge certain experiences as outside their tastes or priorities. They also feel a need to put down other tastes or priorities, even conjuring rationalizations that are downright weird as experienced by many other people. It's quite its own form of snobbery.

While we will likely never visit this restaurant because of the price, I am glad to see more diversity coming to the Palo Alto restaurant scene. Japanese food is more than just sushi and ramen. Teriyaki chicken is an American dish that you probably won't see on any menus in Japan.

Maybe the crux of the issue here is that some people eat to live while others live to eat. *ROFL*

When and if the Dalai Lama is ever seen dining at The French Laundry wearing one of his 10 Rolexes, we'll finally be assured that humanity has gone into full-tilt de-evolution.

What will his mantra be? "Roe....der....er....Cris.....tal?"

All this talk about food is making me hungry. I'm so famished right now that I would even settle for some bologna with parsley.

Just give the menu item a fancy name and some Palo Alto diners will pay top dollar for it.

@Tristan:

The menu item name is decidedly unfancy. "Yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño" simply describes the ingredients and the fact the fish is raw.

The dish name is really no more fancy than "fried chicken with biscuits."

Fried chicken with biscuits, now I'm hungry ...

We just ate at Nobu in London.
It was quite expensive, and very very underwhelming.
I'll give this one a miss.

For the price of one dinner at Nobu, I can cook wonderful, tasty, organic and nutritious meals all week.

It's a high end chain targeting people who need to tell people "We ate at Nobu's last night" Underwhelming is a perfect word for it so I can't wait to hear that from someone.
Everyone please go there...pack it each and every night. I'll be at another place ;)

@ musical

Ate at PA creamery last week. a malt was $10 and my sandwich was $15 and mediocre. So enjoy your over priced mediocre diner fare while others across the street enjoy over priced but great quality sushi.

My take is different.

Taking a longer view, I question the rapid depletion of ocean life and health, done mainly for economic gain or social, short-lived 'pleasures.'

At what measure of loss do our privileged hobbies such as dining out look silly and downright ignorant in the larger scope of life's meaning with reference to value and worth?

I am offended by the ostentatious display of wealth which is one major reason people are critical. How will people know you're rich if you don't make splash?
Also, businesses deduct this kind of expenses. I assume expense accounts are often paying the bill.
Lots of newly minted millionaires may need to reassure themselves and their guests that they really are rich.

>Taking a longer view, I question the rapid depletion of ocean life and health, done mainly for economic gain or social, short-lived 'pleasures.'

At what measure of loss do our privileged hobbies such as dining out look silly and downright ignorant in the larger scope of life's meaning with reference to value and worth?
@Beth/MP

You brought up a very good point and spoken like a true environmentalist.
With the vast consumption of sushi on a global basis, certain types of fish are now becoming depleted in growing numbers and the typical restaurant/diner response is to pay more for the access and dining privilege.

If sushi restaurants were limited to Japan, this depletion would probably not be an issue from the standpoint of environmental impact.

An alternative might be for an advent of PA Hawaiian-themed restaurants serving up musubi (spam sushi) with massive sides of potato/macaroni salad and rice. The ingredients readily available/cheap and with the proper décor and an inflated pricing structure, countless PA folks would eat there just to say they have dined at the prestigious Mahalo Bar and Grill. *L*

My girlfriend and I dined here tonight and we're underwhelmed. We spent $500 on a $100 meal. This restaurant is like its predecessor in the same space: a place to be seen. For those of us uninterested in hype or buzz, I recommend Reposado a few doors down. Your meal will be infinitely better, the prices a fraction of the cost, and there won't be any goofy people looking around for celebrities or checking to see who's noticing them.