High Prices = Good Food?

I had dinner last Saturday night with old friends at Craigie on Main. The food and service was all top quality as one would expect at a high-end restaurant with an award-winning chef (Tony Maws). But the experience left me wondering if it’s possible any more to get good, well-prepared restaurant food without that uncomfortable feeling that maybe you spent too much. The bill came to almost $400. And that’s with only 1 shared dessert, 3 glasses of wine, 2 beers, 4 entrees, and 4 appetizers. I know that’s about average for today’s fine-dining establishments, but it gets tiring and pushes these restaurants into the “for-special-events-only” category. I should post this question on Chowhound and I’m sure I’d get a bunch of responses—everyone has their favorite economy restaurant. But if you have an opinion, I’d love to hear it here, too.

On the other hand, I finally made it to Mt. Auburn St. in Watertown for a visit to Fastachi, the place that roasts its own nuts. They also make lots of confections with fruit and chocolate, a favorite combination of mine, and chocolate candies. It’s the kind of place that if it were next door, you’d be in there all the time.

And down the street in Belmont, is the amazing Sofra. It looks and feels a lot like Flour on Washington St. in Boston. Sofra makes and sells similar items but so many of the baked goods here have a little bit of a different taste that I find really satisfying. Flavors like cardamom or anise or other Middle Eastern twists on standard bakery items permeate their menu. I had a donut that was as light and airy as Yorkshire Pudding—delicious! Problem with Sofra is that there’s never any place to sit down!