What’s not worth it anymore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As food prices soar and will most likely do so given the impact that policies will soon deeply harm the immigrant community, what is no longer worth it when it comes to dining out or picking up food?

1) Chinese food (at least in my area); quality has been on the decline for years, but last night was the final straw at what used to be our semi-decent local place. The Crab Rangoon was cloyingly sweet on the inside, to the point of being inedible. The noodle dishes and meat dishes alike were greasier than usual, and the quality of meat was sub-par. The dumplings are super thin and don’t hold their shape; I love thick dumplings. Just not worth it anymore, unfortunately, though maybe I can find better Chinese food when visiting friends or traveling. I do love it every now and then!

2) Fast food or quick serve drinks of any sort. We’re going to stick with waters or drinks we bring on road trips, or drink iced tea, soda or alcoholic beverages at home when we bring food home. No alcoholic beverages or lemonades or anything at sit-down meals, unless it’s a very nice restaurant for a special night out; no drinks with casual dining.

What habits have you changed? What’s not worth it to you anymore?

If you are going to be so concerned with cost that you are not even going to have a "lemonade" at a sit down restaurant, just don't go. Or go less often and worry less about what you are ordering and it's cost. That is next level nickel-and-diming.

Um…no. If we’re going out for burgers, we’re going out for burgers: we’re not going out for lemonade. If we’re going out for tacos, we’re definitely also going for margaritas, so we’ll still be ordering that. But when we go out for “X,” the X is usually the food, not the beverage. That’s like saying if you don’t get a pedicure AND a manicure you might as well just stay home. I like pedicures and I prefer to do my own manicures at home, thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BTW, this thread is derogatory about Chinese cuisine, which people for years think should be at rock bottom prices with top tier ingredients. No business can sustain that. So may be stop thinking of it as cheap eats and treat yourself to a special meal at a great place. Most people without expensive ranges would not be able to recreate the high heat that's needed for exceptional Chinese. I do understand that you think you can cook it at home. I use top ingredients and it's healthy; however, it's just not the same.

+1 so many Americans have this association that Chinese food = cheap, and they are missing out on sooooo much

OP here. In all seriousness, tell me the name of great Chinese restaurants. I would be happy to visit and pay more. Happy to.

That being said, even Tom Sietsema and Don Rockwell said for more than a decade that you can’t get *good* Chinese in the DC area. So I’m very interested to hear your recommendations.

[Anonymous]

Alcohol

Dessert

Bread

[Anonymous]

Italian food

[Anonymous]

Agree that drink prices are ridiculous now. $4-5 for a soda really adds up.

Are others still tipping 10-20% on takeout at places like Panera or Cava? I’m starting to question it with prices up. Often I’m ordering on a screen.

[Anonymous]

Lunch at work. I actually had McDonalds the other day because I didn’t want to pay $20 for a sandwich. I need to get back into the swing of bringing a sandwich from home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As food prices soar and will most likely do so given the impact that policies will soon deeply harm the immigrant community, what is no longer worth it when it comes to dining out or picking up food?

1) Chinese food (at least in my area); quality has been on the decline for years, but last night was the final straw at what used to be our semi-decent local place. The Crab Rangoon was cloyingly sweet on the inside, to the point of being inedible. The noodle dishes and meat dishes alike were greasier than usual, and the quality of meat was sub-par. The dumplings are super thin and don’t hold their shape; I love thick dumplings. Just not worth it anymore, unfortunately, though maybe I can find better Chinese food when visiting friends or traveling. I do love it every now and then!

2) Fast food or quick serve drinks of any sort. We’re going to stick with waters or drinks we bring on road trips, or drink iced tea, soda or alcoholic beverages at home when we bring food home. No alcoholic beverages or lemonades or anything at sit-down meals, unless it’s a very nice restaurant for a special night out; no drinks with casual dining.

What habits have you changed? What’s not worth it to you anymore?

If you are going to be so concerned with cost that you are not even going to have a "lemonade" at a sit down restaurant, just don't go. Or go less often and worry less about what you are ordering and it's cost. That is next level nickel-and-diming.

Um…no. If we’re going out for burgers, we’re going out for burgers: we’re not going out for lemonade. If we’re going out for tacos, we’re definitely also going for margaritas, so we’ll still be ordering that. But when we go out for “X,” the X is usually the food, not the beverage. That’s like saying if you don’t get a pedicure AND a manicure you might as well just stay home. I like pedicures and I prefer to do my own manicures at home, thanks.

I go out for beverages. I LOVE fountain soda and I LOVE beer on tap. I don't drink soda/beer at home, but go out to drink it.

[Anonymous]

Brunch! I don't need to pay $20 for eggs or pancake variations I could make at home.

Also agree with "New American," these tend to be higher priced restaurants that basically serve fancy barbecue and fried chicken, and it's just not worth it to me. Too bad that's the dominant genre for "date restaurants" around here!

I've been making a lot more Indian food at home instead of takeout for cost reasons. For Chinese it depends on the dish - anything with handmade noodles is not something I'm going to replicate at home, but we can do some pretty solid stir fries and ma po tofu.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As food prices soar and will most likely do so given the impact that policies will soon deeply harm the immigrant community, what is no longer worth it when it comes to dining out or picking up food?

1) Chinese food (at least in my area); quality has been on the decline for years, but last night was the final straw at what used to be our semi-decent local place. The Crab Rangoon was cloyingly sweet on the inside, to the point of being inedible. The noodle dishes and meat dishes alike were greasier than usual, and the quality of meat was sub-par. The dumplings are super thin and don’t hold their shape; I love thick dumplings. Just not worth it anymore, unfortunately, though maybe I can find better Chinese food when visiting friends or traveling. I do love it every now and then!

2) Fast food or quick serve drinks of any sort. We’re going to stick with waters or drinks we bring on road trips, or drink iced tea, soda or alcoholic beverages at home when we bring food home. No alcoholic beverages or lemonades or anything at sit-down meals, unless it’s a very nice restaurant for a special night out; no drinks with casual dining.

What habits have you changed? What’s not worth it to you anymore?

If you are going to be so concerned with cost that you are not even going to have a "lemonade" at a sit down restaurant, just don't go. Or go less often and worry less about what you are ordering and it's cost. That is next level nickel-and-diming.

Oh eff off. I make a true MC income (nurse) and what you call next level nickel/diming is just sensible when you earn what I do. (spoiler alert: it's not $200k, $500k or $750k like everyone on DCUM).

I absolutely skimp on drinks during the rare meals out and will continue to do so. Beverages are the highest profit margin item on any menu and I happen to actually like water with a meal. Screw you for saying I should never eat a meal out ("just don't go"). The reason people like me CAN go out is that we don't piss away $37 a person on alcoholic drinks or $16/person on Coke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get what I want when I go out. I just go less and less and less. I used to get Starbucks 2x a day at work. Now in down to once a week with my daughter. Last time it was $25, for coffee and cakes. That's ridiculous! Once every other week now. Eventually, I'll replace this with a walk or something else. $25 for crappy coffee and over sugary cake, just is a bad buy.

To me, this is the biggest problem. If I paid $25 for two coffees and two pastries that were both excellent, then I wouldn’t have a problem. But even though you can get the same items for $10 in Europe, with an ambience to boot, I would at least be happy. The food is usually quite bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BTW, this thread is derogatory about Chinese cuisine, which people for years think should be at rock bottom prices with top tier ingredients. No business can sustain that. So may be stop thinking of it as cheap eats and treat yourself to a special meal at a great place. Most people without expensive ranges would not be able to recreate the high heat that's needed for exceptional Chinese. I do understand that you think you can cook it at home. I use top ingredients and it's healthy; however, it's just not the same.

+1 so many Americans have this association that Chinese food = cheap, and they are missing out on sooooo much

OP here. In all seriousness, tell me the name of great Chinese restaurants. I would be happy to visit and pay more. Happy to.

That being said, even Tom Sietsema and Don Rockwell said for more than a decade that you can’t get *good* Chinese in the DC area. So I’m very interested to hear your recommendations.

We’re in DC but also on the Jersey Shore about a third of the time and the Chinese there isn’t any better - we’ve tried like half a dozen places that all disappoint and I don’t need it to be cheap.

[Anonymous]

Chinese food here just isn't good. Some of it is OK. That's all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree that drink prices are ridiculous now. $4-5 for a soda really adds up.

Are others still tipping 10-20% on takeout at places like Panera or Cava? I’m starting to question it with prices up. Often I’m ordering on a screen.

I tip 10% on takeout I pick up from actual restaurants with hostesses and servers. Always have. I don’t tip at fast casual places with hourly employees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As food prices soar and will most likely do so given the impact that policies will soon deeply harm the immigrant community, what is no longer worth it when it comes to dining out or picking up food?

1) Chinese food (at least in my area); quality has been on the decline for years, but last night was the final straw at what used to be our semi-decent local place. The Crab Rangoon was cloyingly sweet on the inside, to the point of being inedible. The noodle dishes and meat dishes alike were greasier than usual, and the quality of meat was sub-par. The dumplings are super thin and don’t hold their shape; I love thick dumplings. Just not worth it anymore, unfortunately, though maybe I can find better Chinese food when visiting friends or traveling. I do love it every now and then!

2) Fast food or quick serve drinks of any sort. We’re going to stick with waters or drinks we bring on road trips, or drink iced tea, soda or alcoholic beverages at home when we bring food home. No alcoholic beverages or lemonades or anything at sit-down meals, unless it’s a very nice restaurant for a special night out; no drinks with casual dining.

What habits have you changed? What’s not worth it to you anymore?

If you are going to be so concerned with cost that you are not even going to have a "lemonade" at a sit down restaurant, just don't go. Or go less often and worry less about what you are ordering and it's cost. That is next level nickel-and-diming.

Oh eff off. I make a true MC income (nurse) and what you call next level nickel/diming is just sensible when you earn what I do. (spoiler alert: it's not $200k, $500k or $750k like everyone on DCUM).

I absolutely skimp on drinks during the rare meals out and will continue to do so. Beverages are the highest profit margin item on any menu and I happen to actually like water with a meal. Screw you for saying I should never eat a meal out ("just don't go"). The reason people like me CAN go out is that we don't piss away $37 a person on alcoholic drinks or $16/person on Coke.

OP here and I applaud you. There’s a time and place for soda, lemonade and alcoholic beverages, and I agree with you: a multi-hundred-percent markup ain’t it. I will occasionally pay for “worth it” alcohol, but that’s about it. And coffee at home with my Aeroccino is way better than Starbucks anyway.

[Anonymous]

Brunch! I don't need to pay $20 for eggs or pancake variations I could make at home.

This is why I almost always order eggs Benedict or sausage gravy at brunch because neither of us make it.