More Taste, Less Filling

 I recently was in Chicago with my wife, sister-in-law and nephew and we blew our bankroll and went to a very expensive restaurant  Overall the experience was wonderful.  But, now my rant.  I do not understand why, when a restaurant is good, it also feels in order to enhance the experience (I guess) it must also be downright stingy.. 

Please, do not get me wrong, I am not expecting an all you can eat Buffet.  But, allow me to provide an example.  I ordered a salad.  This salad cost $10.00.  It was composed primarily of lettuce, a very few potato slices, and a dressing.  It was served on a small salad plate.  Whereas the rest of the meal was remarkable, this salad was nothing special. 

Now, I do understand why the main course and appetizers are relatively small for they are culinary masterpieces.  I also understand, having worked in the food industry, where restaurants can make money.  But, in the case of this salad, for approximately $0.10 more salad leaves, and maybe $0.10 more potato slices, and a bigger plate, we would have left this portion of the meal saying, wow!!! - aren't they generous.  Instead, we left the entire meal saying, wow!!! - "great taste --- less filling".  Actually, we left saying --- "great taste, why did they have to be so stingy?"

In all fairness, this seems to be de rigueur  for many upscale restaurants.  It appears they think that if the portions are miniscule, we equate that with a level of importance, or quality.  Also, I would guess that many of the patrons at the restaurant could afford just about anything and just didn't care.  But, I am a professor and am paid like a professor.  For me this was a very special, and very rare, dining experience.  This was just about all I could afford.  I wanted to end this experience being "blown away" by it all.  It is too bad it didn't happen.