The Wall Street Journal noticed today that many higher-end restaurants are keeping business up by focusing more on selling booze and bar food than on selling hugely intricate tasting menus. They even name-checked a San Francisco restaurant that we frankly wouldn't have thought to bring up.
It's worth knowing about, though: Shanghai 1930 is offering their full menu in the bar for less money, a move that seems to have rankled some dining room patrons, but not enough for the restaurant to stop doing it. Apparently owner David Chen will give dining room customers the bar discount if they complain. Their featured deal: Eight soup dumplings with black truffles for $18.
But while Shanghai 1930 is a fine joint with a fine bar, it seems a strange choice to feature in an article like the Journal's, where New York heavy hitters like Per Se and Daniel jockey for position. There are more on-par restaurants in San Francisco doing discounted bar menus.
La Folie, for example, just opened an adjacent lounge with toned-down prices and atmosphere. Back in February, The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton started offering a discounted bar menu. And waterfront siblings Epic Roasthouse and Waterbar both have bar menus with happy hour deals that are downright cheap, including $5 cocktails and $1 oysters.
Of course, you probably knew about those, and we've got a feeling the trick of complaining about the Shanghai 1930 dining room prices is a new one, so thanks, Journal!
[Photo: Via Mark Coggins/flickr]
