In absolute values they might be lower but relative terms, e.g. % spend on housing etc, they are often much higher in Europe. There is a reason why hardly anybody in Europe needs 2-3 jobs st the same time to barely survive
Both things can be (and are) true. They are getting much more for their euros. Just like someone does in Des Moines, IA when you compare it to LA. Wages may be lower, but rent/houses are cheaper, cost of food, general cost of living are all less in Des Moines and many people with the same jobs likely have a higher quality of life in Des Moines vs LA. That’s why large companies do salary adjustments based on where you live. The point is when you come from some place where the cost of living and wages are higher and visit somewhere with a lower cost of living, everything seems cheap.
But I mean I also noticed this in Paris and Madrid which are international cities.
That’s where politics come into play - many foods etc are highly subsidized which keeps prices in general down (obviously macroeconomic like the current global financial (amd other issues) can sometimes “overwhelm “ even subsidies.)
We visited last night. BB is on par with some of Neroni’s past LA efforts (Superba, The Rose, Catch & Release, the Eataly salad pop up). Those restaurants, in my opinion, all opened with compelling menus but never really lived up to their potential. Neroni is a solid corporate chef, has great ideas but the execution always seems to be lacking.
The salad we tried was an odd mix of ingredients that stomped all over some lovely farmers market produce. And LA offers superior pizza and pasta options at BB’s price point. So we won’t be returning.
6 Likes
exactly…in 10+ years LA has gone from pizza desert to pizza oasis! excellent pizza @ Pizzana but their attitude turned me off…no “knead” to return!
2 Likes
2 Likes
Wow, thanks for the heads up. I’ve been a long time fan of his food and flavors. Wish him the best for what ever is next.
1 Like
Walking away from the Rose as well. That’s a frequent last minute neighborhood eat for us. Will be interesting to see what happens there.
2 Likes
It’s pretty amazing how he was able to deliver creativity at that volume at the Rose.
1 Like
I wonder if he lost Sprout so much money on Best Bet that he had to give up ownership in Rose to straighten things out. Even if that’s not the case, I’m sure the dramatic failure of Best Bet soured their relationship.
Why do you say it was a failure? It was pretty busy AFAIK -I think Jason just wanted out for his mental health. He’s been pretty open talking about it on Instagram
2 Likes
Concur with aaqjr’s assessment.
Gotcha, I had no idea, I just presumed it was due to slow business. Sounds like that was not the case.
Hot take: I didn’t like Best Bet that much.
4 Likes
I thought the pizzas were pretty good but a lot of the other dishes needed some tweaks for sure. Wanted to give it some time.
I am sorry I nevered dropped in for the corn agnolotti and the truffle covered zeppole looking thing.
The LA market can be unforgiving. “Giving it some time” is a good sentiment, but oftentimes the eatery shutters before you know it.
Thanks for these trusted sources of verified information - glad some people add value to any discussion
4 Likes