Wow, that’s baller status. Paging @J_L @Porthos @CiaoBob LOL. We need a report on these $200 poultry! 
There is no chicken dish in the world worth that kinda money. Period.
Duck, on the other hand…
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Not for what was pictured but I would pay that for poulet de bresse en vessie with black perigord truffles under the skin…
It got me thinking of the heritage turkey I will be dining upon this Thanksgiving . Growing up in the redwood forest above Fort Bragg . Dining on chanterelle ,porcini , and grubs during the day . Flying home to it’s pen , gorging on the meal before dark with the chickens . Harvested by a 4H member . Priceless . It tastes porky .
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Where
Look I’ve got no qualms about paying hefty sums for great bites. BUT I ain’t gonna buy platinum-coated poultry just because it exists. And the track record of U.S. chicken with my taste buds hasn’t been exactly stellar.
Don’t get me wrong - there are definitely some delicious chicken dishes in the L.A. area, but of the Best 5 Chicken Dishes of J_L’s life, NONE of them have come from the chicken in the U.S. Chicken tastes different in the U.S. to me - more “rubbery”, and less “chicken-y”, when compared to, say, Asia or Europe. In fact, one of the first things I often order at restaurants when I travel overseas is chicken.
Can I be your plus one? We doing Bocuse in Lyon?
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Ok buddy name those fucking dishes.
Bc this ontilogical viscous argument as the preternaturally sagacious sages ain’t going no fucking where.
Thanks man. 
Wuh oh. Kevin found emoticons.
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what’s the roasted chicken go for at l’ami louis? has to be close if not more than that price.
i’ve found this to be true, too. chicken overseas tastes more “chickeny.”
I didn’t get the chicken (had the famous steak and lamb shoulder) but not even close to that price. Not even in the 1.4 euro to USD days.
I don’t know about Europe, but majority of agricultural practices in Japan are small-scale. Chicken and egg production are overwhelmingly small-scale - I think the figure is ~90%. This alone will offer a totally different bird, as a well as eggs safe enough to eat raw.
The Japanese govt had established the most favorable tax and business incentives status to farmers for decades. The lowest tax rates and the most subsidies went to the ag industry, while the “salary-man,” who far outnumbered farmers, subsidized Japan’s budget through their least favorable tax rates. This most-favored status for farmers continued until Japan’s economy began to stagnate around 1994-1995.
Another major factor is land scarcity. Attributing large swaths of land for large-scale ag production is impractical and expensive in most of Japan (only Hokkaido has relatively larger unimpeded expanses). Because the majority of land in Japan is very hilly or mountainous, small family-operated farms operated on on relatively small footprints are the rule by far.
Traditionally, the typical Japanese consumer has been hypersensitive to food safety and quality. Unlike here, much of chicken feed in Japan has been “home made.” Many farmers have their own “proprietary blend,” mixing various grains, vegetables, proteins, trace minerals and oils for their chickens. Each farm felt they knew what blend ultimately produced excellent and healthy chickens and eggs. In the past, it was not unusual for imported beef products to be added as a protein component to the feed. But once Mad Cow disease became a concern, farmers immediately stopped adding it to the feed, fearing their birds and eggs would be unsellable to always-weary consumers.
Another major factor is distribution. Because small-scale farming is the rule, wholesalers/distributors have great leverage in pricing because of their ability to consolidate and get the products of the multitudes of farms to retail and restaurants in a timely manner. In this distribution system, eggs and chickens of superior quality were blended in with lesser quality birds and eggs. The wholesalers were driven only by general market price, thereby offering all farmers the same price.
Japan is about 60% self-sufficient in terms of food production. Imports are therefore critical. Because imported food products can be cheaper than domestically produced counterparts, small farmers can be further squeezed. If a farmer sells his/her products to a wholesaler at market price, the margin is small - often negative.
These factors create a different market economy for domestic ag products. Many farmers take great pride in their ag products. Because they are small-scale, their only advantage in the current market is to specialize - offer products perceived as unique, superior and safer.
To preserve their margins, some ag producers are trying to go directly to the actual markets, eateries and even individual local consumers. This is in an attempt to reduce the impact that the traditional multi-layer middle-man distribution system has on their margins. Internet technology has also enabled this strategy. It has also created another middle-man system where now there might be just one distributor who might distribute only artisan-level goods to specific customers who are willing to pay a premium for such higher level goods. Sorry for blathering.
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ah, i sit corrected. thanks for the info.
edit…just looked it up. 85 euro for an entire bird for two. i wonder how many the repub chick serves. hard to tell from the pic.
Perhaps a clue to it’s high price can be traced to its provenance. And maybe Manzke believes this is as close to poulet de Bresse as one can achieve in the States.
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/05/25/not-a-mothers-milk/?_r=0
Can’t imagine ever spending $195 for chicken (unless maybe it serves 6), but the best chicken I’ve ever had is the $65 whole fried jidori chicken for two at Stonehill Tavern in Dana Point. I actually think it’s a bargain - comes with really good sides and is probably enough to feed 3 people if you’re ordering multiple courses.
$195 chicken!!! You’ve gotta be frickin kidding me. I would feel like such an asshole paying for that and giving into the ruse they’re trying to perpetrate on their diners. It better feed a family of 10…
As an aside, the roasted chicken dish I had at Ad Hoc in Napa a few months ago was quite possibly the best chicken I’ve ever had in my life.
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their in-house made charcuterie platter is amazing and worth every penny.
A flying turkey!