Domain: tiger-web1.srvr.media3.us MiLa - $28 Chicken Thighs??! | Food and Drink
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MiLa - $28 Chicken Thighs??!

Posted on 8/23/10 at 11:45 am
Posted by BrockLanders
By Appointment Only
Member since Sep 2008
6517 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 11:45 am
Would love to get some thoughts on whether this was a ripoff...

MiLa charged $28 for a paneed chicken dish which was 3 thighs roughly the size of a biscuit (each of them) with the usual artsy vegetables on the side.

Yes, I know some people think the thighs and dark meat are more flavorful, but I seriously don't think it's a coincidence that it costs the restaurant a lot less to serve it like that.

Kinda hard to believe that this was $28, but the lamb & artichoke risotto was only six bucks more?!

At least I got the "better deal" with the lamb, I suppose...

Looks like the lunch prix fixe or the tasting menu is the way to go at MiLa.
Posted by el tigre
your heart
Member since Sep 2003
49712 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 11:48 am to
quote:

MiLa charged $28 for a paneed chicken dish which was 3 thighs roughly the size of a biscuit (each of them) with the usual artsy vegetables on the side.


sounds like a huge ripoff, unless there is some really involved cooking technique or expensive ingredient i am not seeing.
Posted by BrockLanders
By Appointment Only
Member since Sep 2008
6517 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 11:49 am to
quote:

sounds like a huge ripoff, unless there is some really involved cooking technique or expensive ingredient i am not seeing.


Nah, there might have been a couple of crawfish tails the size of a dime - which even Copeland's would probably throw in.
Posted by Gaston
Dirty Coast
Member since Aug 2008
41694 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 12:50 pm to
I would assume the protein of the dish is a very small percentage of the final cost. Overhead being the largest, obviously. Chicken thighs are legit and I could see how the preparation could definitely be worth the money.
Posted by Ole Geauxt
KnowLa.
Member since Dec 2007
50880 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 12:50 pm to
Brock, sounds like you could have got more thigh for $28, at the Gold Club...
Posted by BrockLanders
By Appointment Only
Member since Sep 2008
6517 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 12:54 pm to
quote:

Brock, sounds like you could have got more thigh for $28, at the Gold Club..


Well, that's one way to put it.
Posted by el tigre
your heart
Member since Sep 2003
49712 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 1:00 pm to
quote:

I could see how the preparation could definitely be worth the money.


isn't that just basically pan fried and oven finished?
Posted by BrockLanders
By Appointment Only
Member since Sep 2008
6517 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 1:03 pm to
quote:

isn't that just basically pan fried and oven finished?


Damn straight - there was nothing requiring the skills of the Rushings on this dish.

Posted by AreJay
Member since Aug 2005
4186 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 1:10 pm to
sauce? something expensive like truffles, foie gras, saffron, might pump up the price a bit.

could be curing it, cooking it at low temp for a day, the chicken could be a high quality expensive breed.

3 thighs is goodsized portion of chicken for a place like that. and depends on the vegetables as well.

Also in any restaurant menu, the prices of each dish do not have the same markup. some are better 'deals' than others, they have to set the menu so that it 'looks' right price-wise and maybe try to influence what people order so that it's more spread out over the main courses.

Would have to know more about the risotto. could be a cheap cut of lamb as well.
Posted by Gaston
Dirty Coast
Member since Aug 2008
41694 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 1:12 pm to
IDK, if the temp comes out perfect, if the sauce drizzled on top is some crazy reduction...who knows, I bet it is a solid dish, though I've never eaten at MiLa. Come on though, the price isn't related to the protein market value at nice places. Pork bellies are probably free, offal of all sorts...eggs, just saying. I think it's wrong to say someone got a better deal because they ate lamb. Well prepared food is just that. The combination of flavors that appeals to your appetite at the moment is what counts, and spot on preparation. I think chicken thighs are legit, that was my point.
Posted by Ole Geauxt
KnowLa.
Member since Dec 2007
50880 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 1:19 pm to
quote:

Brock, sounds like you could have got more thigh for $28, at the Gold Club...
The more I think about it, there could have been the possibility of a little breast as well..
Posted by el tigre
your heart
Member since Sep 2003
49712 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 1:21 pm to
quote:

The more I think about it, there could have been the possibility of a little breast as well..


yep, and probably some nice crust...
Posted by BrockLanders
By Appointment Only
Member since Sep 2008
6517 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 1:27 pm to
quote:

Would have to know more about the risotto. could be a cheap cut of lamb as well.


No, it was Colorado lamb. That and the artichoke risotto were both divine. Just not very much lamb in there - I think 6 boneless pieces about the size of a thumb.

But it was still much smarter to spend $6 more for that.
This post was edited on 8/23/10 at 1:30 pm
Posted by AreJay
Member since Aug 2005
4186 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 1:49 pm to
quote:

Colorado lamb

that doesnt say what cut it is...

quote:

But it was still much smarter to spend $6 more for that.

surely some people prefer chicken thighs to lamb. i wouldnt call it dumb if that's the case.
Posted by glassman
Next to the beer taps at Finn's
Member since Oct 2008
117978 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 1:56 pm to
quote:

But it was still much smarter to spend $6 more for that.


For arborio rice, a lttle stock, a dash of white wine, artichokes and about four ounces of lamb?
Much higher margin on that dish than the chicken.
The risotto sounds like much more of a "rip-off" to me.
Posted by el tigre
your heart
Member since Sep 2003
49712 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 2:08 pm to
they both sound like rip-offs.
Posted by kfizzle85
Member since Dec 2005
22022 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 2:23 pm to
You can make that comment about pretty much anything that isn't a dive burger joint. Its how people make money.
Posted by el tigre
your heart
Member since Sep 2003
49712 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 2:25 pm to
quote:

You can make that comment about pretty much anything that isn't a dive burger joint. Its how people make money.


eh, there is a wide pricing range btn a dive burger joint and $28 chicken thighs...
Posted by kfizzle85
Member since Dec 2005
22022 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 2:26 pm to
Exactly?
Posted by el tigre
your heart
Member since Sep 2003
49712 posts
Posted on 8/23/10 at 2:27 pm to
point being that just b/c these might be a ripoff doesn't mean that everything above a dive burger joint is also a ripoff.
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