Despite what you may think, there is an upside to our region’s lagging economy. Namely, having never climbed the pinnacles of affluence, the valley of recession looks an awful lot like home.
Take the cost of restaurant dining. Even while entrées in New York and California have been soaring toward the stratosphere, local prices still rarely broach the $30 barrier. And though our dinner for two at Thomas Keller’s award-winning French Laundry set us back a whopping $514.94 — in 2002! — we can still score a fine meal at our nationally known Lola for around $150.
Still, as any frequent diner – or grocery shopper, for that matter – can tell you, food prices are creeping up. …
This article appears in Apr 23-29, 2008.