http://www.spreadpb.com About $6 on average. For PB&J.
I can't even describe my level of disappointment in this. I figured they would be MUCH more bullshit expensive.
Oh, my friend. That's because your analytical mind recoils from parsing the true level of bullshittery. Consider: they make fancy-schmancy peanut butter. That means they're buying peanuts. They might even be roasting them themselves if they're serious about it, except they don't mention it, so they're probably not. Anyway. Roasted peanuts are $2/lb retail. Then they mix in their janky-ass flavorings. "curry." "Chocolate." How much does curry powder cost? Cocoa powder? Their toppings are straight out of a sundae bar. None of that shit costs anything, really. So they give you a hotdog bun with peanut butter, Costco jam and Costco coconut on it, put a banana in it, and charge you $6.45. And then they'll expect a tip. Think about it: you're going to walk in there and get a PB&J and a smoothie and you're going to be out $15. For roughly the same food you can get from the continental breakfast bar at a Holiday Inn Express. And they're in Studio City, not Beverly Hills - I know that neighborhood well, it ain't expensive. Hell, it's only about three blocks up from the sushi nazi.
Did you eat at Sushi Nozawa often? Was it as good as people suggest it was?
Once. Once. Something to keep in mind about LA is it hates fish. I'm not sure why; there's an ocean right there! that has all sorts of delicious critters in it. I've hooked 'em myself. Perhaps it has something to do with the tiny, tiny kitchens that are common in LA, and the fact that we like our food to come from trucks. Whatever the reason, the sushi here is notably inferior. More than that, you pay $50 for $20 sushi. Nozawa was in a strip mall on Ventura Blvd. in the valley. You'd walk in there and sit down at a counter. Then you'd notice that you could order by your choice, but it was strongly discouraged. And then you'd get a bunch of nigiri, which was okay, but no ginger or wasabi, and if you asked for soy they'd kick you out (I never saw it happen but when I asked for ginger I was castigated). And then you'd decide you'd probably eaten enough sushi and then they'd hit you with a $300 bill. Thing of it is - all the fish used in sushi comes from one depot in J-town. So really - you're paying for Nozawa to cut it up and put it on rice. He's got a bunch of Sugarfish restaurants now. You can pay $25 for 4 pieces of nigiri, they pick.
It sounds like what you're really paying for is the assurance that he hand selected the best fish from that depot. Detroit is the same way, all fish and produce (for the most part) comes in through the Eastern Market, but to suggest that every restaurant has the same stuff as a result of that would be incorrect. To take the time to hand select your raw materials is a rare thing. It has a real impact.
Meh. I worked above a fish market for 5 years. It is not worth $250 to have someone pick fish for you. Especially when Seattle has gone balls-deep into kaiten, thereby allowing the customer to pick the good fish. in Seattle I was biking distance to three different kaiten restaurants. In Los Angeles, there are three.