Having access to Grant Achatz’s sous chef must have been awesome. I’d love to eat there too but like Trotters, I can’t justify that amount of money for 1 meal. Unless of course its the client’s idea and they pay.
You really should try Rick Bayliss’ food (Topolobambo/Frontera Grill/XoCo). He is as good as Trotter or Achatz but a torta from XoCo is only $10. The real gem though is Patrick (I forget his last name) at Don Juans. An out of the way place with a horrible decor but just as good as anything Bayliss can do. Occassionaly he has a deep-fried oyster on a bed of spinach with what I would call a Mexican/French fusion bearnaise sauce (cilantro instead of tarragon?). $3 each but so worth the money.