THE BAD DEAL

Alright Bad Dealers. Time to break out your No.2 pencils and pay close attention. This Gilt City offer for The Dutch in Miami is pretty much your paradigm for a GOOD DEAL. In fact, there are six distinct reasons why Andrew Carmellini’s restaurant gets it right: 

1. Simple, transparent pricing. The $150 entry fee gets you dinner and drinks, with tax and tip included. No tricks here. 
2. You’re getting dishes that aren’t on the regular menu, so there’s an exclusivity factor — many deal sites get chefs to repackage their a la carte menus as tasting menus, which is no more elegant than a buy-one get-one-free offer from your local supermarket.  
3. You get a “caviar pie” with good sturgeon roe (along with paddlefish roe, so be it), as confirmed by a phone call to The Dutch. 
4. Typically, it’s a giant red flag when restaurants that don’t normally offer tasting menus start selling one-time-only tastings through deal sites. Longer menus require intricate pacing, and it’s a skill developed over time. But Chef Andrew Carmellini used to work in fine dining at Cafe Boulud, so this guy knows how to course out a composed meal.     
5. It’s not a one-time-only affair. You get to choose from a few dates. 
6. You get truffles, cocktails and three champagnes.