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Somewhere between Y&H’s early review of chef José Andrés hugely hyped and decidedly dissatisfying pop-up eatery America Eats Tavern and Y&H alum Todd Kliman‘s more recent critique of the place for Washingtonian, the price of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich there dropped from $10 to $8. Even with the 20 percent discount, it still seems insane to Kliman: “The gall of putting a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich on the menu and charging $8 is exceeded only by the preciousness of the presentation—it turns out to be two tiny sandwiches. A miniature jug of milk comes alongside it, accompanied by an earnest preamble from the server informing you of its provenance, as if it were a bottle of Bordeaux.” (Incidentally, the price of America Eats’ souped-up version of the classic PB&J, smeared with foie gras, has increased by the same margin, from $14 to $16.)
As astronomical as it sounds, dropping eight bucks for nut butter and jam nonetheless seems like a bargain compared to the $28 you’d pay for Andrés’ deconstructed New England clam chowder. The simple sandwich is a tad tastier, too.
What do you think? Is eight bucks too much to pay for the most precious PB&J inside the Beltway?
Photo by Chris Shott