i track consumer prices. i am the nyc food critic for bloomberg news. i am ryan sutton.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Michael White’s Ai Fiori Hikes Prices Due To Rising Food & Labor Costs
Ai Fiori, Michael White’s Southerny Frenchy restaurant with some pastas (and a Michelin star) thrown in, has increased the price of its four-course menu to $93 a modest $4 hike from $89.
The seven-course tasting menu, in turn, is up $5 to $130.
“Ai Fiori’s prices have indeed slightly risen due to increased food & labor costs,” Altamarea Group spokeswoman Olivia Young told me earlier this week. She added that the restaurant “has found its place in the market,” and that it boasts a “steady repeat customer base – widely comprised of a nice portion of our Marea clientele.”
Ai Fiori, located on the second floor of the Setai Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, charged $79 for its four-course menu when I filed my three star Bloomberg News review in early 2011. The a la carte options (generally $20-$42) are still available.
I’ll continue to rate Ai Fiori as a BUY, because, well, “Luxury rarely comes cheap,” as I noted in my review of Gwynnett St. today.
