My Next Great Restaurant Concept: Wager

The dining scene in this country has never been more popular or competitive as it is now. Almost a decade into the Top Chef era, and nearly 20 years since Iron Chef (the REAL one) blew our minds, America's culinary literacy has never been higher.

That doesn't mean we are more sophisticated about food. We just think we are. As a result, we respond to concepts that play to this vanity.

Take food trucks. They're like fast food joints with the ambiance of a dirty street corner, and sit-down prices. The convenience and value are dubious, and the hours are erratic. However, for those who like their pozole served by a white hipster in a $1,000/sq. ft. neighborhood, there's nothing like buying it from a running truck (don't these people pride themselves on eco-awareness?) to make them feel like edgy barrio dwellers.

My new restaurant concept is all about harnessing ego.

It's called Wager, and the menu is nothing but dishes one would only eat on a drunken dare. Here's a sample tasting menu:

Appetizer: Raw radishes garnished with our house habeñero salsa.

Soup: Geoduck stew

Entree: A 72 oz. sirloin, cooked so as to just take the chill off.

Dessert: An 8 oz. bar of 98% cacao chocolate.

This menu plays to the full range of drunken bravado. The appetizer is actively hostile. The soup is made from something that looks like a giant penis. The entree is a classic challenge food. As for the dessert, consumers have come to equate high cacao content with quality, and hence, will claim to like the chocolate, even though it tastes like ass.

Wager's hours will run from 10:00 PM-4:30 AM. The decor will be minimal, and bolted down. If you finish your meal in under an hour, it's free. Best of all, the maitre d will double as the house bookie, and will take bets on what your fellow diners can scarf down.

I think this could work, if only as a pop-up.