- Today we give fine dining a make-under.
- Let's talk about that.
(upbeat music)
- Good Mythical Summer.
- Today we're gonna find out
how good the most expensive meals
made with the cheapest ingredients
really taste and vice versa.
And a portion of today's episode
is sponsored by Bright Cellars, but more on that later.
- Now, we all know that expensive
does not always mean best, right?
I mean, I've had an amazing meal
in an expensive sit-down restaurant,
but I've also had an unforgettable steak
in a diner on the side of the interstate.
- Where exactly was that? - I don't remember.
My point is the relationship between ingredients
and price and enjoyment can be a tangled web,
and that's why we've crafted an experiment
to create fancy dishes with only the cheapest ingredients
and then compare 'em to cheap dishes
that have been made with top-shelf ingredients.
- Yeah, okay. - Okay.
It's time for Expensive Cheap versus Cheap Expensive:
Which Tastes Great and Which Is Downright Offensive?
- A few weeks ago we posted a series of matchups
matching expensive foods made cheap
against cheap foods made expensive
and you voted on which ones
you thought we would like better.
You gotta be following us on Facebook and Instagram
if you want to participate in this,
if you want your voice to be heard!
- Oh, you know how much you love participating in polls.
- Now the Mythical Kitcheneers have made these foods
and we're gonna taste and see if you know
what kind of fancy we really are.
- All right, last time we did this, you won,
so you want to keep your winning steak alive this time.
And just like last time,
you will get a point for each round
the majority of you guess correctly.
And if you get three or more points,
we'll stroke your egos in Good Mythical More, mm-hmm.
But once again, if you don't get three right,
we're gonna post a picture of us posing with a dirty mop.
- Mm-hmm. - On our Instagram.
And you are gonna be forced to comment:
"That's a mop, we're a flop."
- Forced.
Okay, let's let the fancy cheap feast chompin' begin.
All right, first up we have a classic sloppy joe
created with the most expensive ingredients on the shelves.
This expensive sloppy joe is called the Unkempt Joseph.
- [Link] Unkempt...
Oh, okay. - Just a little unkempt.
- You know we're prone to do some light ribbing
at Gordon Ramsay's expense,
and by "we" I mean "Josh."
- Right. - He gives him a hard time.
So this is a cheap spin
on one of Ramsay's favorite dishes, Beef Wellington.
We're calling it the Back Alley Ramsay.
- Okay, so this is a-
- You're gonna have to tell us.
- Nicole, this is some gold on top of here, right?
- [Nicole] It sure is.
Those are some 24-karat gold-plated buns.
- Is that the only thing that makes these fancy?
- No. - Tell us about the meat.
- [Nicole] There's so much more.
There's some beautiful Wagyu ground beef in there.
We used some fancy ketchup.
We got imported onions from France.
- Oh! - Isn't that fancy?
- Oh, man.
- [Nicole] And then also shishito peppers, Fresno peppers,
and some expensive Worcestershire sauce as well.
- I mean, I like our cheap sloppy joe,
and so I love this.
That's a good bite.
- Yeah, it's one of those times
where going ridiculously fancy,
it seems like you've done it in a grounded way.
- I feel like we could've done without the gold,
but I understand the effect.
It looks great on camera. - It's all over my fingers.
Now this Back Alley Ramsey-
- [Nicole] You're gonna have to cut into that one.
- Oh.
I thought those were like cut points.
But that's just like, what, decorative slits?
- [Nicole] So we used-
- "Decorative slits" is the official name.
- [Nicole] That was my nickname in high school.
So crescent dough is what we used.
- Oh, Nicole!
No you didn't! - [Nicole] I did!
- In fairness, though, it would not have made sense for you.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was really good, for you.
Really good. - [Nicole] Thank you!
- Wow. - [Nicole] I'm learning.
- "I'm learning." - "I learned from the best."
- [Nicole] So I used-
- "I learned from the best decorative slit on the internet."
- Oh, gosh.
- [Link] Nicole?
- [Nicole] Would you like me to explain the dish now?
- [Rhett] Yes. - [Nicole] Okay, great.
- Just keep going, yeah. - [Nicole] Great. So we got-
- You do your thing, we'll do ours.
- [Nicole] Okay, sounds good. - See how I'm talking?
- [Stevie] Ugh, I feel you, Nicole.
I feel you so much right now. - [Nicole] Okay, thank you!
- [Stevie] Nicole, what is this Beef Wellington?
- [Nicole] Okay, so we have crescent dough,
we have yellow mustard,
cream of mushroom soup instead of mushroom Duxelles,
some sliced ham, and a manager special steak.
- Okay. Real cheap steak.
- [Nicole] Yeah.
- I can taste the cheapness.
The meat is really giving me a hard time.
- [Link] Yeah.
And the meat is kind of the star of the show
on a Beef Wellington.
- This is nasty.
- [Rhett] Even though those slits are incredibly decorative-
- [Stevie] Well, what about the price?
Is the price, Nicole, something to consider?
- [Nicole] Yeah, for sure.
I mean, you can get those...
Let me see where my paper is.
You can get those sloppy joes for $37.55 for the two of them
or you can pay $4.50 for the Beef Wellington.
(Rhett laughs) - $4.50?
- [Nicole] Mm-hmm.
- We can't, I mean-
- This tastes incredible. - This is just not...
It didn't work.
- You really did something here.
- Were you correct? What did they vote?
- [Stevie] 72% of the Mythical Beasts
thought that you would like the expensive sloppy joe better.
- Wow, you know us so well. - And we did.
You're so good.
- Before we try our next delicious dish
with dollar-swapped ingredients,
this portion of today's episode
is sponsored by Bright Cellars,
the monthly wine subscription service
that helps you discover the wine you live.
- Yeah.
Now, this may come as a surprise to you,
but I'm very picky- - Mm-hmm.
- Which is why I really love Bright Cellars.
Because not only is Bright Cellars
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- Mm-hmm!
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- Look at that. We got two stories of wine.
- Oh, yeah.
- And right here on the top story,
this is something I'm excited about
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That's why I'm excited to try this Obscura Zinfandel.
I'll put it in front of your shirt
because my black shirt is not showing it off very well.
- It would obscure it?
- Yeah, I don't want to obscure it too much.
I bet you this would go...
Well, you know what, it's incredible,
but I think I'd rather have it with a sloppy joe
than the Beef Wellington that I just tasted.
- Okay, yeah.
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- Thanks again to Bright Cellars
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And now let's taste our next two cost-conscious creations.
But they're cost-conscious-
- In different ways. - In extreme ways.
- Yeah, so we got some super fancy mozzarella sticks
that we're Twigs Du Fromage
and some very cheap bacon-wrapped scallops
that we're calling Dollar Store Surf 'n' Turf.
- Let's start with the cheese.
- What makes it fancy, Nicole?
- [Nicole] Well, let me tell you, Rhett.
So it's full Stracciatella and Burrata cheese.
- Stracciatella.
- [Nicole] Yes, and I formed those
into a mold and I froze it,
and then I dipped it in quail eggs and cornflour,
and I made my own breadcrumbs out of toasted brioche bread.
Do you love it?
- Yeah, I mean- - [Nicole] I can tell.
- I don't know how the fancy's not gonna win every round.
- Mmm! - Because, I mean...
I just gotta say, I feel like we're fancy boys.
- [Nicole] Did you dip it in the sauce?
- [Link] Yes we did. - [Nicole] Oh my gosh.
It has heirloom tomatoes, garlic confit,
and anchovies straight from Spain.
- You picked the right cheese.
- [Nicole] Thank you.
And then those are bacon-wrapped scallops.
- Hey, y'all!
Now, is this the real scallops,
or is this the scallops that might be something else?
- [Nicole] So these are real scallops,
but I tried my absolute best to find
the cheapest scallops I could find
in the continental U.S. and I did it.
And then we have precooked microwave bacon
wrapped around there and some salt and pepper.
Very lean, very simple. Also, those are $3.
- They're good. - Okay, $3 versus...
- [Nicole] And that's $46.
Yeah. - Man.
- This isn't bad.
- I mean, you put those on a plate at a party,
I'll be at that plate until the party's over.
- And I think you eat one of these at a party,
and you're like, whoa,
that is the best cheese stick I've ever had,
or whatever you call it.
But then you eat a second one and you're forgetting about it
because you've been drinking too much.
- Oh, you think this is overkill?
- It's pearls to swine, buddy.
So I think we should choose this, but it is really great.
- It's good, but that's such a good deal
and it's not bad at all.
- Just blame it on the bacon.
- [Stevie] 62% of the Mythical Beasts thought
that you would like the expensive mozzarella sticks better.
- Well, we did, kinda. - Well, they are good.
I mean, I basically have finished one.
- Yeah, it seems like we should have this flag over there,
but, uh...
You were wrong. - Yeah, you were still wrong.
- Sorry.
Now we have the expensive fancified tuna salad sandwich
versus cheap risotto, otherwise known as Risotto Pro Bono.
- Oh!
Okay, this looks like-
- Means you don't get paid unless you there's results?
- Fancy bread. - No, it just means it's free.
- [Nicole] Yeah, that's fancy bread.
We made our own champagne baguette.
- I don't think we should eat the fancy first.
It makes it even harder for-
- [Rhett] Yeah, let's start with the cheap.
So how'd you do this Pro Bono?
- [Nicole] So we took some dehydrated parboiled rice,
used some creamy chicken ramen packet seasoning,
used dehydrated soup vegetables,
off-brand margarine, and some shaker cheese.
- Did you taste how bad this is?
- [Nicole] It's bad? I love it!
What are you talking about? What's wrong with it?
- I mean, it's basically just, you know,
like a box of rice. - [Nicole] Yeah, pretty much,
but isn't it a little bit creamy,
a little bit dreamy, a little bit soft?
- Um... - Um...
This might be- - [Nicole] Okay, well.
Okay, nevermind. - It might be great at a-
- You really tried to sell that.
- Put this at the bottom of an aquarium.
It's the right color palette.
- But change it every six weeks.
- [Nicole] And then that tuna sandwich
has Italian tuna conserva, truffle garlic aioli,
that infused baguette, diced heirloom carrots,
and some shaved pickled shallots over the top.
- I'm kinda gonna go at an angle here.
- Okay.
Now I'm not gonna feel as stupid doing the same thing.
- That's pretty strong.
- [Nicole] Yeah, lots of truffle in there.
Tried something really expensive.
It's a $56 sandwich and the risotto was $1.90.
- [Link] Well, that changes everything.
- If this is 56 bucks, I should take another bite.
- This is pretty incredible.
I think we have to vote for it 'cause this was just-
- That rice was just bad.
I mean, you really made it sound like it was gonna be great
when you said it was creamy and dreamy.
Which was my nickname in high school. (guffaws)
Gotcha, Nicole.
- Did you agree?
- [Stevie] 55%-
- Very close. - [Stevie] It was close...
Of the Mythical Beasts thought you would like
the cheap risotto better.
- Ooh! - Oh.
- Ha ha ha!
- This is a tough one. - Wrong again!
- 'Cause they thought risotto...
How could risotto go wrong?
- Well, ask Nicole.
- This is a cheap version of Baked Alaska.
Now, back in the 1800s,
they would make this igloo-shaped dessert out of cake,
and ice cream makes the dome,
and then toasted meringue on the outside.
But this is a very cheap version,
so we are calling it Baked Alabama.
- Oh-ho! Hey, Alabama shade.
- And then, over here, we've got something
that any dumb kid around a campfire could make, s'mores,
but we're fancifying 'em, S'chmore J'Adore.
- Okay, and something needs to be done to these,
I've been told. - [Nicole] Yeah.
So Trevor and I are just gonna do some fun stuff,
if that's okay, really quick.
- Okay, well, let's bring the lights down.
- [Nicole] Okay, you guys ready?
- Yes. - [Nicole] Okay.
- I know what you're doing.
Oh, you're doing a cheap lighter?
- [Nicole] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [Link] What are you pouring on that?
- [Nicole] That's vodka that I got from the gas station.
- Cheap vodka?
- [Nicole] Yeah, I got it from the gas station.
- It's so cheap.
- [Trevor] Nicole, do you need some help?
- [Nicole] I think so, Trevor. - Is it working?
- You want me to give you a little...
- Your cheap ways aren't working.
- [Nicole] I guess not. Thank you, Trevor.
- Oh! Oh! - Yeah, we got some flamage.
- Keep going. Keep going. - We had some flamage.
(torch whooshes)
I mean, it's hard to start a forest fire in Alabama.
I've tried several times.
Everything is so wet.
- Thank you, guys.
So what makes this fancy?
- [Nicole] So we used gourmet honey-infused marshmallows
with some champagne truffles imported from Switzerland.
(Rhett sneezes) - Oh, bless you!
- When you start talking about truffles, I get sneezy!
- [Nicole] God bless you!
And then we used fancy homemade graham crackers,
I made 'em myself.
And then for the cheap Baked Alaska
we used cheap Neapolitan ice cream,
we made a merengue with just egg whites and sugars,
and then I took dollar store poundcake
and put it on the base.
- What kind of chocolate did you say this was?
- [Nicole] So these are champagne truffles from Switzerland.
It's a very famed chocolatier restaurant in Beverly Hills.
- The most expensive s'more I've ever eaten.
- You dropped a very expensive truffle, just on the deck.
- [Stevie] How expensive is it?
- [Nicole] So it's $26.50 for the two of them.
And then you cheap Baked Alaska is $5.99.
- That's pretty good, but I think I actually might prefer
just a regular s'more.
- The chocolate, it really came through,
but everything else tasted kinda, like, no different.
- Honestly I just kinda miss regular milk chocolate on that.
- All right, so we need to hack into this thing?
- [Nicole] Yeah, so just slice right into it
with that knife on the side. - Act like you're in Alabama.
Just stick a spoon into it and start going for it.
- "Now you call this a baked what?"
"A Baked Alaska?" - Hold on. You know what?
The people in Alabama are gonna be really upset.
- Well, the people where I'm from talk like this too!
- I know, yeah.
I mean, I was born in Georgia, y'all. I know what's up.
- My people?
My people are your people in that way.
I don't want none of that strawberry chocolate!
- Oh, look, there's cake on the bottom.
- [Link] I just want that vanilla and chocolate.
- This is good, I don't care if you're not from Alabama.
- Yeah, yeah. This is the one.
Did y'all agree?
- That is so good.
- [Stevie] 71% of the Mythical Beasts
thought that you would like the expensive s'mores better.
- Man. - I thought I did too.
- Y'all really sucked today!
I mean, you only got one right.
Ha ha!
- We're a lot more basic than you gave us credit for
I think is what we're really punishing you for.
- That means- - Giving us too much credit.
- That we're gonna post that picture of us
with the dirty mop on Instagram
and you have to respond with, "That's a mop, we're a flop."
You gotta do it. We're forcing you.
- Thanks for subscribing and clicking that bell.
- You know what time it is.
- My name's Anna, I'm 19 years old,
from Manchester, New Hampshire,
this is my baby lemon tree Stevie,
and it's time to spin the Wheel of Mythicality.
- You hear that, Stevie?
You got a lemon tree! - Yeah, a baby lemon tree!
- Named after you. - Ha!
- Or just named the same as you, I couldn't really tell.
- Click the top link to watch us decide
what trashy things are actually a little bit fancy
on Good Mythical More.
- And to find out where
the Wheel of Mythicality's gonna land.
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