The chef and restaurateur Jonathan Benno has had it with brown-bag dinners, so he’s doing something about it. With Iman Kawa, a chef who runs Better Than Your Mother’s, which delivers elegant food from top chefs, Mr. Benno has created a truly fine meal for a solo indulgence. “It’s a way for us to keep the idea of fine dining alive until confidence is restored in dining out,” he said. His “Experience” starts with a lush caviar canapé, followed by tangy vegetables à la grecque and a creamy lasagna freckled with black winter truffle. Tender braised short ribs of beef, in a silken wine sauce with baby vegetables, is the main course. A chocolate-paved marjolaine cake and a chocolate butter cookie with ganache complete the meal. Meticulous reheating and plating instructions are included for each dish. And though the elegant box of food is intended for one, that depends; I found it to be enough for two of us, but then I usually prepare only three ounces of pasta each.
The Experience, $96 per person, betterthanyourmothers.com/products/the-experience.
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