New York’s culinary Establishment just added Restaurant Le B. to its Forbes All-Star list, a nod the city’s elite will celebrate while many hardworking Americans shake their heads at yet another high-end playground for the wealthy. Forbes’ roundup put Le B. among the city’s most lauded tables, showing the restaurant world still rewards spectacle and pedigree as much as honest food and service.
Chef Angie Mar’s Le B. sits in Greenwich Village, a deliberate resurrection of downtown glamour that consciously channels the Beatrice Inn’s legacy while dressing it up for a new generation. Mar’s backstory — from reviving the Beatrice Inn to opening Le B. in that same historic neighborhood — reads like an entrepreneur’s comeback story, but one wrapped in velvet and prix-fixe menus.
At the center of the buzz is the cult-famous “Le Burger,” a luxe, 90-percent dry-aged ribeye blend that Vogue and food writers have dubbed the Birkin Bag of burgers — a label that tells you more about status signaling than about feeding ordinary families. The burger’s mystique was amplified when MasterClass’ G.O.A.T. series included it, and that series won recognition at the James Beard Media Awards, cementing this dish in food-media folklore.
Let’s be blunt: the price tags and velvet-roped exclusivity are out of step with the values of most Americans who earn a living by the sweat of their brow. Reports show the burger can run into premium territory and is tightly limited each night unless you pre-order through reservation platforms, which turns a simple pleasure into a scavenger hunt for those who can spare the cash and the time.
Still, you’ve got to respect the hustle. Angie Mar built a brand by marrying rigorous French technique with her own heritage and a flair for showmanship, and Le B. has accumulated praise and awards — including high marks from critics and industry guides — that reflect hard work, savvy marketing, and the ability to sell an experience. That kind of entrepreneurial grit matters; it is the kind of private-sector success Republicans should applaud even while we criticize the cultural snobbery that often accompanies it.
This is where conservative common sense needs to show up: celebrate American ingenuity and small-business drive, but call out the entitlement and performative luxury that treat food as a status prop instead of nourishment and hospitality. Support for restaurateurs who create jobs and preserve culinary craft is patriotic, but so is insisting that our culture stop elevating exclusivity over community and value.
If we want restaurants that reflect American values — hard work, fairness, and respect for the customer — then diners and policymakers should reward businesses that serve the many, not just the few. Enjoy the artistry at places like Le B., but let’s also stand up for the straight-talking, hard-working restaurateurs who make honest meals for real people and remind the elites that true greatness serves everyone.
