Gilt Taste

I've been a member of Gilt, one of now many online fashion retailers that essentially offer online sample sales, for a while.  I joined with gusto, but quickly found that:

1. 50% off of a $600 dress is still more money than I am willing to pay.
2. The self-imposed stress of online shopping with a time constraint and limited information is really too much: "I HAVE to get this now, otherwise someone else is sure to get it. What if I wait and it is too late?"  Click. Just wait until the credit card bill comes...
3. I am rarely free at EXACTLY noon when the sales go live. Log in at 12:08?  The only things left are the orange patent leather pumps and some bejeweled mini dress in size 0.

These factors contribute to the fact that I rarely go to Gilt and almost always trash their daily email without even looking at the day's sales. But when I got the email for Gilt Taste (still in its Beta phase), I was curious. Former Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl is lending her expertise to the project, which automatically gives it some street cred amongst the food obsessed.  There are recipe ideas, videos, and tutorials offered on the site, but - of course - the most important thing is the food.

Gilt Taste doesn't wow with its prices (I googled a few offerings and found no price difference at other online retailers) in the same way that its fashion site boasts big markdowns. Its high-end offerings are sure to get your mouth watering, though, and will make you think seriously about dropping $60 on some truffle cream or a month's rent on Wagyu strip steaks.

Gilt Taste still has a while to go to diversify its offerings: the same retailers continue to show up with the same products week after week.  But I'm willing to give them some time to figure things out if it means good food at good prices sometime in my future.