“Down With Runway Food” by Drew Magary was published on Deadspin—The Concourse on May 2, 2014. Magary referred to food at restaurants so expensive that only the very rich and a few restaurant reviewers can ever sample. This food is comparable to the fashion that appears on runways (designs that the average person cannot afford and will not find in stores).
 
The term “runway food” appeared in 2012, but referred to the food served during New York’s Fashion Week (an event with runways).
 
   
Twitter
Kayla Seybert
‏@kseybs
Giada, shut the hell up about “Runway Food”. You have a big head. Team Bobby! #Star
8:21 PM - 3 Jun 2012
 
Anibundel
THE NEXT FOOD NETWORK STAR: RUNWAY FOOD
04/06/2012 ANIBUNDEL
Now that we’ve cut the obvious weakest link from each group, it’s time to head into our second round of team challenges. This apparently includes Ted Allen and doing a challenge that coincides with New York Fashion Week, which tells you that this episode was taped back in February.
 
Deadspin—The Concourse
Down With Runway Food
Drew Magary
Friday (May 2, 2014) 9:00am
I was watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown recently, and he was in Vegas at a fancy José Andrés restaurant-within-a-restaurant that had roughly two and a half seats and likely charged hundreds upon hundreds of dollars for a single meal. Bourdain was presented with an “egg” that was not an egg, but was, in fact, some kind of truffle dish made to LOOK like an egg. It looked really good. I would like to eat that one day. The problem, of course, is that I never will.
(...)
This is known as “molecular gastronomy” to most foodies, but let’s call it what it really is: runway food. It’s the weird trapezoidal stilt gown on a Paris runway that ends up on your Marshall’s rack in the form of a normal blouse that’s the same color. It’s trickle-down food, meant to be enjoyed in its proper form only by the wealthy and the well-connected, and then made available in bastardized form to you, the common man (big-name chefs who open a casual joint always treat it like it’s some benevolent act of charity to a neighborhood).
 
Eater
Monday, May 5, 2014, by Raphael Brion
REACTIONARY WIRE Deadspin’s Drew Magary on what he’s calling “runway food.” On places like Noma or Alinea: “Those diners are not there to open their minds. They’re there to brag, or to impress fellow diners… Like high fashion, this is an insular world that doesn’t realize just how insular it is, and it’s getting irritating. ” [Deadspin]
 
Zagat
Zagat
‏@Zagat
Today’s “foodie hipster” and “runway food” culture is good for EVERYONE, despite what @GQMagazine and @Deadspin say http://zagat.bz/1j3uAn5
4:14 PM - 5 May 2014