The much discussed $18 French onion soup

In yesterday's online chat about dining, this question was posed:

Bob_Dobalina__Guest_: There has been much debate about the Butcher Shop pricing a serving of French onion soup at $18! Obscene or reasonable in your opinion? And moreover, have you tried it?

(Much of said debate took place on Chowhound here.)

At the time, I had not tried the Butcher Shop's $18 French onion soup. But now I have. And I am here to report that it has become the $16 French onion soup.

And that is still a hefty price tag.

The soup is served in a white bowl with a large rim and a tiny basin. It's about 3/4 cup to 1 cup of soup. It's delicious, don't get me wrong: a deep brown liquid chock-full of caramelized onions and tender pieces of oxtail. So chock-full, I would have preferred more broth. But where is the cheese? Atop the soup floats one toasted slice of baguette, and melted on it is maybe a tablespoon of cheese.

In its favor, I will say the cheese does not overwhelm the flavor of the soup. But when I order French onion soup, I'm picturing a crock of soup topped with bread and a layer of thick melted cheese that covers the whole bowl, probably melting down the sides a bit. When you look at the Butcher Shop's version, you see brown soup with a little bread island floating in the middle; if you look closely you'll notice cheese on the bread. French onion soup for me is about the synthesis of broth and cheese; at the Butcher Shop, the cheese is but an accent, barely there. For $16 I wouldn't order it again.

But $16 is still better than $18.