Maybe because press and online comments about “oh my god $250 for a pizza?!??” were dominating the discussion and giving people the false impression that you couldn’t order a meal there for a bill similar to what you’d pay at Bianco or Sei?
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It’s a truism of this board, I think, that if you say “X,” there are usually gonna be some folks countering with a “Y.”
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I’m with you casual does generally imply a cheaper price.
The Skenes-stans are really rallying the war wagons lol. I loved angler one of my favs in LA at its peak and while Leopardo was good in some repsects, I was not impressed esp given the pricing but I’m willing to give it another try.
reserved mostly for some specific posters 
plus the internet at large lol
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“casual neighborhood restaurant” and expensive probably aren’t often combined together in restaurant reviews tho
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Leopardo is not expensive if you order a pizzeria-type meal of salad, pizza, and soft-serve. If I lived in the neighborhood I’d eat there all the time.
Skenes’s notion of a casual neighborhood place is eccentric as hell. He thought Angler was casual. I wonder if he’s still planning the fried chicken and burger places.
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Speaking of off-menu specials :-o Santa Barbara mussels pasta and California king crab pasta
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$90 after tax+tip for the cali-prese, re-marinara & soft-serve, no drinks, totally a casual not expensive neighborhood place 
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and that amount of food can probably feed only one grown man. Cali-prese consists of approx 12 cherry tomatoes lol
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But… but… what about “Z”?
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Very much doubt that and your interpretation of casual restaurant seems to be more of an outlier. I don’t think Wikipedia is the ground truth for definition but if you google definition of casual restaurant their definition is very common - “ A casual dining restaurant (or sit down restaurant) is a restaurant that serves moderately priced food in a casual atmosphere. Except for buffet-style restaurants, casual dining restaurants typically provide table service.” And that doesn’t mean that you can find some moderately priced dishes but that the menu overall is geared towards the price point
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ChatGPT – which I would say is the world’s leading expert on the English language – says:
A casual restaurant refers to a dining establishment that falls between fast food and fine dining in terms of service, ambiance, and price. Here are the key characteristics of casual restaurants:
1. Atmosphere
- Relaxed and informal, often family-friendly.
- May have themed decor but is generally less formal than fine dining.
2. Menu and Food
- Offers a moderately priced menu with a wide variety of dishes.
- Food quality is generally higher than fast food but less elaborate than fine dining.
- Includes table service or counter service, depending on the establishment.
3. Service Style
- Friendly but not overly formal.
- Waitstaff typically take orders at the table, though some casual restaurants may use self-service models.
4. Examples
- Chains like Applebee’s, Chili’s, and Olive Garden.
- Independent establishments like local diners or family-owned eateries.
Casual restaurants are popular for everyday meals and gatherings where customers want good food and a comfortable atmosphere without spending too much.
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My view on “casual” comes from having been around when a new kind of restaurant led people to start using the term.
A “casual dining” restaurant is a full-service restaurant where alcohol is generally available and guests can dress pretty much however they like. The term is a holdover from days when fine-dining restaurants either had dress codes, or at least a generally agreed-upon understanding that guests should consider combing their hair and dressing up a little bit when going there.
https://www.nrn.com/marketing/stop-calling-your-restaurant-fine-casual
I’m sure that’s what Skenes means when he uses the term, though maybe it’s out of date.
You guys are all stripping context from this and using denotative terms.
Skenes was saying leopardo was more casual than angler. And “opening a casual restaurant” you don’t need to qualify that it has table service and no dress code. Shit, how many places have a dress code anymore? And was there ever any reason to believe that it would be counter service and not seated?
Colloquially, if you told your friend “let’s go somewhere casual” and you all showed up and the bill was more than they thought it would be, I bet they’d be pretty mad that they spent more money on their night than they thought they would. Unless you actually think the risk was they’d be mad they didn’t know whether to wear a sport coat or not.
Anyway, moving this into another topic is silly, we weren’t arguing what a casual restaurant is, we were arguing whether Leopardo is one.
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Maybe instead of “casual”, we should say “bistronomic”?
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jeans and a t shirt is considered casual but you can go down some rabbit holes discovering luxury versions of those items
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I moved this thread into another topic because it’s not about the food.
The discussion about whether Leopardo is a “casual” restaurant is more about what “casual” means than anything to do with Leopardo specifically. Though Leopardo is certainly an example of a place where people’s different definitions of “casual” will conflict.
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Leopardo mostly fits the French concept of bistronomy, but I don’t think that means anything to most Americans.