Yeah… I must say that, while I enjoyed my deconstructed pie, the menu didn’t clearly state it would be a deconstructed dish. I almost wanted to stop and asked the waitress “I asked for a pie, but you gave me something else.” It wasn’t until I took a closer look that I realized it is a deconstructed pie. Again, I enjoyed it, but I can see how some people may have felt “misled/betrayed”
A boarder question. One version is that: Customs are always right. Always make the dish the way your patrons want and serve them. Another version is that: Chefs are the artisans. The dishes are their expressions. As a customer, you can like or dislike their creations, but you cannot dictate them. I believe many high end or trendy restaurants are starting to take the latter philosophy.
This was not a restaurant with a chef that was in any way an artisan. It was a trendy, mid-level gastropub type place, the kind of place where if one orders the usual, you get the usual, but “elevated”. The shrimp and grits were also a disaster.
It’s fine, but… maybe some places shouldn’t mess with the usual. Or at least give a menu description that let’s one know you are not getting eggs benedict. I don’t care if a chef wants to get artsy, but a heads-up would be nice.
Also, a less patronizing answer from a server would be nice, when asking, “Wtf is this?” (Not that I would ever actually use that phrase.). 
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We had a deconstructed version of a Cobb Salad at a local tavern and not only was it a colorful presentation but easy to eat as a share. As stated above by some, any deconstructed version of a familiar dish should be noted on the menu as such…
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Agree. I just looked up the last place where I had a deconstructed pie. I thought it has no warning. Now that I looked at the online menu, it indeed doesn’t have a warning and the waitress also didn’t give me a heads-up at the time. Here is the menu (copied and pasted):
‘CHEESECAKE’ 6.
vanilla bean, carrot cake, benne seed
I guess the only possible give-away is the quotation marks **'**CHEESECAKE ’ The other desserts do not have quotation marks.
