How much is too much for dinner?

[Vishenka69]

We love food too and good wine. DH has been pestering me about going to Per Se every since it opened. It's Thomas Keller's French Laundry's version on the East Coast. I told him as soon as he makes enough, i.e. real attending money, we can go.

So far our most expensive meal for 2 was at Atelier, I believe the bill came to around $400 and change. We try to go to fancy places 3 times a year - our anniversary and birthdays. These dinners are usually $200-300. But then again, in NY you don't have to try too hard to spend that much. We have to try a lot harder to stay under $100. That's one of the reasons I learned how to cook.

When I traveled for work, our bills used to be ridiculous but nobody cared and I never bothered looking at the check. I miss expense accounts.

[alison]

Has anyone eaten at Alan Wong's in Honolulu? Yummy. Quite possibly the best meal we've ever had. Dh and I were almost crying, it was that good.

LRDO, I have eaten some meals that were probably around $200-400 per person at world-famous restaurants, but I have never paid for them. I save all of those meals for when a corporate entity is taking me out or at the very least for business entertaining tax write-off meaning 30% off meal's price (both of which happen very, very rarely nowadays).

I am a foodie, but I don't have it in me to spend that much money . . . I would be too sick to enjoy the meal!! I do try to keep track of restaurants where chef's eat, or at least where food magazines claim they eat. These restaurants tend to be moderate or inexpensive with terrific food.

[Vanquisher]

I am a total foodie, and I absolutely love food. I'll have to actually become that rich doctors wife before I can even comprehend $210 per person.

I do love to go out though.

[ides]

I consider myself a foodie too, but am too much of a cheap-o to spend so much money at a restaurant. I think dh and I have spent about $100 a couple times, but generally a nice dinner for us costs around $50. What's important to me in a meal is freshness and proper cooking. I choose to spend more on good groceries than for a restaurant experience.

This topic reminds me of a first date I had when I went to London. I was in my first year in college and went out on a first date with a guy who would have been graduated from college 1 year and he was out to impress. Our meal was in the most swankiest restaurant I ever been to this day, unfortuanately I can't even remember the name but our 4 course meal plus wine came to 530 uk pounds which I just converted to dollars as $1030 in todays money.

[Rapunzel]

I think the max we've ever spent on a dinner out was around $200 altogether for our 10th wedding anniversary.

Nope- definitely not "foodies". We eat to live rather than living to eat.

Heck, for comparison: I still buy frozen dinners from Costco!

We're more likely to spend the big bucks on things that will give us many years of enjoyment and generally improve our quality of life (or the lives of our loved ones). So much money for such a fleeting thing is just not my style.

But, everyone's different! It would be a boring place if we weren't!

[Amiens]

I think the most we have ever spent on a dinner was $100, and we don't drink alcohol. We like to eat out, but try to keep dinner to $50 or less when it is 5 of us. If it is the two of us it is only on special occasions- anniversary or birthday, then we will consider a nicer place.

I, too, would rather buy good ingredients and make a good dinner at home. I do this maybe once a month. Because we have 3 small kids, 2 of which are picky eaters, lately I tend to cook for survival. I have notice that with each addition to the family my meals become shorter and shorter- I am down to making 30 minute meals.

I would love to find a good French restaurant, and miss dearly my affordable option in Denver-- good French food, and non-alcoholic beverages for $30 for 2 people, made fresh and the menu changes daily.

[Stella]

I'm a foodie too. Our most recent "nice" meal was in Nov. '06 for our 2 yr anniversary. We (as in HE) paid $190 (with tip). It was a chef's tasting menu and it was delish!

Our most expensive meal and the BEST meal by far (we are still talking about it too) was in Venice in June '05. We went all out with a bottle of wine and a bottle of Proseco and great food. I think our bill came to 375 euro which I just calculated into US dollars at today's rate as $485. But I think it was worth it. We had three waiters for our table alone!!! It was incredible. ... le sigh.... :candle

[reciprocity]

I went to Alinea here in Chicago this year, and the final bill was about $750 for two people.

It was absolutely amazing though!

[alison]

That's the restaurant that Aschatz runs, right? We live close to it, so we'll definitely go (once I'm done downing bottles of water).

[reciprocity]

yeah! It was an amazing experience.

I want to go back so bad, but I guess we're saving for a wedding or SOMETHING.

DH and I went to Paris in Sept for our anniversary and went to Arpage....Ummmm, food was amazing! We ordered a great bottle of champagne and I drank WAY too much of it and then felt the need to order some red wine...Oops, it was a 180 Euro bottle (we are not in a position to order something so expensive) It was the most fantastic meal we have ever paid for (even though DH and I felt like hillbilly's for the first time ever). Bill came to 530...we were shocked and a little ill until we realized it was Euros!!! ENOUGH SAID....the Cdn dollar stinks

[Stella]

Alison, I don't. But I saved the receipt somewhere for future scrapbooking, so I'll have to look. It was on the water though and in some swanky hotel. We ate outside.

I've eaten some superb meals in Japan. I'm not too aware of the costs because a lot of them were paid by others (young employees are not expected to carry that sort of burden...) DH and I also went out to some incredible places. The types of food you can get there are just indescribable really. The standard is extremely high, and the precision and artistry with which they are prepared just blows the mind.

I am curious, not coming from a tipping country - when you eat at a restaurant like the French Laundry (which I've even heard of over here!) do you have to add a tip to your bill? That would really hurt!

And can anyone remind me of the name of that restaurant, I think it's in Spain, which is also claimed as one of the best in the world? I believe the food is very experimental, consisting of a lot of mousses, I think...