Originally Posted by
DELee
Understood. But a lot of the comments are focused on the possible dine locations that could/could not drive the $300-$400 bill - e.g. dim sum, super sushi, etc.. There's probably the cost of drinks in the Greater LA Area that can add up and add significantly to a bill.
David
Even with drinks $100pp would probably be pretty tough in any SGV chinese restaurant. They really tend to cater to families and not have fancy drink menus - just a few kinds of beer. If you have four or more people you can generally get a standard 10 course "banquet" for not a lot per person, and a la carte you can eat yourself into a stupor for a lot less. Looking at a couple menus, Hunan Chili King you could get 3 entrees and 2 vegetables to split 4 ways and not hit $60. Shaanxi Garden is on the spendier side, but one Chef's special, a couple noodle dishes, and a couple vegetables and you're still well under $100. HCK doesn't list drink prices, but SG is $4 for a beer (just listed as "beer" on the menu), and I'd be surprised if HCK were more than that. And those are the online ordering prices - they may be cheaper if you show up and eat in or order at the counter to go.
I haven't been to the Arcadia Din Tai Fung since they moved to the mall in Arcadia, but the Arcadia restaurant was always very reasonably priced and competitive with the neighborhood (if at the high end). 101 Noodle Express across the street on Baldwin was always comparable in price and is $12-$15 per 10 dumplings, and almost everything else is $12-15/entree. I can eat a lot and I couldn't eat $100 there in two meals. DTF in Beverly Hills is probably more expensive, but probably not expensive for the area.
Now you've made me hungry and 101 is closed on wednesdays.