Took some clients out to Daniel in NYC. I think it ended up about $300 per head, about half and half.

€145 (~US$200) for the vegetarian options at Ikarus, Hangar 7 for the SZG DO. And too bad I don't drink. :(

Roughly 240 GBP per head. Annual Holiday party. Breakdown was about 90% alcohol and 10% food. Technically it WAS a meal.

But don't ask me where it was. Some bar in London..I don't really have a lot of memories except having my over 6 ft husband hold up the "tab" up over his head the next day and it gathered at his feet.

Per Se ( NYC )

about $450/person with alcohol.

Around $250-300 at Spago LA tasting menu.

My wife and I took a good friend of ours to Alain Ducasse NY for dinner after he went through some personal hardship to cheer him up a bit. It was about $800 per person including tip. A bit over $2000 for the three of us and I rounded up to $2400 with tip. It was the time of the year when they had their special truffle tasting menu. My wife had that and our friend and I each had a dish or two from that as replacements (with added supplement) on our tasting menus.

My most expensive lunch was paid mostly by someone else. He wanted to take me someplace in Paris so I suggested Gagnaire since I knew they had the $100 Euro tasting lunch which is great and not too expensive for a three star place. He decided once we got there to not order it but to get the full lunch. It came to about 1300 Euros. I paid 300 for the after lunch cigars and cognac and he paid 1000 for the lunch itself.

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the truffle tasting menu at Alain Ducasse ... I just LOVE truffles in general. It worth every single dollar eating a meal like that. I did not pay for the meal so I had no idea it costs that much. WOW !!

I hope they have the truffle tasting menu back soon.

Same exact place...almost the same amount! Quick story, when we arrived our table was not ready. Apparently someone else was seated under my reservation. So, the hostess invites us to the bar, and offers 2 glasses of champagne.
After about 15 minutes we are seated, and enjoy an incredible meal with the wine pairings. The bill arrives...and I am charged for 2 glasses of Dom Perignon! (At 35 euros per glass!)

I told the waiter that I thought the champagne was complimentary, he says..."no sir, it was not".

To this day I still kick myself for not making a bigger stink over this.

On my own dime, probably about $200 (before tax/tip) and limited alky (one glass of wine, one cocktail) @ CUT in Beverly Hills.

Routinely spend $150-ish for omakase's around the country...

Urasawa in LA to celebrate our engagement. Slightly over $500 per head for the Omakase (only choice) and bottle of premium sake. Sounds outrgeous, but was worth every penny. We are already planning on returning to celebrate the occasional anniversary with Urasawa-san.

$1,350 per person - French Laundry
 

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's spent this much ($2,700 for the two of us) at the French Laundry in Yountville. I think the prix fixe menu was $200 or so per person, can't remember exactly, and the rest was wine and champage. I'd always wanted to try the 1996 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne white Burgundy, and then we had some (relatively) inexpensive champagne and a bottle of red wine that was very good as well.

Hey, you only get to celebrate an IPO once every decade or so, if you're lucky.

Bob

Unplanned.....we spent about $250 pp for lunch in Kyoto. We had no idea....we just ordered by pointing at a picture and the food came....:eek: and then she brought the bill! Now wonder she moved us to a private room after we placed our order; we went from a plain room with wooden table to a room with red lacquer table and beautiful zen garden. That should have been out hint! :rolleyes:

In Budapest, at Gundel's, about $300++ per person for food. 3 courses of foie gras ^ and then dessert. Wine and champagne was extra.

In Edinburgh, 6 of us had the chef's table at Abstract! Damned good food. About $350 pp, flights of wine extra. From what I remember, the standard flight was about $75 pp, the "good" flight was $110 pp. We figured.....what the heck!

But the best dinner ever, and not that expensive, was the chef's table at Commander's Palace. About 6 or 7 years ago. The chef's table only seats 4, and we had it for the whole evening. We were there about 5 1/2 hours. Miss Ellie [Brennan] was still there then, and she gave us a tour; her daughter Lally is now the manager. Jamie Shannon ^ :-: ^ was the chef when we visited; supposedly some awesome 30 year old chef today! We paid only $75 pp for dinner, and a flight of wine was only $40 more. Spectacular dinner....would do it again in a second!

Out of pocket? Probably either Masa or Per Se? Both in the $500s per head, at Per Se, this was $275 or so food, the rest wine, at Masa, much heavier percentage on food.

I've been taken out for meals (in Moscow) that have pushed $1000 per head, but mostly because the nutso Oligarchs who took me out ordered obscene wines.

Paying myself, it's either been dinner at Le Gavroche or lunch at La Tour d'Argent each for about GBP100/head (food only, I don't drink).

One of my most memorable dinners (which I didn't pay for) was when a dear cousin took me, my sister, and best friend out to celebrate my 21st birthday at the Ritz in London. We started with a large tin of Beluga caviar. Funnily enough, the rest of the food was not that memorable -- it was the wine. Incensed that I don't drink, she ordered a couple of bottles of Chateau Latour to drink with my friend. I don't know what the exact bill came to, but it was well in excess of GBP3000 in total, so at least GBP750/ head.

However, although I love eating out at formal restaurants, many fine meals can be had for reasonable amounts...one just has to find them!

tb

I think this is the same Abstract that was featured on an episode of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. IIRC Ramsay didn't think much of the Abstract idea but apparently it's still around.