My husband is a fantastic cook (I think all French people are required to be) and he and his mother cook expensive *tasting * meals. But, of course, we splurge on dinner here pretty often. There’s nothing like a memorable meal.
We frequent one restaurant pretty often. It’s about $50 per person, minus wine, for an appetizer, entree and dessert. Is that expensive? We go about every other month and the last time we went I had lobster ravioli, a wintery dish with lamb and cabbage and the profiteroles. Unbelievably terrific. FYI, the place is called Le Florimond on Avenue de la Motte-Picquet in the 7th.
The best meal we’ve ever had together was at a restaurant called Le Chaumerie (sp?), also in the 7th. I ordered the “tasting menu” for about $130. Basically, the chef asks what you like and what you don’t like and what you’re allergic to and then makes whatever he feels like making at the moment. I had about 10 plates, each better than the previous one. My favorite dish was a chicken breast sauteed with a slice of pure vanilla bean inside (so flavorful, so tender). My husband had the ris de veau, which is veal sweetbreads but he likes gross things. With the wine, we probably spent close to $500 on that dinner.
I don’t remember the cost of specific entrees that I’ve had, possibly because some of the more expensive (and delicious!) meals I’ve had haven’t centered around one main dish.
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Some of the best sushi I’ve ever had was at Echo in Palm Beach.
I’ve had exquisite tasting menus at Toque! in Montreal and at Vong in NYC. Both meals were easily $100 per person including wine.
For brunch, the most expensive I’ve had was at The Breakers in Palm Beach, at $54 per person.
I should also say that some of the best meals I’ve ever eaten in restaurants were not expensive at all. One especially memorable one was in a tiny cafe in Providence, RI called La Campagnola. Sadly, it no longer exists, but the chef still cooks for a nearby gourmet grocery and deli.
Oh my lord, this duck I had once, this duck this duck this DUCK. It had some amazing sauce on it–it wasn’t the typical duck a l’orange but something similarly sweet; actually, it reminds me a bit of the sauce you get on General Tsao’s chicken. The duck skin was crackly crisp and the sauce was divine.
It was at some small french restaurant in Charleston, back in 1991.
But generally I don’t eat expensively. It’s a rare thing for me to go to a restaurant where the entrees cost more than $15-20.
I will say that one time, my husband’s (former) company threw a party. My husband was a contractor who telecommuted and rather than pay to fly him in, they told him to go out and have a lovely evening out, they’d reimburse him for up to $250. Well, it’s hard to spend $250 in this small Midwestern city on dinner (if you’re not wine fans) but we tried. We went to the nicest steak house in town:
where everything is a la cart and a side dish of broccoli is $7. We also dragged along my former roommate, who was in med school at the time. It was a fun night, one of the only times I’ve ordered without any concern for the bill.
The most I’ve ever paid for a meal was on the humongous ferry from Denmark to Norway that my wife and I took on our honeymoon: we paid $40 each to gorge ourselves at a smorgasbord. I had 12 different kinds of fish.
But probably the best eating I’ve ever done was at Slightly North of Broad, a well-acronymed restaurant in Charleston, SC. The entree was fish and not much better than what i can make myself, but for dessert we got fresh fruit in a honey/passionfruit sauce, and creme brulee. It was exquisite.
Neither of those are exactly entrees, though.
Daniel
The most expensive dinner I’ve had was at Patina in Los Angeles.
We selected one of the prix fixe menus, with different wines to match each course, as picked by their sommelier (Chris Meeske, one of the top sommeliers in the country).
Amuse: A small espresso cup’s worth of a very rich mushroom soup
First: Tuna Tartare, with lemon and basil oils
Second: John Dory Filet with Apple Smoked Bacon and Sauteed White Grapes
Third: Seared Foie Gras with Roasted Pear and Concord Grape Emulsion
Fourth: Braised Beef with Champingnon (sp?) mushrooms and Red Wine Reduction Sauce
Fifth: Chocolate Millefuille (A kind of layered chocolate mousse/crunchy wafer thing, with several different types of chocolate being used)
Everything was fabulous, but my husband didn’t really like the foie gras all that much. Total bill, with wine & tip: $350 for two.
The 2nd most expensive meal we’ve had was at the Sky Room in Long Beach, where, honestly, the most memorable part of the meal was the martinis and the dancing. We’d still go back in a heartbeat, because the view (top floor of the Breaker’s hotel) is gorgeous.
I’ve had some great meals in a bunch of different places this place was best for view and setting. The night we were there, there was a storm coming in off the ocean. Little bit of lightening over the ocean as a backdrop. Incredible. Nice wine list and good food. I believe my meal was veal. Dessert was a mango passion creme brulee.
Took a group here for my 40th. Great food, excellent service and another great wine list. The tip that evening was $200.00 The menu is pre fixe, the night we were there, the vegitarian theme was a salute to corn. I did three corn courses and four meat couses. Wow!!!
This place is incredible as well, and for dessert they do six mini ice cream cones. They were great.
I really couldn’t single one out as being the best ever, it would be unfair to the rest. I think the other dozen or so other really great meals are already feeling neglected.
My favorite is beef wellington… a nice piece of tenderloin spread with foie gras and wrapped in puff pastry, usually blessed with a port wine reduction sauce. The price tag is usually $30 or better in any restaraunt that serves it.
Price aside, I seem to have a hard time finding places that serve it. So I just learned to make it myself and since we are at home, we can get good and swacked on single malt scotch while we’re at it See? Problem solved!
1.) My birthday dinner at La Strada’s in Reno: Amazing lobster ravioli appetizer, hearts of palm salad, Osso Buco main course. Incredible bottle of chianti. Coffee and tiramisu for dessert. $200 for two.
2.) Postrio in San Francisco: Crab cakes, Lamb chops, portabello mushrooms, risotto. Tuscan chocolate layer cake and cappucino for dessert. There were no price tags on my menu.
3.) Bistro Margot in Chicago: Pate Maison, Filet of Pork Tenderloin with Pasta Gratin, Asparagus, and wild mushroom sauce, Crepes Suzette. Wine with appetizer, different wine with main course, liqueur with dessert. $180. ish.
sigh… places like this are the reason I need to drop 20lbs.
No, it wasn’t Nairn’s. It was the Airds Hotel, in Port Appin, Scotland…west coast, on Loch Linnhe. Very near to Oban – probably responsible for my love of whiskey, now.
I’ve been blessed enough to eat at many places that are “expensive” - for me, it would be anything that ran over $100 for two without alcohol (my wife and I don’t drink). Most, but not all, were fine meals.
But the one that applies to this thread isn’t even an entree - I remember a $12 appetizer from Red Sage in Washington D.C. that consisted of a single scallop.
This was many years and many many restaurants ago, but still at the top of my “Wow, that’s pretty damn expensive” list.
See? Problem solved!