# You get to treat your favorite celebrity to dinner on a $1,000 budget. Which \*local\* restaurant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288 "2016-11-17T21:46:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/21 "2016-11-18T06:07:57Z")
If I had to spend the whole grand, I’d cook at home and eat leftovers like a King. I can’t imagine a celebrity would ever set foot in my house. But, hey! Why not play? Big tray of fresh oysters, sliced meats (expensive shit, no Oscar Meyer) and fancy cheese Caviar and stuff like that Wine, beer and all the other booze anyone could possibly want Escargot, jumbo shrimp, crab and lobster Huge chunks of filet, a stack of rib-eyes, a side of beef ribs Lamb, cooked on a separate grill, far from the house An entire pig on a spit A couple of Turduckens 18 pounds of the best bacon I can round up A 60lb cheesecake More booze! I eat like this most nights. But I substitute garlic bread for most of that. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/22 "2016-11-18T10:47:24Z")
I’m sure the celebrity and I could do [Canlis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canlis) on a grand without breaking the bank. Unless he/she were a wine snob. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/23 "2016-11-18T10:50:00Z")
Luckily the[best restaurant in Britain](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/restaurants/stephen-harris-the-sportsman-in-kent-crowned-national-restaurant/) is a stone’s throw from me. It is regional, seasonal and seafood based. That’s right up my street as well as being literally right up my street. As for price, I wouldn’t need $1000. The top of the range [tasting menu](http://thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk/tasting.php) is £65pp. Three courses a la carte would set you back £50 tops. Throw in a couple of good bottles of wine for another £50 plus a 10% tip (we aren’t in the USA after all) and you are looking at just over $200 to eat and drink well at the best restaurant in the UK. Pretty good deal. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/24 "2016-11-18T11:05:01Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > a 10% tip (we aren’t in the USA after all) Yeah, 10% would be a bit low for a tip in the US. Is the base pay of waitstaff higher over there? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/25 "2016-11-18T11:19:20Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Yeah, 10% would be a bit low for a tip in the US. Is the base pay of waitstaff higher over there? Minimum wage rules apply and tips can’t be included in that calculation, they are extra (but taxed). ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/26 "2016-11-18T11:48:10Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Minimum wage rules apply and tips can’t be included in that calculation, they are extra (but taxed). That explains it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/27 "2016-11-18T13:07:54Z")
A good friend of ours is a chef with a special interest in nouveau cuisine. I’d hire him to do a five-course dinner at our home with wines/beers with each course. The meal would be extra-great, as he would do it for his cost. He recently donated a dinner like this to a charity silent auction. I was top bidder for a while, but dropped out when things got too rich for my blood. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/28 "2016-11-18T14:22:02Z")
Definitely [Mangia](https://www.yelp.com/biz/mangia-nashville-nashville). Great food, lots of fun. In fact, my wife and I met Kevin Pollak there last spring. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/29 "2016-11-18T15:15:16Z")
[The Hitching Post 2](http://www.hitchingpost2.com/menu.html) although it would be hard to break $100/ person on food. They do have world class wine so we’d probably be able to blow through $500 ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/30 "2016-11-18T15:29:09Z")
Can I take Anthony Bourdain to Taco Bell? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/31 "2016-11-18T15:38:54Z")
I’m not aware of any place in my city that costs more than $200 a person. I’ve never been because I don’t like fine dining. I’d take my honored guest to the best steakhouse in Little Rock. Sonny Williams Steak Room. A porterhouse is $56. The appetizers, salad, sides, and drinks would bring the cost to about $125 a person. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/32 "2016-11-18T16:08:20Z")
Seems like the OP is basically just asking us for the most expensive restaurant within driving distance. I’m in the D.C. area, where there is no shortage of high-end restaurants: [the most expensive](http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/food/blog/20678967/d-c-s-most-expensive-restaurant-now-more-expensive) is a place called **[Minibar](http://www.minibarbyjoseandres.com/)**, at $275/person (not including tax, tips, or drinks). ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/33 "2016-11-18T17:20:11Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > [the most expensive](http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/food/blog/20678967/d-c-s-most-expensive-restaurant-now-more-expensive) is a place called **[Minibar](http://www.minibarbyjoseandres.com/)**, at $275/person (not including tax, tips, or drinks). Jesus. Stay the fuck out of the tiny little fridge, then. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/34 "2016-11-18T18:40:20Z")
I’d take WWE’s Wyatt Family to [Cosmic Cantina](http://cosmiccantina.com/) in Durham NC. It’s on the upper floor of a downtown tenement. The stairs are rickety, the floor creaks, the initials-carved tables and chairs are all uneven and wobbly, the menu is written in chalk, but there’s no better Mexican food anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/35 "2016-11-18T18:59:54Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Jesus. Stay the fuck out of the tiny little fridge, then. I know, right?! ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/36 "2016-11-18T19:13:24Z")
Bruce Campbell, my family, and I would be having groovy Mexican food at [Los Molcajetes](http://www.losmolcajetes.com/) in Roanoke, Texas. It doesn’t cost anywhere near $1,000, but is expensive enough that we can’t eat there too often. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/37 "2016-11-18T19:19:25Z")
There is no place in the Portland area that would cost even half that for two people. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/38 "2016-11-18T20:10:55Z")
I’d go to Disney’s Victoria and Albert’s even though it would be slightly less than $1000 – but would be $1000 or more once we get to the wine pairings and I use some of the cash to buy a suit to wear (I have a business suit but they ideally want something fancier.) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/39 "2016-11-18T20:33:34Z")
The major cities within 100 miles of me are Nashville (TN), Huntsville (AL) and Birmingham (AL). Out of those, [Highlands Bar & Grill](https://www.yelp.com/biz/highlands-bar-and-grill-birmingham) in Birmingham is probably the best restaurant. In my city (Huntsville) it would be the [Cotton Row](http://cottonrowrestaurant.com/) but there’s no way you can spend anywhere close to $1000. The most expensive entree is $38. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288/40 "2016-11-18T20:35:12Z")
Hmmm…the [Inn at Little Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inn_at_Little_Washington) is 106 miles from my house, but only about 80 miles from where I work. Can I count that? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-treat-your-favorite-celebrity-to-dinner-on-a-1-000-budget-which-local-restaurant/772288.md?page=3)