[NCgirl2LVNV]

I am a gourmand and I like to dine well at times. I've been to Craftsteak a few times and I have savored each time, even if the bill was a lot higher than what I normally pay.

But you do get what you pay for. My next target is Joel Robuchon, probably on my wedding anniversary. I grew up in Europe and I enjoy eating certain kinds of foods that are meticulously prepared and presented.

I certainly cannot afford to do this all the time, of course, and it is a lot of money for something that will become the same fecal matter as a .99 cent Del Taco taco. It's just that I prefer foie gras to tacos, given a choice between the two.

I can also say that every time I've been at Craftsteak the place has been packed, mostly with large parties. I also know that Joel Robuchon has a fairly consistent number of guests per night, so someone is certainly indulging.

[von949]

I figured that this thread would turn like this. Splurging on an expensive meal is no different than splurging on an expensive car. Whether cheap or expensive, both will still you from point A. to point B. Just like cheap food and expensive food both have the same end result.

With that said, what's wrong with treating yourself to something nice every now an then?

On a regular day, Fat Burger can be too rich for my blood but on special occasions, the family and I have enjoyed some $500 meals(once or twice).

I own an average sedan but once rented a $90K luxury SUV for a weekend.

I don't have any high-end name brand clothes but do have a hand made Italian leather trench coat hanging in my closet. Cost me about $700.

My wife and I have stayed in a hotel that was twice our mortgage amount for a single weekend on our anniversary.

You only live once.


Sent from watch

[MollieW]

Ah yes, but how about a moderately priced dinnger and a donation to the Las Vegas Food Bank instead? lots more people would eat for that extra 500.00

[Raiderman]

Originally Posted by MollieW

Ah yes, but how about a moderately priced dinnger and a donation to the Las Vegas Food Bank instead? lots more people would eat for that extra 500.00

In fairness, you never know what people do philanthropically. Not for us to judge. Perhaps he's a multi-millionaire who gives tens of thousands to charities. Or maybe he just wanted to treat himself to a nice meal. Perhaps for him, $600 is moderately priced. Maybe he is poor and saved up for a year to afford 1 luxury dinner. Everyone has different circumstances.

[von949]

Originally Posted by MollieW

Ah yes, but how about a moderately priced dinnger and a donation to the Las Vegas Food Bank instead? lots more people would eat for that extra 500.00

I am down there often. Probably once every two months. The issue with the Salvation Army Food Pantry is the people that are abusing the program. A family of four that goes through $300 in food stamps and max out their monthly pantry food allowance?(another $100 worth) Myself and my coworkers fill a lot of those bags ourselves. Most of the dry food staple will easily last a couple of months.(bread, rice, cereal, oatmeal, canned goods, pasta, condiments, ramen noodles).

Word on the street is that most of the items we hand out is being sold immediately around the corner for drugs.

Also can't forget about the unemployment hiccup. That is causing a lot of locals to visit the pantries.

Unemployment claims still unprocessed from last week - FOX5 Vegas - KVVU

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by logline

I can't remember where I heard it, but the saying goes something like: A rich man and a poor man feel exactly the same after a big meal.

These "uber-meals" are just bottle service for old people... completely overpriced, unnecessary and a status symbol. I'm sorry, but deliciousness, subtlety and an amazing "experience" can be had for a fraction of that price.

Don't knock it 'til you try it. $200 per person really isn't that bad for a seven-course tasting menu.

When people dine out like this, they're paying for two things:

1) The quality of ingredients. Michael Mina gets food that mere mortals cannot lay their hands on at any price. Ranchers and vendors sell to restaurants first, then specialty stores, and finally wholesalers. The reason being that restaurants will pay more and they buy consistently. Go try to find some real A-10 Kobe at a Las Vegas market. Can't be done. The chefs at these places can make a phone call and it arrives that afternoon.

It's even more obvious with fish. At the fish auctions, the great sushi places get all the best fish, then regular sushi markets, then all the other restaurants, then the wholesalers, and then the cat food manufacturers.

2) Labor. For instance, I spend one hour every day preparing a single dish. Another cook spends 45 minutes every day working on that same dish. And a chef spends two hours every week making the sauce that goes over that dish. There's $300 in labor right there. Spread that out over the 100 of them that we sell in a week, and $3 of that dish is just labor. Then add rent inside the casino, our electric bills -- we pay triple what residential does, gas, water (we use a LOT of water), and basic overhead like pans, dishwashing soap and tea towels. It adds up fast.

Originally Posted by NCgirl2LVNV

I can also say that every time I've been at Craftsteak the place has been packed, mostly with large parties. I also know that Joel Robuchon has a fairly consistent number of guests per night, so someone is certainly indulging.

Our clientele breaks down into two groups -- large parties of visitors and wealthy locals who dine with us once and twice a week. Our reservation list reads like a who's who of the Las Vegas glitterati. "Locals out on a special occasion" isn't nearly as big a percentage, unfortunately.


And while some people are tut-tutting over a $200 tasting menu, they're forgetting completely that many of these fine-dining establishments have a $50 Prix Fixe menu, so that people of modest means can come in and have the same kind of great experience. Call the reservations line and ask. You'd be amazed how many places offer Prix Fixe, but it's not listed on the menu.

[aggrofish]

What someone does with their money is up to them. There's a lot of judgmental people on this forum when it comes to what others spend money on.

That said, I find it funny Scoop that you can justify an expensive meal, but poker is stupid, spending money on cars is stupid, financing anything is stupid, etc. I wonder if any of that has to do with your chosen profession?

Me personally, I've done a few of the four figure dinners when guests or clients are in town but it's never coming out of my pocket directly its on the company Amex. I will pay money for a good steak that I cannot make myself though. Those dinners really aren't that bad considering I cant stand wine.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by aggrofish

What someone does with their money is up to them. There's a lot of judgmental people on this forum when it comes to what others spend money on.

That said, I find it funny Scoop that you can justify an expensive meal, but poker is stupid, spending money on cars is stupid, financing anything is stupid, etc. I wonder if any of that has to do with your chosen profession?

Just to clarify: I think gambling is a pointless waste of time. I think the games themselves are dull. And while there are some people who can consistently earn money at poker tables and sports books, there are easier ways to make money. And then people don't have to loiter in smoky casinos, grinding out a living.

I spend money on cars. My wife and I have three of them. Two daily drivers and a "fun" car. What I don't get is spending money on cars, and then complaining about car registration. It's not like Nevada keeps their registration fees a secret. My fun car goes faster than I care to drive, and registration was only $61 this year. I have no patience for people who buy a new six-figure car, and then complain about registration. Either they didn't bother to look up the cost (and then, presumably what the cost is to insure the car as well). Or they bought it anyway and just like to whine.

As for financing, there are two kinds of people. Those who understand compound interest and those who don't. Those who do, earn interest. Those who don't, pay interest.


But as for splurging occasionally on food, it's just like going out to a show. You pay money, you get something in return. I consider that to be a good use of money. And for the same reason, I think the dollar menu at the local fast food joint is a pointless waste of time. (Paying money and getting crap in return. Who cares how cheap it is? It's crap.)

[aggrofish]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

As for financing, there are two kinds of people. Those who understand compound interest and those who don't. Those who do, earn interest. Those who don't, pay interest.

...and then there is the third person who understands that as long as you are paying less interest on the finance side than you can earn by keeping the money in the market - you are ahead of the game. The third person realized there's a cost to paying cash.

[jjameson922]

This discussion is very interesting but.....a prix fixe meal at $50.00 p/p is not something a couple with modest means, as stated, can afford. I consider myself average or slightly above average with a $350,000 paid for home but I would have to take that same $100 to buy a weeks worth of groceries. Most show tickets are out of the price range for myself and my other local friends and as far as car registration goes, I drive nothing special and my total fees will be close to $300 for a 6 yr. old car.