What's the most you've spent on dinner? (range, year, paying)

[Bily Lovec]

Originally Posted by exit82

We are not big spenders by any means - or big eaters for that matter- but last year for my son's 24th birthday we took him and his girlfriend to a Brazilian steakhouse in Philadelphia named Fogo de Chao-it was a great fun experience for us- the waiters walk around serving different cuts of meat and there was a terrific salad bar- I think the bill was around $375. for the 4 of us-they also served a terrific speciality drink- I wish I could remember what is was because I would go back just to have another one-

I suspect it was this: Caipirinha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
any bar that stocks cachaça can make you one.

Originally Posted by Z3N1TH 0N3

^^^ Celebrity Buzz This is an actual receipt from Nello's in New York City. The customer was Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who had no problem dropping 47k on food and drinks for himself and five other people.

What Rich People Eat [PIC]

thanks for posting that, lord knows Ive had some expensive meals in my life, but i draw the line at $12 waters

[jade408]

I have had a few ~80 dinners. Never about $100 for sure, on my dime. We have had lots of work outings with big bills, but I never saw the bill. About $80-100 per person, up to 18 people that I have attended.

I have a "splurge" dinner about 1x per quarter that costs around $60-$70 a person. It is either someones b-day or we have tapas or people go crazy with the appetizers. I generally try to stay under $30/person.

I haven't splurged on one of those fancy multi-coursed dinners yet. Lucky for me, the trend in my city is those accomplished chefs from that type of place is opening up a more casual, low key restaurant with the same level of food. (In Oakland, we have Plum, Commis, and Camino. Commis has a Michelin star.) I might have to splurge on something similar. Also, luckily in CA even cheap places have great ingredients, so I definitely don't feel like I am missing out. I also splurge on "gourmet" versions of ice cream, cupcakes, cookies, pastries, tacos, sandwiches, salumi, pasta, desserts, or cocktails. I have has pastries and ice cream from former chez panisse chefs, iron chef competitors, F&W winners, etc. The current or former chefs from the fancy places open up these great other concepts. Sure they are "expensive," but you know they are worst case $15.

[AZ_Desert]

Oh geez, maybe $65 for the two of us.

[VJP]

I think my wife and I had lunch at Lure Fishbar in NYC last year for $215.

I've been on several dinners with vendors where the tab easily exceeds $200/pp, but I wasn't paying.

[tvdxer]

If I remember correctly, the most expensive meal I ever personally paid for was about $45, at Samurai Blue in Tampa, FL (sushi) in July 2009. It was our last night together as an REU (research experience for undergraduates), we had just completed our presentations, and I was ready to splurge! The rest of the table looked at me like I had done something scandalous when the bill arrived. I felt like a pimp, to be honest.

The worst money I ever spent on a meal would have to be at the Europlaza ("Cinepolis Plaza") in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. I spent 200 pesos (about $17) on two sushi rolls and a soft drink in an (upscale) mall food court. The sushi rolls were among the worst I've ever had, and the soy sauce was sweet! The people I was with also looked at me like I had perpetrated a scandal by spending that much! They had KFC, which was a lot better.

I have been an avid diner-out at many points over the last 5 or 6 years, but have always tried to keep it at under $20 a meal for myself. Even in New York City (in 2007), I stuck to that rule for the most part and still ate very well.

I'm also more into "ethnic" cuisine, so that helps cut down on the costs too.

[Bette]

When my husband and I went on our 2nd date, he took me to a place with picnic tables - total cost around $6 - I was not raised on fast foot places and do not go there - later, we talked about it - I'd rather eat at home and have that special meal a few times a year then picking up food at a fast food place.

The food was awful and I remember I just had an iced tea. He got the hint.

Dining out to me is all about the experience - I appreciate the work involved by the staff and I don't take it lightly. In our area, many of the upscale restaurants have great deals from 4:30 to 6:30 in the evening and you can eat under $20 or $30 - we're not big drinkers but we know that's where the restaurants really make their money.

We're not big drinkers but one time we were with a couple of European descent (she was French, he was Italian) and they knew food. We had a wine that was so good I could relate to the prior poster about licking the inside of the bottle - even though we thought we had the name of it right, I've never been able to find it. It was 7 years ago and the wine and the meal were so good!! We still talk about it.

[Dennis P]

The most I ever spent on dinner was about $30.00 for a prime rib dinner at the Ritz Carlton Monarch Beach here in SoCal. This was back in 1994, so I'm sure the price has increased since then. But I have to say, that was the best prime rib I've ever had.

[alamosakid]

$25 to cook for 5 people when I was in Jamaica. $20 for a specialty pizza here in the states.

[elnina]

I think it was $450+ for two. We went to a Russian Restaurant with life music and dancing. We had many different appetizers, the main course & lots of drinks over several hours on that Saturday night. It was in 2006, I think... so today the tab would be even higher.
( Hope my friends in Frugal Living will not see this post )

[bignhfamily]

$800 for 4 of us in Denver, Co.

I'll never forget the night though I can't remember the name of the restaurant. It was 1989 and my buddy and I were 19 and traveling the country. We met some girls in Denver while visiting family and invited them out to dinner. It was an upscale place that served northern Italy cuisine. The waitress asked if she could start us with an hors d'oeuvre and and some wine. I jumped on this as we were all under age so I asked for a nice bottle of Zinfandel (the only wine I knew at the time). I think the food portion of the bill was about $300 the balance was several bottles of wine.
I almost fell over when I saw the bill, not sure if was shock or the buzz but we ended up spending almost all the money we had between us. We ended up having to stay in Denver and get jobs at a temp agency for several weeks to make enough money to continue on our journey.
Good times!