How to Spend $1,000 on Dinner for Two

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Really, it could have been a lot more- any amount really. But $1,400 to $1,800 is about the usual range.

escapetyranny.com/2011/05/14/7777/

My friend and mentor, Ben Hart, and his wife Wanda got to eat dinner at Chicago's Alinea Restaurant- Rated #1 in the United States, and # 6 in the world.



The chef who created this restaurant (as well as Next) is 36 years old. The restaurant itself is only 6 years old.

THE lesson he employed to reach this level of success? "Do a little better each day".

There are numerous lessons in this that pertain to money- and since I know this crowd well, it's going to be easy to teach the first and most important lesson I ever learned about money: DO NOT ever fear or shun money.

Be honest: what was your reaction to the headline, what's your reaction to the story?

If you fear, shun, despise (yes, some people hate money, or the thought of it), associate money with negative feelings, ascribe to it greed, selfishness, and other negative descriptions-- you will REPEL money in your life. You'll never have it, and if by some fluke you do have it- you'll find a way to sabotage yourself and get your way back to broke somehow-- or worse: your feelings will manifest in other areas of your life. You'll have money, but your health, relationships, and other areas of your life will suffer.

You don't have to love it above all else- in fact, you shouldn't. But you should explore the world of opportunity that opens up to you when you've got it, and you should embrace the fact that you want it, you welcome it, and you should celebrate with some of it when it comes in.

Spending is just as important for "normal" people as saving and investing.

[Waffle]

Silly me, When I saw the title I assumed that $1000 included some travel costs. Fine dining is wasted on me - I don't drink wine. I don't understand why rare or even medium rare meat is considered good - I could go on and on.

So, for me this is a really bad example, if you're trying to draw some conclusions about my feelings about the use of money.

[The J]

I've done a $500 dinner for 2 at WD-50. Alinea is on my culinary bucket list.

[Deleted]

A co-worker of mine once ate at The Fat Duck in London. It's one of those places where they make gels, foams and gummi forms out of normal food- the chefs must have chemistry degrees. It was dreadfully expensive and reservations had to be made months in advance. They closed a few months later after some diners got sick from food that was contaminated by a type of bacteria usually found in sewage. The headline of the London Times article was "Effluents for the Affluent". I LOVE the London Times.

But to get back to the OT- DH and I haven't gone beyond about $200 for the 2 of us for dinnner. We're willing to pay for gracious service, a quiet atmosphere so you can carry on a conversation, and the best of fresh ingredients simply prepared. It doesn't have to contain truffle oil or something our friends have never heard of, or some odd combination (medallions of pork loin in a rasberry-asparagus coulis accompanied by roasted potatoes drizzled with wasabi-infused goat broth). Our next dinner along these lines will be at a B&B in Hermann, MO, where they serve dinner in their wine cellar. It's pretty much whatever they decide to make (although they ask about likes/dislikes and allergies). We're looking foorward to a good meal and good conversation.

[lurkyloo]

Actually, it put me in mind of a newspaper article about a Claim Jumper dinner costing $500 (a ticket for a broken seatbelt, and another ticket for complaining about the first ticket).

I'm sour on fine dining lately. We went to a restaurant we used to like a lot on Monday; DH requested that they swap out the mixed greens for iceberg lettuce. The server first lied to our faces about not having iceberg (pretty stupid of him, given that they listed an iceberg wedge on the menu) then came up with about eight excuses why he couldn't do that, most of them patronizing. He also tried to take my plate before I was done, and asked if he could get us anything else while ignoring three empty soda glasses. We normally tip very generously, but that guy got stiffed--he's lucky we didn't complain to the manager

[cme1201]

"and asked if he could get us anything else while ignoring three empty soda glasses"

My largest pet peeve when eating out, if a server can't do something so simple as keeping my glass full with-out my asking, the tip will be on a napkin.

[nalto]

"My largest pet peeve when eating out, if a server can't do something so simple as keeping my glass full with-out my asking, the tip will be on a napkin."

This doesn't bother me so much. I'd like them to be on the ball, but I don't mind them asking me if I'd like a refill. Water, on the other hand...

[cavia]

I've had civet coffee.

[midjd]

Was it good, Cavia? I've always wondered about that. Notice any difference?

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

He also tried to take my plate before I was done

Good chance a server will be left with a bloody stump for this one. This is my A#1 pet peeve when dining out. I have others, but this one tops my list-- actually, it's a component of the A#1: don't rush me. I'll tip, and tip well- and if we linger, I'll pay "table rent".

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

This message has been deleted. Duplicate.

[lynnerself]

I did wonder about this part of the article.

"What happens is you are served many courses (perhaps 18 or 20 in total). Each course consists of between one and four bites of food. Then it’s onto the next course.

Each course arrives with a glass of wine that is specially suited to that particular course. "

Does that mean 18 to 20 glasses of wine?
You wouldn't be able to appreciate the quality of the food (any food) after that.

[The J]

May 15, 2011 23:23:57 GMT -5 lynnerself said:

I did wonder about this part of the article.

"What happens is you are served many courses (perhaps 18 or 20 in total). Each course consists of between one and four bites of food. Then it’s onto the next course.

Each course arrives with a glass of wine that is specially suited to that particular course. "

Does that mean 18 to 20 glasses of wine?
You wouldn't be able to appreciate the quality of the food (any food) after that.

It depends. Sometimes the same glass will accompany several courses in a row. If not, they only pour you a small amount with a specific course -- it's not a full glass. Wine pairings with a tasting menu come in tasting sized quantities.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

That $1000 on dinner is going to end up flushed away in a few hours.

[8 Bit WWBG]

...:::"Be honest: what was your reaction to the headline, what's your reaction to the story?":::...

Knowing places where it is HARD to get dinner for two for UNDER $1,000, I was not at all surprised. I'm always interested in the specifics of the menu, but in certain restaurants, a few bottles of wine and some pretty food appetizers with exotic fusion ingredients can add up very quickly. If this is really one of those menus where you get 18 or so plates and a bunch of wines, then just the effort involved in general will drive the price up.

I too wonder what the "premium" wine tasting would have been.

...:::"by roasted potatoes drizzled with wasabi-infused goat broth":::...

I first skimmed this as "wasabi-infused goat breath". Now THAT has to be worth top dollar just for its novelty.

[Angel!]

Be honest: what was your reaction to the headline, what's your reaction to the story?

I wondered what on earth $1000 meal tastes like & if any food is truly good enough to be worth that much. Or are you really paying more for the atmosphere & experience.

I am guessing the meal wouldn't be worth $1000 to me personally & there a lot of ways I could spend $1000 that would bring me much more happiness than a single meal.

[NancysSummerSip]

I don't draw the connection between fine dining and money, from either the chef's or the restaurant patron's view, but as a food writer, I can understand the desire to go to Alinea. My tastes are much simpler, very ethnic and downright strange (in a different direction from Alinea's), but it's the lure of the foodie unknown that draws people to places like this, along with WD-50 and Spain's El Bulli. It's playing with your food meets Weird Science. Just like when we were kids, only with better (and more expensive) toys.

Note to The J: WD-50 is on my list, along with Le Bernardin and The French Laundry ;D.

[dividend]

May 15, 2011 13:05:25 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Our next dinner along these lines will be at a B&B in Hermann, MO, where they serve dinner in their wine cellar. It's pretty much whatever they decide to make (although they ask about likes/dislikes and allergies). We're looking foorward to a good meal and good conversation.

What's the name of this place? We're going to bike/camp around Hermann this summer, and I'd love to know a great place to eat - otherwise we'll just sit end up drinking the night away at the Augusta brewing beer garden.

I do a $400 dinner for 2 on my birthday every year, which gets us 12 courses with wine pairings. I recognize that it's not everyone's thing, but it's worth it to me - the food is totally amazing, and unlike anything I could make myself, or even really get anywhere else.

I would love to go to Alinea. The closest I've come to like super high end dining is L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas. That was fun. They treated me very well as a solo diner, and the cute business suit wearing guys eating next to me bought me a $40 glass of of pink champagne.

[brdsl]

May 16, 2011 10:28:44 GMT -5 dividend said:

May 15, 2011 13:05:25 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Our next dinner along these lines will be at a B&B in Hermann, MO, where they serve dinner in their wine cellar. It's pretty much whatever they decide to make (although they ask about likes/dislikes and allergies). We're looking foorward to a good meal and good conversation.

What's the name of this place? We're going to bike/camp around Hermann this summer, and I'd love to know a great place to eat - otherwise we'll just sit end up drinking the night away at the Augusta brewing beer garden.

I do a $400 dinner for 2 on my birthday every year, which gets us 12 courses with wine pairings. I recognize that it's not everyone's thing, but it's worth it to me - the food is totally amazing, and unlike anything I could make myself, or even really get anywhere else.

I would love to go to Alinea. The closest I've come to like super high end dining is L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas. That was fun. They treated me very well as a solo diner, and the cute business suit wearing guys eating next to me bought me a $40 glass of of pink champagne.

WOW.... I didn't know that Hermann, MO was that widely known.

You both from the area?

[hoops902]

"Be honest: what was your reaction to the headline, what's your reaction to the story?"

That food is for sustenance and spending $1,000 on something that performs the same essential function that could be had for $5 seems silly to me. But I'm not really a foodie. Eating isn't a hobby for me, but I don't begrudge people for spending $1,000 on their hobbies if it makes them happy.

[Deleted]

May 16, 2011 10:33:10 GMT -5 brdsl said:

May 16, 2011 10:28:44 GMT -5 dividend said:

What's the name of this place? We're going to bike/camp around Hermann this summer, and I'd love to know a great place to eat - otherwise we'll just sit end up drinking the night away at the Augusta brewing beer garden.

The Alpenhorn Gasthaus. They do accept reservations from people not staying there. It's high up on a hill and just far enough out of town to be away from the noise, but an easy bike ride into town (except for the hill part).

brdsl- we knew nothing about Hermann but saw a billboard advertising it while driving on the main highway through MO. We'd been looking for a B&B we liked as much as the Eagles Mere Inn, near Philadelphia, which we'd enjoyed when we lived in NJ, and finally found it. We chose the B&B based on TripAdvisor reviews. Breakfast includes eggs just collected from their hens. Doesn't get much fresher than that! It was actually featured on one of the foodie shows.

[brdsl]

It is fairly close to me, that is why I asked.

I typically don't drink, so I haven't been.

[dividend]

Thanks Athena, that looks amazing! I am from Kansas City, so the Katy Trail is like my weekend bicycling playground. I spent this weekend biking/camping on along the trail, and I'm kind of a foodie, so I'd love have a great place to eat on our next adventure, which should have us overnighting in Hermann.

[Deleted]

May 16, 2011 11:08:04 GMT -5 dividend said:

I am from Kansas City, so the Katy Trail is like my weekend bicycling playground.

Yeah, I loved the biking part. DH isn't into it, but he was perfectly happy to hang out and read books while I bicycled, then we'd go visit a winery or a brewery. The dinner cost, BTW, does include wine so you know exactly what the final cost will be.

[HoneyBBQ]

This is the chef that had head and neck cancer, no? I think I remember an article about preserving his sense of taste with radiotherapy.

[Deleted]

May 16, 2011 11:32:11 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

I mean, I'm sure there are other places in the world where you can order 40 year old single-malt, but I haven't found them yet.

Now, DH and I would rather buy the bottle and take it home with us rather than pay the restaurant markup! BTW, if you go back to Edinburgh, try Cadenhead's Whisky Shop on the Royal Mile. They sell whisky that's poured straight from the barrel from major distillers- no blending even with the same malting, no dilution, filtering or anything else. It's cask-strength. They have a store in London, too. Late last year I scheduled an overnight in London at my own expense on the way home from a business trip to Zurich, mostly so I could stop there. I also had a fun day romping around London, though.

[thyme4change]

Yum!

[Deleted]

Since neither my wife or I drink alcohol, we've rarely had a dinner over $100. I can't even imagine spending $1000+. I can't imagine any food being worth that amount of money. Is a playmate going to service the table to help justify that?

[Deleted]

I like dinner.

[Deleted]

May 16, 2011 11:32:11 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

When we were in Scotland this past fall we ate at The Witchery in Edinburgh. Truth be told, eating there was one of the reasons we chose to go to Scotland.

Wow. I just looked at their site. DH and I have pretty much settled on Edinburgh and the Orkneys next year and I think we'll look into dinner there. At 325 pounds per night, staying there would be a little pricey (especially since we could get the Hilton Caledonian on points), but a meal would be fun.