$1,000 dinner for two now common in NYC

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Per Se raised prices so that there are now 15 restaurants in NYC where dinner for two crosses into 4 figures. Sans a bottle of wine.

I’ve been to some of the places but the thing that drove the bill past that mark was a bottle of wine. I’m not sure I can rationalize paying that much for just the meal for 2. I can pay but I don’t think I want to. It’s the same thing that has held me back from the $400 sushi omakase. At some point it feels like I’m being taken advantage of.

Would you pay that much for a meal?

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is “common”?

I think the most expensive meal I’ve had thus far was $375 all in, at Per Se, in the Salon, about 12 years ago (so it would obviously be a lot pricier now). I rule nothing out, but I’ve yet to see a 4 (or even 3) figure menu that inspired me to want to splurge. If someone let me design my own tasting menu, that would be cool.

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If I were filthy rich, and $1,000 meant as much to me as $10 matters to me now, perhaps. Being that it is not, nor will it ever be the case… absolutely not.

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I do extensive budgeting for my home and my electric for the entire year of 2022 was $1,000.37. So there is no way I would spend $1,000.00 for one meal.
Even if someone gave me $1,000.00, I would do something more rewarding and constructive with it.

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No, or not for any ordinary circumstance. I can afford doing so, but I just can’t countenance it. Even on holidays with my family of six, the most I’ve paid for a meal is about $70 per person (no alcohol ordered).

Maybe my imagination is lacking, but I can’t imagine any time I’d think that a simple dinner (absent wines etc.) was worth $500 per person for a couple.

Just plain no.

No.

Solid No.

LoL.

Disclaimer - I haven’t eaten in Manhattan in 15 or more years. I have eaten (relatively fine dining on expense account) in LA, SF, Geneva, Basel, more recently and they weren’t that bad.

Why is this news?

It’s been pretty common now for the last couple of years.

It’s NYC. It’s an expensive city.

I have a “milestone” birthday coming up this year, and I’ve been toying with the idea of an expensive meal like this. But I cannot in good conscience spend that kind of money on a single meal. Even if it did include wine, I can’t wrap my head around it. Maybe $500 with wine for two, as a very special occasion, but in Manhattan that’s not really so special anymore. And if I didn’t like the food, I’d be kicking myself for not just bringing a bunch of friends to Katz’s or renting out B&H Dairy for an evening instead.

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Same, and that is key. Typically the food doesn’t get exponentially better once you start paying these prices, it’s more to do with keeping the clientele elite.

When we were at Oceans a while ago, we let it loose entirely, ordering cocktails at the bar before sitting down, and then the whole shebang at dinner. I think we paid around 250-300 per person and it was worth it. That is around the max I’d pay, regardless of being an expense account or personal account.

Last year my most expensive dinner (own money) was at Virtus in Paris, around 175 per person, and it was one of the worst meals we had there. Not bad per se, but just not as good as other lower priced places.

I did once spend 200 dollars per person on omakase in Hong Kong (10 years ago so pretty expensive) and that was worth it, but I would only want to do it again if I know the place is very good.

No, I don’t think I would.

By comparision, I’ve just looked at a couple of high end British restaurants, neither in London (one of the outskirts of the capital, the other in rural Wales). Per person, both charge £350 ($423, €396). That’s without drinks but I think service is included in both. And, no, I wouldnt pay that either.

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I recall it really getting going oddly enough after Covid started but it was slow going until 2022. NYC is expensive. What my apartment costs on a square foot basis is pretty ridiculous. My parking space costs what used to be rent in some places. But I wonder who will pay this amount. I work for a large multinational firm. We do a lot of high end client entertaining. Even there we have a max per person budget and it’s way lower than $1,000 a person. I think most firms would have a problem if you dropped off a T&E at that level. I used to think many of the high end places were full of the expense account crowd. I don’t think that will be the case at the very top end any more. No more Russian oligarchs either.

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To each their own…for me, $1k is a goodly chunk of a round trip plane ticket to Europe

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I just don’t care for what you get spending that much. Wagyu, foie, huge kabor with tweezers and lab equipment to arrange the plate… does nothing for me. We spent 8 days in NYC and spent less than $1000 and were on a food high almost the entire week.

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see Charleston in Fells Point / Baltimore MD
extensive menu, pick course qty, pick anything you want.
one of the best we’ve been to - and the only one that let’s you ‘have it your way’

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Interesting! I had a wonderful anniversary dinner there, but that was easily over a decade ago.

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I can imagine being rich enough so the old joke about owning a yacht applies: “How much does it cost to own one?” “If you have to ask you can’t afford it”. For me it’d probably be a waste since I undoubtedly would be way happier with a really good burger & fries. (which is now typically $15-$20 across the US)

No.

Other things I would spend $1000 on:
A couple days in the Caribbean in a really nice hotel suite.
A few really nice pieces of Le Creuset ECI or Mauviel Copper.
Two weeks worth of groceries from the “fancy” market.
Restocking my wine closest with some $30-50 bottles.

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That’s one impressive wine list (book?) The food looks good too :wink:

Airfare and accommodation for a week in Morocco. Of course, I would probably have to bring Kay along so it would be more like $1600.

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I wish I remembered details of our anni dinner. It was several courses, but I don’t think we got to choose back then. It might’ve been their ‘spring’ dinner or some such. It was also far more affordable than it is now (for us).

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