Board 8 > What's the most you've spent/would spend on a single item of food or drink?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Not like, pitchers or bottles of wine or sharing platters. A standard-sized meal designed for one person or one normal-sized glass worth of drink.

Inspired by the fact that I just saw a cocktail on a menu costing the equivalent of 140 USD

Havent gone anywhere super fancy. One time I spent $60 on surf and turf at a place I like though.

Food, like maybe 30 bucks

can't imagine spending more than $5 on a drink, unless I'm somewhere drinks are overpriced like a sporting event

MZero posted...

Food, like maybe 30 bucks

can't imagine spending more than $5 on a drink, unless I'm somewhere drinks are overpriced like a sporting event

In Qatar, a bottle of beer costs around 9-10 usd.

A cocktail is 20

Even in London a pint of Guinness costs $7! You've got it easy man.

I've definitely spent like $25 on drinks at venues before for shitty drinks that aren't remotely worth it. At the Nier concert last week my wife's 'double' wine glass was $22 which was crazy as it was on tap. I've been to South Beach and paid stupid prices before because they basically scam you by not telling you prices

The most I've intentionally paid for a drink knowing the cost is about $35 for a whiskey but realistically it was still a massive upcharge versus bottle cost. I regularly drink whiskey at home that is $80-120 a bottle but on a per drink basis that doesn't work out that bad. Usually when I go out drinking with my friends at the bar we go on $2 drinks night (beers are typically $5-8 per pint in Orlando)

Food wise I'd never spend more than like $15-20 if it's just me and I regularly eat gas station food for lunch. However if I'm taking my wife out for dinner we will go places that end up being $100-150 for the both of us. Which I guess probably has $40-50 ish for a single meal plate

For me, I think the most expensive meal I've bought for myself was like $30 before tax/tip

I don't drink alcohol so I can't imagine spending more than like $6 on a drink, and that's if I'm desperate

I spent $45 for a martini in Vegas but it was like bigger than my head

FFDragon posted...

I spent $45 for a martini in Vegas but it was like bigger than my head

That sounds incredible

I went to a steakhouse once where they don't put the prices on the menu. It turned out I was spending around $50 per plate.

Other than that one occasion, I think I cap out at around $25.

XIII_Rocks posted...

In Qatar, a bottle of beer costs around 9-10 usd.

A cocktail is 20

Even in London a pint of Guinness costs $7! You've got it easy man.

I should have mentioned that I don't really like alcohol

Hard to say. I've spent $350 on a meal but it was about $9/course. Another tasting menu I did was about $25/course. I would definitely do those again, and probably go up to like $50/course for the right restaurant. I can't imagine what single dish I would order that would be more than $50 though, unless it had caviar or truffles on it, which I don't really care about.

I've probably had a $25 cocktail before, but that is super painful and I would not willingly do it.

Oh I did order a $90 steak once, but it was on the company card and shared between like 7 people. Would never order it myself.

XIII_Rocks posted...

A standard-sized meal designed for one person

Does this include like...a tasting menu/prix fixe at a restaurant? Because that's more than one thing but it still just meant for one person.

For a drink, maybe $50 max? If it was something I really wanted to experience once, maybe higher.

Probably somewhere between $30 and $40, but to even go that high, it'd have to be an extraordinarily special occasion.

I guess if it's for like a high-end steak place I might consider $50-$60.

Drink max is like 18 a cocktail, and even then I might scoff at it.

Food is very different because if I'm getting a tasting menu from a top restaurant I would pay a few hundred.

Also I've been in the restaurant business for almost 15 years and I understand what actually goes into food cost, beverage cost, and labor. Anyone currently serving a cocktail for over 18ish is clearly either ripping you off or using stuff that should be just drank neat and charging you out the ass to say you had an old fashioned with some very rare whistle pig.

I went to a KBBQ place and did about 70 per person but I dunno if its considered the specific item

otherwise maybe somewhere in the 50 range for a course? Drinks maybe 20?

not including things like prefix meals or omakase uh... maybe $30? even then i'm unsure because it's not "normal sized" like the initial post asked for, those would probably be like 20, 25 tops.

if i'm going higher it's because the food size/quantity is higher or part of a bigger set that wouldn't follow the rules here. if it ain't that then it ain't worth it.

Aecioo posted...

Also I've been in the restaurant business for almost 15 years and I understand what actually goes into food cost, beverage cost, and labor. Anyone currently serving a cocktail for over 18ish is clearly either ripping you off or using stuff that should be just drank neat and charging you out the ass to say you had an old fashioned with some very rare whistle pig.

I did have a nice $20 old fashioned once with a smokey mushroom extract, and they showed me the infusion and explained how they made it. Then I easily recreated it at home. That kind of education is worth it, but it's rare.

some of the more expensive cocktails i've had involve egg whites being battered live to make the nice foam on top that overfills the glass without making it spill.

I mean there are always exceptions, like if I go to Death & Company in NYC who essentially reset the cocktail game a decade ago, I'll pay whatever they want. Or if I go to a certain place in my city who was nominated for best bar in the country a few years ago (vague because I'm there like every week >.>), I'll pay what they're asking. But that's less than one percent of places where it's worth it.

Was it 50 Best Bars that nominated them? Because I've come to highly distrust their choices

Also I feel like most places that I've seen that have charged $20 for cocktails, it's either extremely touristy or extremely good. And it's pretty easy to differentiate.

egg white is definitely an overrated way to overcharge a drink

like 40 CAD for just me at most

(30 USD)

if it's NYC cocktails i'll always recommend Dante NYC. absolutely fantastic and the main spot with egg whites i know. have had it in a few other spots but that's the premium one in my eyes.

for most places though yeah fully agree, anything past 15 is ripping you off but you pay the city tax. until you see 20, then wtf.

Sorry Wang but I looked at the menu of that place and

COSMOGRONI
grey goose l'citron. noilly dry luxardo. bitter bianco rose & cranberry 19

Yeah that's not worth $19, and I highly question their ability when I see "noilly dry luxardo".

Although this did get me curious about the prices of some of my favorite NYC cocktail bars since I haven't been there since 2019, and yeah they're all $18+ now

My parents have paid for a $60 steak for me at one point, havent paid for that myself tho

I know I spent more than $30 on a meal and more than $30 on a drink.

I guess I'm a big spender?

i wouldn't do that one either. though for a bar that's consistently top 5 of US bars, some #1, that's a premium tax you're paying.

DANTE'S GARIBALDI
campari & fluffy orange juice 15

would be the go-to.

SPICY FRESCA
ilegal mezcal. el tequileno blanco. galliano. fluffy grapefruit. sanpellegrino pompelmo. agave. smoked jalapeno. aleppo salt 20

if you like mezcal.
also gamefaqs is breaking. but you go to their signature drinks first.

I'll give it a try next time I'm in NYC, but I kinda doubt it's top 5 in Manhattan, let alone the country

XIII_Rocks posted...

That sounds incredible

https://www.ilovesugar.com/images/Candy-Martini-Bar/Page1.jpg

I spent like $40 on a steak dinner once. But I usually never go above $25. (Unless my employer is picking up the tab.)

I'm pretty firm in my belief that if you go past maybe $80 for a single person's meal (including drinks), you're purely paying for prestige/atmosphere/other things unrelated to the dish itself. Some of the most delicious and life-changing food I've ever eaten was barely more than what fast food costs these days.

i mean.

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/dante-nycs-famous-greenwich-village-bar-has-been-named-the-worlds-best-bar-100419

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/this-nyc-bar-has-been-named-the-second-best-in-the-world-110520

admittedly these lists are 2019 and 2020 but still. more recent rankings are lower (same source):

https://www.theworlds50best.com/discovery/Establishments/US/New-York/Dante.html

#6 in US for 2023, #36 global in 2022. a definite step down from its prime but by no means a weak spot. enjoy when you go. i'll also recommend this one:

GRASSHOPPER
green creme de menthe. white creme de cacao. branca menta. cream. valrhona chocolate 18

it's a dessert cocktail and absolutely delicious.

...I know what a Grasshopper is

But yeah 50 Best Bars tends to be very weird in their selections, and it seems like it is highly influenced by money/connections from I've heard (just like everything else, I guess).

I remember their top pick for SF was ABV, a bar that is just "fine". They also had the Camparino in Milan on a recent list, and that bar is pretty mediocre despite the fact that I really enjoy Campari.

I ate a ~$120 cupcake before, but it was the result of an auction where the buyer of the $2000 tray turned around and donated it back to our boss, who distributed it among the staff. Standard fare stuff.

Most expensive meal I ever had was for someone I was REALLY trying to impress, a $45 pasta dish with comparitively non-pricy $10 glasses of mid. It was really good but I'm not a fan of "business suit is underdressed" dining.

Edit: this was in the late 00s, so it's probably $25 more now, minimum.

VintageGin posted...

But yeah 50 Best Bars tends to be very weird in their selections, and it seems like it is highly influenced by money/connections from I've heard (just like everything else, I guess).

this honestly doesn't surprise me. i mean i'm always down to try places and have had my share of 'good but not great' types. biggest issue i've found with any "top bar" is that there's always something they claim to be good at but aren't really. in the case of Dante, i wouldn't bother with the Negroni personally. the signature stuff is consistently great but that category of drinks, even the bartenders are aware isn't their best offering.

VintageGin posted...

Was it 50 Best Bars that nominated them? Because I've come to highly distrust their choices

Also I feel like most places that I've seen that have charged $20 for cocktails, it's either extremely touristy or extremely good. And it's pretty easy to differentiate.

James Beard nomination

Did around $750, because I wanted to try a Michelin 3-star restaurant. Was easily one of the best meals I've ever had, but also no food is worth that price.

Xiahou_Shake posted...

I'm pretty firm in my belief that if you go past maybe $80 for a single person's meal (including drinks), you're purely paying for prestige/atmosphere/other things unrelated to the dish itself. Some of the most delicious and life-changing food I've ever eaten was barely more than what fast food costs these days.

That's way too low. Tasting menus start at like $100.

Some of my fav food ever is in the $10 range, but there's a lot of great stuff at the top end too.

All these sweet drink descriptions are making me gag. Just have a regular drink and then eat a pint of ice cream later if you want the same effect.

I dont think theres ever been a time where I regret spending some absurd amount of money on a dish. Its always been worth the price. Of course, this only applies to when money was not a big factor. I would certainly have regrets it I bought a 200 dollar steak and I was late on rent or something

iiaattgg posted...

I dont think theres ever been a time where I regret spending some absurd amount of money on a dish. Its always been worth the price. Of course, this only applies to when money was not a big factor. I would certainly have regrets it I bought a 200 dollar steak and I was late on rent or something

While biased, I always try and explain it simply. You can spend a few hundred for a concert. Take a trip to somewhere you've never been. Go to a football game which lasts three hours. Why spending a few hundred for a restaurant experience which blows your hair back is considered beneath other experiences that last the same or slightly longer will always baffle me.

iiaattgg posted...

I dont think theres ever been a time where I regret spending some absurd amount of money on a dish. Its always been worth the price. Of course, this only applies to when money was not a big factor. I would certainly have regrets it I bought a 200 dollar steak and I was late on rent or something

I don't know if regret is the right word, but I've definitely had some high-priced meals that were kinda forgettable overall (aside from like one or two dishes). Others were so good that I still think about them. I feel like it can kinda be hard to tell which of the two you're gonna get, and it's a little disappointing when a meal is closer to the former.

Wanglicious posted...

this honestly doesn't surprise me. i mean i'm always down to try places and have had my share of 'good but not great' types. biggest issue i've found with any "top bar" is that there's always something they claim to be good at but aren't really. in the case of Dante, i wouldn't bother with the Negroni personally. the signature stuff is consistently great but that category of drinks, even the bartenders are aware isn't their best offering.

Well if you want to try some other cocktail bars in NYC:

Mace
Amor y Amargo
PDT

These are all pretty great cocktail bars that are among some of the best I've been to. Although that's also assuming none of them went downhill since I last was in NYC. I've also heard a lot of good things about Double Chicken Please, and Death & Co is a classic. People also love Attaboy, but I had a pretty underwhelming experience there.

The time/opportunity cost of a disappointing meal is the worst part really. The high price just adds insult to injury. In DC new places would open up all the time with great reviews and word of mouth and prob 2/3rd of the time they were really meh. Can't really get that time & excitement back.

It's undeniable that price factors into overall enjoyment though. Your lizard brain is always thinking about it. But the way I see it is, if it's a rare occasion, then it doesn't really matter whether it's $100 or $200 in the grand scheme. But if it's a regular spot, then the difference really adds up. I have a cheap local place that I've gone to prob 300 times in my life. If their prices were just 50c higher, that would cost me as much as an entire $150 tasting menu. I know some people are regulars at expensive restaurants but I doubt that's any of us.

When I first got a "real" job I was eating $50 American wagyu steaks from a butcher near me like every Friday. I started eating my steak black and blue because it was so good, but that price added up and was not sustainable lol.

Something I find interesting is how people view different types of food and how much they "should" cost.

I keep seeing a bunch of posts about a $22 birria burrito in SF. When I see how many people are outraged about it, I wonder if they would be similarly outraged by a $22 sandwich that advertised itself as a wagyu brisket sandwich with an artisan bun baked in-house. I also wonder how many of those same people would say that a banh mi should be no more than $3.50, while not applying the same standards to other sandwiches.

VintageGin posted...

Something I find interesting is how people view different types of food and how much they "should" cost.

I keep seeing a bunch of posts about a $22 birria burrito in SF. When I see how many people are outraged about it, I wonder if they would be similarly outraged by a $22 sandwich that advertised itself as a wagyu brisket sandwich with an artisan bun baked in-house. I also wonder how many of those same people would say that a banh mi should be no more than $3.50, while not applying the same standards to other sandwiches.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/oct/21/harrods-28-sandwich-we-find-out-if-the-taste-matches-the-price-tag

Reminds me of this article I remember reading last year

Those aren't the best examples. Wagyu sandwiches do typically get into the $30-40 range, same with lobster rolls. You should suspect ones that don't since they are probably fake and bad. Banh mi is supposed to be $4 for the same reason, since the $10-15 ones typically taste worse with a bunch of extra crap.

Complaining about a birria burrito for $22 is different though. Birria is a super premium food that should be expensive, but burritos and Mexican food in general are seen as cheap crap food in the US. So that one is more about racism than actual value judgment.