How Much Would You Pay for Dinner?

[Tron]

I went to Katana a couple of months ago, and I thought it was absolutely excellent. It was definitely the best sushi I'd ever had, but then again I haven't eaten much expensive sushi in my life. I also really liked the atmosphere; I ate at the bar and the chefs were really cool and fun.

I liked how for every old Japanese chef they had at least two cute blonde hostesses (and there were about a dozen chefs).

[private joker]

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You certainly won't find a good "deal" at Urasawa...but I've eaten a lot of sushi in my life, and I've never had anything that compares. Plus, I got to eat blowfish for the first time, and I'm still alive.

They served Kobe beef too, the real stuff from Japan and not the version that is raised here in America...just a single bite, briefly grilled, but unlike any beef I've ever had (and steak is my co-favorite food, along with sushi).

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I guess I shouldn't have used the word "deal." Maybe "less painful" than Urasawa. Some of us don't have 400 clams to blow on supper, but if you want a nice night out and treat a lady to a classy sushi restaurant for a total tab of under $200, Katana is the place. It's also great for drinks. My only problem with it was the service, but I was there on an extraordinarily busy night.

[sfer]

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Well, the best meal of my life so far has been at Peter Luger. With my dad and my brother and soup to nuts it was around $400.

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I love Luger. Half of that had to be wine. In the universe of NY steakhouses Luger is not expensive.

[sfer]

The recently opened Masa is apparently $500+ per head and beat out Alain Ducasse as the pricest meal in NYC.

[Ulysses]

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The recently opened Masa is apparently $500+ per head and beat out Alain Ducasse as the pricest meal in NYC.

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A buddy of mine just paid about $600 per head for tasting menu + wine pairing + truffle course at Thomas Keller's new place in NYC.

[Ulysses]

Have you been to Nobu? If so, how would you say they stack up relative to each other?

Also, did you have a chef's selection or did you mix and match? Were any of the individual items super-expensive, and if so how much (I imagine the blowfish alone might have been a ton and if you got the Kobe beef, that can be super-pricey)? Did you have a lot of expensive alcohol?

Just curious as to whether your tab is what it costs to have a really great meal there of if you really splurged on a ton of expensive optional items and could have gotten away a lot cheaper if you wanted.

[edtost]

luger is awesome, and it's not even close.

[PokerCat69]

I can't see spending over $100 on myself. Not that I'm cheap I just don't know what to order that would make the price so expensive. A steak dinner maybe $40 tops, and that leaves alot of money left over for beer.

As for Japanese Food, I eat at a place that has a $34 all you can eat meal, then 2-3 large sakkes(sp?) still brings the bill under $100.

I'm not a wine drinker, maybe this is the reason.

[Six_of_One]

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Have you been to Nobu? If so, how would you say they stack up relative to each other?

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I haven't been to Nobu. I'd like to go, I just haven't gotten to it yet. My friends are too cheap, and my girlfriend doesn't like sushi [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] But, Urasawa is a place I can go by myself...there is only the sushi bar, and it seats 10. They don't turn the seats at all, so they can only serve a maximum of 10 people per night.

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Also, did you have a chef's selection or did you mix and match?

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At Urasawa, chef's choice is the only option. The cost is $250 per person...that includes the Kobe beef, the blowfish (when in season), several cooked courses at the beginning of the meal (such as lobster and foie gras shabu-shabu...amazing stuff), sashimi served atop an ice sculpture, and a bunch of sushi, all of it fantastic.

The $250, plus two tall Sapporo's at $10 each, plus tax and tip resulted in the final bill. It's not really possible to get away much cheaper, unless you give a smaller tip I guess.

It was a ridiculous amount of food, and I was there for almost 4 hours (I took my time...you could get in and out in 2 hours probably if you really wanted to). He kept asking me how I was feeling, if I was full yet, and as long as I said no, he kept giving me more stuff.

[sfer]

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A buddy of mine just paid about $600 per head for tasting menu + wine pairing + truffle course at Thomas Keller's new place in NYC.

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Per Se. I'll be there in 12 days. I hope I like it as much as French Laundry.