<p>Nrdsb4, I think you have missed a few things. One example… Google Tom Perkins and Nazis.</p>
<p>I am not that creative. 
The argument is out there. </p>
<p>Wow, $900 for a vegetarian meal for 4 without alcohol is steep in my book as well. I consider paying $40-50 per person high and $100 per person very high. Can’t remember ever paying $450 per couple for a nice meal. Maybe if YOU choose the place to dine or do other things?</p>
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</p>
<p>I meant to, but you posted in the meantime, so it looked like I was asking you. Should have used the quote feature, but I have a warm cat lying on my lap, purring body stretched out over my arms as I type, so I didn’t bother. Why in the world I let her do that I have no idea.</p>
<p>Himom, Yeah… We are good. There was wine. I did not have any. One or two bottles max.</p>
<p>We were eating works of art. </p>
<p>Thr restaurant was owned by a couple. The wife had an affair with the chef if I remember correctly. Rumor was they did it on a dining room table. Who can blame her? The food was excellent. </p>
<p>The restaurant closed.</p>
<p>The wine must have been expensive, that’s the only thing I can imagine costing so much, especially for a vegetarian meal. It was bizarre that your friend was unaware that was a ridiculous amount of money. He must think you’re a billionaire. I think the most expensive meal we ever had was about $100, and that was for three of us. Kid got a hamburger and we got appetizers, maybe a beer. Good food, but it was outrageous. I wouldn’t mind spending that for a full and delicious meal, including wine. We probably had a significantly higher income than the people we were with, but they were comfortable spending that kind of money for a meal. We were horrified.</p>
<p>I think I’m one of those that is content, more or less, to be in whatever bracket I’m in. </p>
<p>I am by no means rich. I’m sure I still fall under poverty. However, I’m getting paid more than ever before as a GSI and a few weeks ago, I was able to buy a ~$220 chromebook without blinking and THAT made me feel wealthy! </p>
<p>The numbers put forth here are mind-boggling to me. Even median income numbers. </p>
<p>With that said, I’ve rarely felt poor. Probably because my closest friends have always been those bordering on homelessness. My ex and best friend were both homeless on and off throughout high school. Having a stable house made me feel rich even if we often struggled to buy gas. </p>
<p>I don’t know his thinking process on this. He works in the financial industry. I worked in the financial industry.</p>
<p>He is wealthy. There is no disputing this. :)</p>
<p>Maybe, he was as surprised by the costs as we were and didn’t say anything. </p>
<p>It is all speculation. </p>
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<p>Of course it doesn’t mean the same thing. I don’t worry about affording the things I need, but I usually put a big effort into finding exactly what I want, and I love to get a great deal. Having money doesn’t mean wasting money…I worked hard for it and I want to keep as much of it as possible.</p>
<p>Most of my family members have to juggle expenses - my sister recently needed a new hot water heater, plus other necessary home repairs. She couldn’t afford those and the mortgage payment, so I paid her mortgage for a couple of months. Of course, that is the other extreme. It does bring up another luxury of the “rich” - being able to help the less fortunate, whether it be family or donating to charity. </p>
<p>
Thanks for the LOL of the day. I once had dinner at a Thai restaurant in Santa Barbara where the owner’s daughter was changing a baby’s diaper on a dining table in the restaurant. Now that’s rich.</p>
<p>^^^and money doesn’t buy class!</p>
<p>Momsquad, ooooooh. I don’t think I would eat at the Thai place again. Did you?</p>
<p>“I was having dinner with one friend and his wife. They are very nice. They said, let’s go eat at this restaurant… It is vegetarian. I said, “great”. How much can vegetables cost?”</p>
<p>I don’t believe for a minute that a dinner for four cost $900, unless you were drinking expensive wine and were oblivious to that fact. I also don’t believe for a minute that these people “didn’t realize” that that was a big sum of money for a meal. Even Donald Trump (or insert rich person of choice) knows that that’s a lot of money for a meal. This sounds like a made-up story. </p>
<p>I said there was wine. I rarely drink. I never looked at the wine list.
The $900 includes the tip. I knew the waiter. I tip 20 percent or more of the bill.</p>
<p>I think I explained everything else. </p>
<p>I don’t make things up. Sorry.</p>
<p>Sounds completely plausible to me. In NYC, that is easy. In a decent restaurant, I’ve had a hard time getting out in less than $100 per person without any wine, appetizers or dessert.</p>
<p>There is a sushi restaurant near here at Two Rodeo. I have never been there. So, the information is from 1 family that I know went there and rumor. It is $1,000 per person. Every plate is a piece of art work. Although I do know that an in and out burger and this sushi exits the same way. </p>
<p>Yeah, that’s it, he must be making things up! I’m cracking up, here 
</p>
<p>I think the best choice may have been to pretend one doesn’t want any wine, and when the bill comes, ask for separate checks. It would be tacky to ask someone else to pay for expensive wine if they had none. However, if you take one sip, people might consider you as sharing the wine. Or you could be honest like me and say, “Holy crap, this place is expensive! I’ll just have water. And a cracker.”</p>
<p>There are not many $300 a plate restaurants, but there are a few. It’s odd that you didn’t have some idea beforehand, @dstark, because in most large cities these restaurants are usually well known. </p>
<p><a href=“http://gonyc.about.com/od/restaurants/tp/most_expensive.htm”>http://gonyc.about.com/od/restaurants/tp/most_expensive.htm</a></p>
<p>We dine once a month with a couple we’ve known for decades - I consider them close friends. He’s very knowledgable about wine and can afford to order anything he wants. Financially, we’re in a similar place. We always insist that he pick the wine for dinner but he always discreetly shows my H his choice on the menu before ordering. Just good manners. I don’t know anyone who is so presumptuous as to order a $200-$300 bottle of wine without mentioning it, especially if the other couple doesn’t even drink. </p>
<p>Bevhills, :).</p>
<p>I am pretty sure I know the name of the restaurant. I did not keep the receipt. I guess I should have. ;)</p>
<p>I did not know what the wine cost.
We split the bill. That might be a male thing.</p>
<p>I did know the food cost too much (After we got there ). That is why we only ate there once. ;)</p>
<p>My wife and I went out Friday night. No drinks. Costs us a little over $100. I dont like that. I like spending $450 less though. :)</p>
<p>@dstark,</p>
<ol>
<li> I believe the story of the bill at the restaurant.</li>
<li> I believe you meant it when you said that they’re a nice couple. </li>
<li> I’m not sure that I believe that they are, in fact, as nice a couple as you think. You know them better than I do, obviously, just sayin’.</li>
</ol>
<p>If I recommend a restaurant that I know is 2,3, or 4 standard deviations more expensive than average, I discuss that before we agree to go there, or invite by saying “there’s a new vegetarian restaurant that we would like to invite you to as our guests.”
If I recommend a restaurant not knowing it is expensive But figure it out when I see the menu, I figure out some respectful way to make it our treat (which might be as simple as leaving the table and telling the staff that we would like the check delivered to us, away from the table, after the meal).</p>
<p>My wife drinks. Does not like to spend more than $20 a bottle. I wrote on another thread that there are wine labels made up that say WSWB.</p>
<p>(This is true. My wife 's picture is on some of the labels ). </p>
<p>That means Wines S Won’t Buy. S is my wife 's initial. </p>