The expensive restaurants don’t just promise you a good meal but try and create an experience around that meal. The price tags for such meals may seem absurdly excessive to most of us. But the offers are created at those price points as there are takers for them with extremely deep pockets. The Old Homestead restaurant in New York City recently devised a package for four person meal priced at $35,000. Apart from a Thanksgiving dinner that included edible 24-carat gold flakes, sweet potatoes topped with caviar, and squab alongside the turkey it offered city experiences such as grandstand seating at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and a shopping spree.
There are 30 restaurants in America who offer lavish dinners all year round. Based on current menu prices we are listing below ten of America’s most expensive restaurants. All these restaurants have created a niche for themselves and that’s the reason why they are able to charge such exorbitant prices despite it being a competitive business.
1. Masa, New York City
• Masa Takayama established this restaurant as the premier sushi spot in New York City in the swanky Time Warner Center. The interiors of the restaurant have been designed to create a hushed and intimate setting. The diners are offered an evening of exquisite food and exotic presentations. They promise an authentic cuisine and fly the fish along with some other ingredients from Japan. For dinner at this Three-Michelin-star venue, you’ll pay a minimum of $450 per person before tip.
• 2. Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas
• Robuchon is justifiably considered one of the greatest modern French Chefs. This is the first restaurant opened in America by the award winning chef. Located in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino it boasts of an opulently furnished dining room. From the very beginning it has maintained a very high standard in terms of the service, food and the accompanying wine list. Its signature dishes such as La Langoustine and truffled langoustine ravioli with chopped cabbage are finely crafted. There menu offers a 16-course meal that promises to be memorable at $425 a head. You have to pay extra for the wine you order. However they also offer a five-course tasting menu, at $195 which is very popular with the diners.
• 3. Urasawa, Beverly Hills, Calif.
This is a small and cozy set-up located in a shopping center off Rodeo Drive. Considered a Japanese culinary shrine, it features a sushi bar and just enough room for 10 diners nightly. It has often been compared to New York City’s Masa and the similarities are natural as Urasawa chef-owner Hiroyuki Urasawa trained under Masa Takayama before opening his restaurant. Urasawa has a nearly 30-course omakase menu, priced at $395. They offer different variations every day.
• 4. Guy Savoy, Las Vegas
Savoy is known for creating the best in contemporary ingredient-based French cooking. His flagship in Paris has deservedly received three Michelin stars and he has managed to successfully transfer the same standards, taste and flavor to his restaurant in Las Vegas. The highlights of his menu are artichoke and black truffle soup, red mullet fillet, frozen cauliflower mousse. The premium offering of the restaurant is a 14-course Innovation menu priced at $375. A nine-course Signature menu is priced at. À La Carte menu is also available.
5. Per Se, New York City
• This restaurant holds the pride of place in Thomas Keller’s restaurant empire. And justifiably so as Per Se remains a must-visit dining experience in New York. They have consistently maintained the high standards of excellent cuisine and customer service. The location of the restaurant also adds to the dining experience as its elegantly luxurious dining room overlooks the Central Park. Its friendly wait staff and an open fire ensure that it is a warm experience. They offer two nine-course tasting menus daily for $310 each. The premium restaurant boasts of three-star Michelin Guide rating, two four-star reviews from The New York Times and the “Outstanding Service Award†from the James Beard Foundation in 2011. They offer you the experience that you will remember for a long time.
• 6. The French Laundry, Yountville, Calif.
This is another gem from Chef Thomas Keller’s restaurant empire. His approach to French cuisine is fairly classical technique, and through his restaurant The French Laundry he has managed to establish new standards for fine dining in America. In 2012, Keller and The French Laundry received the coveted AAA Five Diamond Award, and the restaurant has been given the Michelin Guide San Francisco’s highest rating of three stars six years in a row. At this exclusive restaurant he offers two daily nine-course tasting menus, a Chef’s Tasting Menu and a Vegetable Tasting Menu, for $295 per head. Try it and you won’t mind the high price tag.
• 7. Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare is located in the lower level of a gourmet grocery store in downtown Brooklyn. The upscale restaurant is the recipient of Michelin’s three stars and enjoys the reputation of being one of the toughest tables to book in New York City. It is a small and exclusive set-up that offers only 18 seats of communal dining. They boast of a loyal clientele who swear by the quality of the food and don’t mind being in queue of the reservation line. Seafood, mostly shellfish, is the highlight of the meal here. The prix fixe dinner comes in at least 20 small-plate courses and it changes daily. $255 is the current prix fixe price. Taxes and 20% service charge is extra. They also serve wine now with the price of a bottle starting at $60.
• 8. Saison, San Francisco
Saison is the recipient of three stars from the Michelin Guide. Unlike most of the other restaurants in this list Saison has a more laid-back atmosphere. Apart from the food the differentiator is an open kitchen that allows diners to see the meticulous preparation of dishes of extraordinary freshness, from a standout tomato salad to the trout roe. They offer a tasting menu at $248 for an eight-course meal. They also offer an enhanced “Discovery†menu at varying prices. They offer a customized wine pairing for $248 but it is optional.
9. Baumé, Palo Alto, Calif.
Baumé, owned and managed by Bruno Chemel is a two-Michelin-starred restaurant. It has ben named after the French chemist Antoine Baumé. The exclusive restaurant is known for its modern approach to French cuisine. They offer an eight-course dinner tasting menu at $238 per person; the six-course lunch tasting menu is $178. In both cases, service is complimentary. In case you want to opt for a full service meal then you must have time on your hand as you will be served an array of dishes over a few hours. Their 62 Degree Jidori Egg, Avocado Kohlrabi, and Golden Osetra Caviar are the highlights of their menu.
• 10. The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, Calif.
The Restaurant run by Chef Chris Kostow is one of the best known dining spot in Napa Valley. Their approach is different as they create food custom-suited to each guest. It is prepared based on a process of communication. The restaurant received a James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Service for 2014. In 2013, chef Kostow got the James Beard Award for Best Chef: West. A Chef’s Tasting Menu of nine or ten courses is offered each evening for $225 per person, and wine pairings for each course are offered for an additional $225 per person.
Via: foxnews
