Your most expensive restaurant bill?

[Slopho]

Originally Posted by gladhands

Biggest check I ever picked up, was 1200 (mostly wine). It wasn't the most expensive per-head, but we were a table of six. The hardest part was the tip. I did the full 240, but it wasn't easy.

Because of the service or because you have a $1500 credit limit?

 

[Manton]

Unquestionably The French Laundry. Compounded by the fact that either I effed up and ordered the wrong bottle of wine or they heard me wrong and served me the wrong bottle. In any event we drank it and paid for it.

 

[thekunk07]

6 hr meal/drinks for 6 at famed german restauarant in queens. with tip, 2300 for 6

 

[edmorel]

spent like $75 once at a Taco Bell. The people behind the counter were like astounded.

 

[jhcam8]

Several thousand piastres in a nice Saigon bar - not sure of the exchange rate, but it seemed extravagent - for what I got - at the time.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by Manton

Unquestionably The French Laundry. Compounded by the fact that either I effed up and ordered the wrong bottle of wine or they heard me wrong and served me the wrong bottle. In any event we drank it and paid for it.

When they presented you the bottle at the table, you didn't notice it was the wrong one?

My most expensive restaurant bill was last night at $195.
However, my most expensive bar tab was over 300. :/
Imdoinitrong.

 

[mordecai]

Originally Posted by edmorel

spent like $75 once at a Taco Bell. The people behind the counter were like astounded.
bullshit. i doubt they even have the resources to produce $75 worth of menu items at a single taco bell.

 

[sygyzy]

Are we talking per person? Total? Or amount that you paid personally (ie if you picked up the whole tab, paid for yourself, etc)?

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

When they presented you the bottle at the table, you didn't notice it was the wrong one?
No.

I thought I was getting a Mondavi Reserve. The vintage was correct and the label looked correct. Unbeknownst to me, the bottling I was served was a single-vinyard wine from the "To-Kalon" vinyard, a famous Napa vinyard that sources most (but not all) of the Reserve bottling and has since it started in the late '70s. I knew of the vinyard but did not know that in select years they had done limited release single-vinyard bottlings solely from this one vinyard at a substantially higher price.

I learned that day, boy did I learn.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by Manton

No.

I thought I was getting a Mondavi Reserve. The vintage was correct and the label looked correct. Unbeknownst to me, the bottling I was served was a single-vinyard wine from the "To-Kalon" vinyard, a famous Napa vinyard that sources most (but not all) of the Reserve bottling and has since it started in the late '70s. I knew of the vinyard but did not know that in select years they had done limited release single-vinyard bottlings solely from this one vinyard at a substantially higher price.

I learned that day, boy did I learn.

Damn that really sucks.

Bet it tasted incredible though.

 

[Manton]

I noticed that it tasted better than I expected it to. I had drunk the bottling I was expecting many times.

In any event, to this day I have never seen a bottle of this at retail. I know they sell it at the winery; I saw it there last year. It turns up on restaurant lists too, and I have learned how to spot it.

 

[Thomas]

Originally Posted by Bhowie

I once had a $200 bar tab in Mexico

Whoa. Were you in a resort area?

 

[Douglas]

Of course, I've had some large bills picking up a tab at a larger party, but the most expensive single meal I've ever had was at Charleston in Baltimore. I don't recall the exact amount in the end - It was something north of $500 for two, and with tip was therefore well over $600. I do remember cringing at the tip being into three figures.

I enjoyed the meal, I'm glad I did it, but I can't imagine ever eating there again. It's simply not affordable, and really I'm not sure any meal short of some kind of "destination" place like El Bulli (sadly, despite several applications, never to be) or TFL is worth that kind of money. I like to eat, but it's extravagant to a point I'm not really comfortable going.

 

[globetrotter]

maybe 5K, I get maybe 8-10 bills a year for 2-3K. all business, although I have had 2 or 3 for about that personal, took 20 friends out for my wife's 30th birthday dinner, that was about 2K. took about 30 people out to dinner for our rehersal dinner for our wedding, also about 2K.

 

[sygyzy]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

maybe 5K, I get maybe 8-10 bills a year for 2-3K. all business, although I have had 2 or 3 for about that personal, took 20 friends out for my wife's 30th birthday dinner, that was about 2K. took about 30 people out to dinner for our rehersal dinner for our wedding, also about 2K.

$67 a person for a meal is not too bad.