How much would you pay for a really good dinner?

[mom2morgan]

Just a curiosity thing ;-) I was looking at the menu for Victoria and Albert's, just for fun. My hubby says "maybe we can do that for our 25th anniversary." And I realized that I can NOT spend that kind of money on a meal. Even if we saved for it, and planned it as a special occasion, I really couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money for food. I see add-on items for things like Iranian caviar ($380) and wonder if there ARE ordinary folk out there (not super-rich celebrities, obviously ;-) who would consider a super fancy dinner to be an indulgence worth several hundred dollars. (On the OTHER hand, we ate at Cali Grill last time - and I have friends who tell me they'd never spend THAT kind of money on a consumable, so clearly I'm not the most frugal!. We must all have our own "set point" on how much we can see paying for food)

[Disney Hungarian]

I am the most "frugal" eater I know. To me; 3 bean burritos and a water at taco bell is an all u can eat burrito buffet for less than $4. Heaven.

But, I also make exceptions for certain occasions. If it was my 25th anniversary (I only made it 16) then the expense would be warranted by the memories. It is something that I would have a problem being "cheap" with.
To each their own.

If the meal is important to you as a couple and want to have a "devil may care" attitude with money and just savor in the opulence then I say; GO FOR IT!

If you will be battling regret for spending a whole mortgage payment on one meal; then I would definitely consider different alternatives.

Romance doesn't mean spending money. It has much more to do with spending "Quality" time. A nice bottle of wine and a picnic on the beach of the Polynesian Resort while enjoying the water parade and the fireworks is awesome in my book and wont make the accountant shake their head in confusion.

Figure out what the two of you find romantic and will make the best way to encapsulate and cherish the time you have been together. Then no matter what it costs; it will be worth more than money.

Just my 2 cents.

[dmallan]

Nope, we would never spend that much on a meal. We did Narcoossee's on our last trip, but we had free dining, so it's a little different. We probably would not have paid OOP for that meal though.
I'm always thinking "how many groceries could I have purchased for what we spent on that meal?" When we're at Disney, I try to leave those thoughts at home, but it's hard when you're forking over $50 for two people for breakfast!

[Mickey'sGirl]

I am as frugal as they come, but as a foodie, I would absolutely love (and sincerely hope we will be able) to do Victoria & Albert's Chef Table for our 20th or 25th Anniversary (we're coming up on 18, so it's not that far off!). I can see both my husband and I really enjoying the face time in the kitchen, and the good food.

[VWL Mom]

We have not had the opportunity to try it yet but I do plan on going some day when DS15 is off to college, maybe our 35th anniversary in 2014.

Personally, I would much rather do something on this level (with the wine pairings) and enjoy the experience with DH than spend money on gifts which we both have more than enough of.

[Ian]

We certainly would, if it was something we liked. We've spend several hundred dollars on dinner at high-end steakhouses many times.

But to me caviar is so no ... I wouldn't drop $380 on salty fish eggs!

[SBETigg]

Yes, I'm a normal person and my husband and I enjoy fine dining and culinary adventures. You're not just spending the money on food. It's an experience, a memory that stays with you. We still talk about some of our extraordinary dinners. You would pay it for a vacation, maybe? Which is as fleeting as food-- but you do it for the good time and the memories. Same kind of thing. We don't dine extravagantly every day, but on special occasions.

Also, I will spend for spa treatments, like our couples day at the Grand Floridian spa. It's not food, but it's another one of those expenditures for something that doesn't last... Worth every penny to me. Life is short. I'm living it.

[awaggett]

We are fairly "normal" folks who loved, loved, loved Victoria and Albert's two years ago. It is a meal we still talk about! We didn't add the caviar but we did add on Wagyu beef and special coffee service. It was truly an amazing experience!

[luvdiznee]

For places like Jiko, Yachtsman and California Grill, I did not regret putting the $$$ out for those meals. And of course we don't eat at those type of places at home. For me and DD it was easily $75. And that is usually sharing an appetizer or a desert. Though we did that to have enough room for our entree. But probably not too bad for some people. But this is while we are on vacation. And it is nice to have some decent meals.

[MOJoe]

I would say yes, if you enjoy fine dining, then for a very special occasion, money should not be the deciding factor. My wife teaches, and i own/manage a retail store. We are not high income people. But every so often we will treat ourselves to a very expensive meal. We dress up, and pretend for an evening that money grows on money trees, and we own lots of 'em.

This is something we can afford and enjoy. However, i know lots of people, including some relatives, that just can't stomach it. They literally are so conscious of the high cost, that the meal is unsatisfying. An argument usually ensues when the bill comes, making an already uncomfortable situation even worse. These relatives make at least as much as my wife and i. But their outlook on how they spend their "entertainment dollars" is very different.

[Mousemates]

Victoria and Albert's is a major splurge, no way around it. But even very normal people splurge, especially on special occasions-- so if a peron views a dinner at V&A as being "splurge worthy" I say go for it.

However, for whatever reason V&A just doesn't appeal to us...part of it is the price I'm sure, but it's really just not an "us" kind of thing. Our disney splurge meals tend to belong to two establishments Artist's Point and the California Grill.

I guess if I were to have to put a price on my general limit for a splurge for the two of us it would be someplace in the neighborhood of $120....which is typically a lot of food since we don't ever have much of a drink bill.

[Jillirose]

I guess if I were to have to put a price on my general limit for a splurge for the two of us it would be someplace in the neighborhood of $120....which is typically a lot of food since we don't ever have much of a drink bill.

[disneyboundagain]

We are fortunate enough that we could splurge on expensive meals if we wanted to. I just find that I can't enjoy the meal knowing how much it will cost. A few years back we had Christmas dinner at Fulton's, and with a $160 tab for DW, myself, and our two kids that were both under 3 at the time, I just didn't enjoy the meal. During our most recent trip, DW made a reservation for Shula's. I politely asked if we could cancel, and thankfully she complied. As much as I like steak, I know I just wouldn't have enjoyed it.

On the other hand, I have several hobbies that are significantly more expensive that any of these meals. Some may consider them wastefull, but I really enjoy them.

It all comes down to "what do you want"? If you want to try it, go for it. You only live once, and you can't take it with you. If you aren't comfortable, then don't risk spending a lot of money and not enjoying it or having regrets.

On a side note, if you do decide to try the $380 "salty fish eggs", let us know how they are, 'cause I sure as heck would never try them...

[lovin'fl]

Honestly, I'd rather get more for that kind of $$$...more bang for my buck. I love food and, therefore, love to eat out a lot. But, we typically keep our tab between $20-80 for 5 of us (lots of Subway and Applebees and the local diner and pizza shop). Every now and then I like to have a date night and go to the nicer places, but even then we tend to do happy hour- 1/2 price apps and a couple of drinks. If my DH gave me $300 or so to spend on our anniversary, I'd find a 3-4 day cruise to go on (now we'd maybe have to drop more $$$ for the DH to go too) instead of going to a restaurant and spending it all on 1 meal. Last weekend, we went to dinner with DH's sister and her DH (that was our Xmas present to each other). SIL picked the Chop House and the bill, before tip, was nearly $300. The meal was delish, we got filet and sides and 2 drinks each and 2 desserts to share. It was a lot of food and really really good food, but I felt sick for days thinking about it(about what I could get for $175-our share of the final tab) and regret going. I don't think we will ever go again. So...no...I wouldn't do Victoria and Albert's.

[lynnek]

We don't eat out much unless it is a special occasion or we are on vacation. When we do, we splurge. Even my kids 10 and 12 loved the signature dining choices we made. We travel frequently to NYC and have a lot of fun choosing different dining experiences. KraftBar comes to mind as well as Dim Sum. I think we would do V and A without the kids though! The kids would try the salty fish eggs, definitely. I too like the experiences like great dining or the spa treatments and will pay for it.

[WishesFan13]

I agree with Sherri, DH and i enjoy the experience of a good meal. We have yet to do V&A but it's on our list for sometime in the future. Disney has made us more adventurous eaters with free dining and the food & wine festival normally going on when we vacation; we have tried some wonderful things we wouldn't have at home. We're now dvc members so free dining is no longer an option, but we have gotten used to table service meals and pay oop for quite a few during our trips. September will be our first trip with our baby DS, but we're hoping we'll be able to splurge on a signature meal while grandma babysits.

[AHOTE]

I can relate to all of the comments posted in this thread. I have a slightly different angle to my thinking now. I’m at the age where I am going to start indulging myself a bit more. Call it a bucket list if you’d like but I am going to do some of the things I’ve dreamed of doing over the years and haven‘t. Six months ago I would have said no way to such a dining experience.
For the past three years I’ve been the primary care giver for a parent with dementia. I cherish that experience and wouldn’t change a thing even though it’s been difficult at times. Mom is now in the care of professionals who are better able to see to her ever changing needs. Sitting in the common room at the care center my thoughts turned to those in the room. I wondered what were they like before dementia robbed them of their achievements and memories? It made me realized that I too could one day be in that same position. You can never tell what lays ahead and I decided right then and there that I’m not going live my life regretting the fact that I haven’t done more of the things I’ve dreamed about.
I no longer save things for a special occasion. Special occasions come and go all the time and those saved items remain unused and forgotten on the shelf.
This next trip will contain a surprise for three old friends with whom I’ll be traveling. I will make reservations for the Chef’s table at Victoria & Albert’s complete with wine pairings. I can’t wait for this experience to unfold. I know it will be something we will never forget. Will I try the caviar, no way but I am looking forward to sharing a vintage Port or Trockenbeerenauslese over very decedent dessert . I’ll let you know how it all works out.

[KylesMom]

As another member mentioned, a place like V&A's just isn't "us". We'll be celebrating our 20th Anniversary this next trip, and while I would LOVE to try Shula's, it's more than DH and I would feel comfortable spending on a meal, even though we couldn't possibly estimate how much it would cost until we arrived. DS who will be 13 has also brought it up on occasion for the past few years, but I know I would feel very uncomfortable spending several hundred $$$ on one meal. And limiting ourselves to the least expensive things on the menu IMO really isn't an option either.

While at Disney, we usually don't make our decisions based solely on pricing (where at home we definitely do to afford our Disney trips), but with the length of our stays we have to be more realistic. Splurging on that type of meal would mean a shorter stay for us - which we've all agreed isn't worth it.

Bill, in your particular case with what you have experienced as a caregiver, you have a wonderful attitude about life. I hope you have a marvelous dining experience at V&A's with your close friends!

[MOJoe]

You can never tell what lays ahead and I decided right then and there that I’m not going live my life regretting the fact that I haven’t done more of the things I’ve dreamed about.
I no longer save things for a special occasion. Special occasions come and go all the time and those saved items remain unused and forgotten on the shelf.
This next trip will contain a surprise for three old friends.

AMEN.

Both my wife's and my mother are facing similar issues. Having spent time with both of them over Christmas brings this outlook on life into sharp focus. Enjoy your friends and family while you can.

[magicofdisney]

I have champagne taste and thanks to a lot of hard work we no longer live on a beer budget. My husband can finally afford me. However, (and I don't won't to say never) I can not justify that much money for one meal of food. In my mind, nothing taste that good and I LOVE food, in general.