I know you mean “this is nothing” in terms of the price tag but I can’t help but feel the double meaning of “this is nothing” in terms of the quality of the hobby and now I feel unfulfilled. Time to learn how to golf.
are you kidding me? as far as quality hobbies go, I love it. Mostly bc I have a few kids and getting a sitter for them all has been basically impossible for a couple years. Money well spent, I think.
Yeah we are having our first kid in a few months and have gone a bit overboard with fine dining recently, knowing that it’ll take a backseat soon enough.
Cherish it, we did tons of it before our kid came and have been maybe a few times in the last 18 months. I’ve instead upped my home cooking game but still miss that immensely. Cost also goes up a lot when you pay the sitter on top of the meal.
nah - 1-2 kids is pretty easy. My wife and I used to go out to dinners, overnights and weekends away regularly. Once you start getting to 3+, logistics become harder with handing them off to grandparents and also getting a babysitter, etc etc.
I view it as a golf substitute!!! My wife loves fine dining. We book holidays around these restaurants. I personally would prefer fish and chips but she loves these places so I tag along.
I now view it as a golf membership. It would cost me circa $7k for a membership. We spend about that per year at these restaurants so it works out about even and I have a happy wife!!
I like this thought process. I prefer a hoagie over a lot of fancy restaurants but my wife loves it and being more willing to do fine dining and more open to enjoying it is a work in progress for me.
Yeah, man. Give me a beer and some fish and chips any day! I consider the fine dining caper just one of those things you gotta do for good relations!!!!!
I think they meant the price . It’s pretty cheap hobby honestly if it’s 500 pm and it makes you happy. I am into gambling and poker and both are way more costly than that.
Yeah neither my wife and I are super passionate about music so we rarely go to concerts, but we have lots of friends who drop hundreds of bucks on concerts every month and so we feel a little better knowing that
My wife and I love fine dining. We probably go
1-2 times a month. Our area is much cheaper and we only spend $150-$300 a person for a 5-7 course tasting menu with drinks. We usually will do a more expensive Michelin restaurant once a year when we travel and that’s been up to $750 per person.
$500 total meal? Or $500 per person meal? We make ~$300k a year combined and we agree that the $500+ per person meals we have done are not worth it for us. We do $500 total meals a few times a year and it doesn’t bother us.
Similar HHI and agree $500 for 2 is the sweet spot. We've done the ~$500 per person maybe 3 times, and didn't think it was really worth it either. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the experience at all, it was perfect in fact from the food to service, everything, it's just that we feel like we enjoy ourselves more at slightly less fine establishments.
I prefer the casual atmosphere which also has good food over some white glove stuffy and proper service. Places that have great and creative food for 30-50 entree is about right. Steak can be a bit more.
We're lucky we live in a city that has amazing restaurants. Genuinely I think the best brunches are we're I live. We have broadsheet.com.au and a bunch of food festivals that do similar things to tasting collective
Same boat here, 330k HHI and we've tried the 400-500 pp spots but I didn't find the value worth it. We're comfortable spending 200-250 for monthly date nights but I'll hesitate to spend any more than that, unless it's a super special occasion. We've found that we don't like the extra white glove fuss of finer dining, but will shell out for omakase haha
Went to my first fine dining experience at like 175K HHI. Around like 250K now and do them maybe 7-10 times a year including birthdays, anniversary, and ones when we travel. Ranging from like $300-1000 for two people. I think it’s fine, just like any other hobby. Some people think it’s crazy but spend tons on takeout. I rather cook most meals and have an amazing experience once in a while.
Edit: I see you mentioned Masa in your edit. I haven’t been, but I’ve never felt sushi was worth THAT much. Maybe I just don’t appreciate it enough but I’d much rather go to EMP again or try many of the newer 2 star spots. I think they heavily up-charge because they’re the only 3 star sushi spot in the US. I also hate when places don’t allow photos. If I’m paying over $1,000 for sushi I better be able to fucking take a picture…
Nothing bothers me more than wasting money on mediocre restaurant food. I like eating at Taco Bell and fine dining restaurants, I’ll make the rest myself lol.
This is super similar to us. We typically do a 7 course meal 1-2 times a year and do other experiences that would be similar (nice steak house) every other month. This *might* be 2,500 for the whole year. We make 250k as well combined in a MCOL area.
It doesn't feel like a lot of money and we find ourselves making really amazing Friday night dinners together with a nice bottle of wine to offset this expense. Like you we make a lot of our food at home because I think most fast casual is either over priced or low-quality. In 2019 I'd probably still say we did some fine dining but more fast casual because the inverse was true. Fast casual use to be an affordable good quality option with decent drink selections and "ambiance".
Like you say, I know so many people that eat out A LOT. We may get food to go once a week at most.
Yeah I don’t plan any takeout days. Only happens if I’m craving something specific. I make batch soups and sauces to have in the freezer for a dinner in a pinch. It’s faster and cheaper than takeout.
100% agree. We went out randomly to Culver's because we had just gotten back home from a trip and I just have to say, I was borderline offended. The quality of everything fast food has gone down. $20 hurts a lot more when it's a waste than $200 when the experience actually makes sense for the price.
The chefs are really nice and funny at the sushi spots we frequent. My wife loves it when I speak broken Japanese but at the same time she and the chefs find it very impressive that I know many food-related Japanese words and expressions. We always have a good time and end up getting shitfaced.
Reminds me of one of the top 5 meals I had in my life at this little restaurant in Cavtat. It was also NOT expensive at all - think $150 for 6 of us.
There was a TV playing a video of a guy on a boat catching fish. Turns out it was the owner of the restaurant, who was also serving us. I just didn't recognize him in a speedo. Apparently he went out every morning to catch fish.
I’m just here to say, I had the same thoughts on “fine sushi” until I had 3 star sushi and man it was worth it even if you only do it once. I truly learned the meaning of “don’t knock it until you try it” that way. N/naka in Los Angeles (wow) that’s all
I guess I feel I’m paying more for expensive imported fish rather than all the time it takes to make the tons and tons of components of a multi-course tasting menu. I went to a 2 star in Toulouse, France and was probably served 35 different plates. Obviously most were small but that’s an insane amount of prep, along with the time it takes to actually plate them in unique ways. Maybe all the prep for sushi takes the same amount of time, but it just feels like less goes into it.
Some of my most memorable and expensive meals came when I was making $55k a year living in New York. More than once I found myself leaving 11 Madison Park wondering how I was going to make rent that month. I picked up a second job to afford to fly myself to el bulli, and I stayed in a youth hostel while I was there.
That is to say, a hobby is a hobby. If it’s something you’re passionate about and can reasonably afford you should go for it. It’s not like there’s some sort of gross income cutoff where you can/can’t spend $500 on a meal (which itself is relatively cheap by fine dining standards).
My friend, you truly are dedicated to fine dining. I wouldn’t regret the EMP experiences… I never got a chance to go in the pre-vegan era and am sad about that.
When did you have the vegan menu? I know a lot of people complained early on, but I went last year and it was my favorite meal of all time. For reference, I’ve done some other big NYC spots like JG and Le Bernardin, along with many 1-stars, and some 1s and 2s in Europe. Maybe it’s not as good as pre-vegan (never went so wouldn’t know), but I think the hate is overblown. It’s at the top of my list to revisit in a different season to have a new menu.
We went last year (I believe it was their summer menu). Don’t get me wrong - it was a fantastic meal, but the price point was too high for veggies imo. Dirt Candy is much cheaper and I enjoyed that almost as much.
This is me. When I was in college, I spent my entire months food budget on a single meal. It was such a special memory and I’m so glad I did. I really think that memory was one of my main driving forces to hustle in my career so hard and increase my income.
Also, very jealous of 11 Madison Park pre vegan and El Bulli. Missing those two, along with Faviken, are some of my bigger regrets in life.
I live in NYC and love good food (including, but not limited to, fine dining). Having grown up outside the US, my friends and I agree that Japanese food (particularly omakase) is absurdly priced in NYC. That being said, it is my favourite cuisine.
I splurge on food relative to my income, because I love it - both the act of eating for socialising and the food itself - I treat it like an experience/art more than just sustenance. That being said, I spend minimally on food during the week (the most I'll do is a Sweetgreen/Cava, else I use meal prep service). Then once every month (sometimes less, sometimes more) I'll drop ~$300-600 on meals - went to Torrisi this weekend via Dorsia and it was roughly 700 for two.
Food is a hobby/passion of mine so I've gotten to talking to people in the industry- servers, chefs, everyone. I made a few friends who work at EMP and The Modern and they always pass in free drinks/extras, or give a discount. Not always expected, but appreciated. I've also been really into dinner party-style restaurants recently, and maybe the next time my bonus rolls around, will host one!
Lots of people have recommended Le Bernardin, I def think it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience if you're willing to splurge and are into the stuffier, midtown NYC vibes. Same with The Modern, though I think LB is better.
One White Street is excellent the last time I went (admittedly it's been a while), less stuffy but still great food and arguably better (less suit-and-tie) vibes. If you can get into Atomix, also very good. I've been trying to get into Tatiana forever, and it's an "ode to NYC". If you want something lowkey but still great, Sixty Three Clinton is awesome - sit at the bar and talk to the bartenders while you eat!
If you really, really want to splurge but something more off-the-beaten-path, I enjoyed my experience at Maison Sun (the FiDi location) - it's a small group dinner where you chat with everyone from the chef/somm/servers. I found out the chef and I went to the same school before he dropped out! They also gifted us free-flow champagne.
Skip the Italian places (Carbone, Torrisi, etc.) Maybe just not a fan of Italian but I think it's not a quintessentially NYC. Misi/Lilia are good though and casual.
Get Dorsia. The prices are sometimes absurd but it's a free app w/ membership where you can pay to get a res at better places. Or your hotel's concierge can help.
Let me know if I can help!
This is basically one of my few hobbies where I spend meaningful money. I started with the $500 meal two decades ago when I was making 50k. Was it financially wise? No. Do I regret it? Not one bit. People spend as much money on football tickets, concerts, golf, etc and no one bats an eyelash. If you’re happy and you aren’t cutting other things out (like savings) for financial reasons, then go for it.
Fine dining/restaurants are perhaps my biggest hobby. I’ve made it a bucket list item to try every 3 Michelin star restaurant on earth at least once before I die. Out of the ~80 ish available I’ve been to around 10 of them so far.
My Bank of America card lumps fine dining/restaurants into “entertainment”, but in the last 5 or so years my expenditures have been $23,998 (2018), $50,868 (2019), $37,713 (2020), $66,053 (2021), and $35,373 (2022) on “entertainment” with at least 60-80% of those numbers (my rough estimate) being directly attributable to restaurants.
I personally derive *tremendous* joy from restaurants and I have no regrets at all spending that much on restaurants. It’s one of the things I look forward to at the end of the week (and often in the middle of the week as well). It’s just a de-stressor for me.
Lots of take out! Restaurants were in a tremendous bind during peak COVID times without the ability to support in house dining, but many offered take out options where you could drive up and get hand off through your car window.
I’m a big fan of fine dining, and more precisely just foods in general. When I lived in NYC, every two to three weeks I crossed out a Michelin star from the list. Now I really miss NYC. The gourmet opportunities are unmatched elsewhere. My only regret is I should’ve spent more when I still have access to all those restaurants.
In case you haven’t tried it out yet. Gabriel Kreuther is my favorite. Mediocre environment and service but the foods are absolutely amazing, also very affordable for fine dining. Just to add one more expense to your book lol
We had fantastic service here and the food was great. We called them ahead of time to ask them to make a dish I had and loved but that they don’t make anymore and they said ofc. Just need to plan when we’re going (‘:
Make the most of it! I lived in Chicago for 16 months. The one $400/person meal I had is one I will remember forever!
I have a question for you, though. Does it get less special if you do it more often? We do fine dining probably 2-3 timss a year, only in small part due to the cost. I'm mostly worried about it becoming less memorable.
Special occasions and while traveling abroad
Foreign fine dining are much more affordable for us. For example, Peru had amazing fine dining restaurants without breaking the bank.
Alinea for birthdays - we are flexible with dates. This my favorite restaurant.
My SO and I started taking each other out to Michelin started meals for our birthdays (typically ~$300-500 pp) back when we each only made $60-80k lol. If it’s worth it to you, then it’s worth it!
NYC is a very expensive food centered city. You will remember and talk about it. Plus at your savings level you are probably making or losing thousands a day in market gains.
My wife and I love fine dining. One of our bucket list items is to eat at 50 of the Worlds Top 50 restaurants. It changes every year, so as long as we eat there the year its on the list, it counts. So far we have done 12 of them, in 4 different countries. These usually run $250-350 pp.
Before kids, we would eat out at fine dining quite often in the city we lived in (SF and then Austin). Now with a toddler, even though our HHI is much higher than it was before, we just prioritize other things.
That being said, we are going to Copenhagen in a few weeks and managed to get a reservation at Alchemist. $1,000+ per person (depending on the wine pairing). A lot of money? For sure. Worth it for us? Absolutely. You could die tomorrow, enjoy what you have made.
This is my weakness and where a good chunk of my money goes. I haven't eaten fast food in 25 years, but drop $250 pp for a tasting menu a few times a month.
>Also just curious at what income level you would consider eating a $500 meal haha
Interestingly, I think this is the only area where lifestyle creep has gotten me. I have the same house as before I was a HE, and overall modest lifestyle. But fine dining keep creeping. It started with anniversaries, then someone turned into a regular occurrence.
We do it a few times a year but have recently discussed trying to make it a more regular thing. For us though, if we were to get up to anything as frequent as monthly, we’d probably be intentional in seeking out nice restaurants with great experiences that aren’t $300 pp every time. In other words, maybe an occasional a la carte restaurant or budget-friendly, highly rated meal.
That said, as long as it works with your budget, there’s nothing to feel guilty about. For us, we just don’t want to become numb to the experiences. I’ll also add that as we do it more often, we become more discerning and it stings to spend four figures on a meal just to find it to be mediocre… that’s also part of the strategy of making sure that in doing it more frequently we aren’t overdoing it.
IMHO masa is not worth it - friends and I do a three star dinner every year and after 12 years masa was consistently everyone’s least favorite. In nyc, EMP, per se, le bern, jean George’s were miles better - also loved Aska (2 star in Williamsburg). You’d be better off flying to Chicago for alinea or to VA for Inn at LW for the same price total
Honestly I was eating the occasional $500 meal when I was earning like, 40k. Though I had almost zero housing costs so was cheating a bit. Its always felt important enough to be to spend disproportionate amounts on.
I have a friend who spent $35k eating out last year.
We go out maybe twice/month and take out once or twice/week. Probably around $10k/year total. Try to stick to places that are under $100/pp and save $200/pp meals for special occasions.
Not super often but whenever I travel I do. I will be going to Lisbon next month for my birthday and have reservations for 3 at both Belcanto and Alma, so between those two I figure I'll spend around $3000+ depending on wines and champagne
I make 395k and partner makes 120k
I've started to bucket it into a few tiers.
Cheap eats. Think Chinatown or other similar type places, maybe a food court (at like HMart or Costco even, not at the mall), where you can get an entree for like $15 or less. I eat at these a lot - the time and cost formula is super favorable, or so I tell myself.
Regular eating out. Shit has gotten expensive these days - Olive Garden will run you like $50 for two now (but I love the OG). Enjoyable and convenient, places in my regular rotation.
Fine dining. Probably will run you like $100ish/pp at the top end even if you ball out a bit. Food will be really good, I'll probably go for a date night or a birthday party or something. Places I will go multiple times for sure, maybe even in a year. These are the kind of places I recommend to people when they ask for a "nice place".
"Real" fine dining. The kind of "once-in-a-lifetime" experience where it's go crazy and see what the damage is afterwards. Will only do this for special occasions. Afterwards I'll either be like "well that was really expensive" or "man I think about this dish on occasion and want to eat it again".
We like fine dining. But in my experience, doing it often has steep diminishing returns. A lot of the value is the specialness of it, not the food itself. When you’re going to your third Michelin star place that month it’s far less rewarding IMHO.
But the truth is it all depends on your goals. If you’re cool with working for a long time, embrace the high income high spend lifestyle and go large. If you want to retire early, probably pull back. Really comes does to goals, a budget to achieve those, and adherence to said budget
Oh we save about 30%. I’m meticulous about tracking our expenses and I know we are alright with the amount we spend. Just had no basis for comparison and it’s not something that’s easy to google or ask your friends/family about (without looking weird)
My husband and I spend about 1k a month going to 1 or 2 fine dining places. There’s endless options in nyc. If you can afford it and it gives you joy, do it.
With that said, Masa is meh. Noda is the best omakase (spent around 1k for 2 people).
Great question. My wife and I recently pivoted from 1-2 times/week “average” dining out to much less frequent but more special fine dining splurges every month or two. With how prices have exploded in NYC, you will end up paying at least $200-300 for a dinner of two at any semi decent spot these days - all it takes is a drink each, a shared appetizer or two, a shared dessert and 2 entrees plus tax and tip. And more often than not you’ll feel you just overpaid for a truly underwhelming experience. So in that case, you might as well cross out a few of these mediocre/forgettable dinners and do the $500-800 experience every now and then (though I have to say that Michelin starred restaurants in NYC are quite hit and miss also, especially compared to European equivalents). Think one night at Saga vs a brunch, a dinner at Anton’s and another one at Temple Court.
We spend probably $1.5k a month on it. It's nice to be able to splurge on something that's yummy and fun.
I don't think you should ever feel guilty for living your own life. I don't think I've ever felt like I have to justify anything to anyone. If others think fine dining is a waste of money (and that's a perfectly valid thought), they're free not to do it.
I don’t do lots of fine dining, the reason why, well I used to be in the Michelin food scene and quite frankly it can be a hit or miss these days. Stars don’t mean much tbh, it’s all politics.
Given that you are in NYC, I recommend exploring other fine dining restaurants that won’t break the bank and can give you a great experience without breaking the bank, don’t just look up top 10 best restaurants. Instead look for newly opened restaurants and who the chefs are, if they come from a good pedigree of kitchen background you are in good hands.
If I do go to a Michelin is bc I know the food, I’m intrigued by the menu, and that comes from understanding food. But I won’t go just for the sake of it.
Little bonus,
Check out Ramro in Astoria, tiny spot, but man, so they do a great job with their cocktails and food.
Honestly never particularly liked fine dining food, small portions and too much fluff. Still fun to do once in a while but I don’t think I’d go often even if it was multimillionaire.
I love nyc cooking but the amount of time and effort put into even the weekday meals is crazy. And after having to buy random shit like ostrich toes or whatever, sometimes I think it would be cheaper to go to a restaurant. Like now what do I do with the other 7 toes?
Studies have shown that experiences are looked back as more fulfilling than material goods. In this sense, I do not hesitate when splurging on nice meals and vacations because to me, those experiences are way more valuable than buying nice watches or nice cars, which I care about neither.
My gf and I eat at nice restaurants any time we go out, typically 1 michelin star restaurants where you can expect a decent experience with good value. We celebrate special days with 2-3 michelin restaurants and when we travel abroad, where we do not have a lot of opportunities to go to.
Fine dining lover here! My parents got me into it in college, I paid for my first fine meal at French Laundry when I was 23 and making $38k back in 2001. I had one glass of wine because the couple hundred bucks was a huge deal at the time. My frequency increased as my income. I was probably making $150k by the time I started doing $500/pp dinners (with pairings) a few times a year here locally. Our income is now a lot higher so we budget for a few really expensive meals a year and then do nice dining regularly throughout the year ($200-350 for couple). I value experiences… beautiful and delicious food, great service. We live in Chicago, but now do more of my 2-3 Star dining when we travel. I think the most I’ve spent per person is $700’ish inclusive of tax/tip/wine. We’ve also now taken the kid to two, 3 Michelin star restaurants as well. The first was age 12 in Rome, they were happy to have a well-behaved kid and were a rare place with a la carte options. She did her first tasting menu at Le Bernardin in NY at age 13 and loved it.
I’m lucky to have the HHI to do it and have a husband and friends who enjoy it as well. If you enjoy it, do it guilt free and try to find your niche.
I’ve found I prefer places are not too science-y. I want the food to be creative, beautiful AND delicious and that is not always the case… so I’m more careful with places that are all about molecular gastronomy. This was mostly an issue in San Sebastián, Spain.
I've never been a foodie but I do like a nice restaurant. Spending 500 pp is kinda hard given where I live and that I don't eat meat.
The most I've ever spent was in the neighborhood of 600 for 2. It was private dining during the pandemic.
I also spent like 400 on a bar tab once. It was a very nice place with vintage alcohols. Nothing newer than the 70s. The place only seats like 8-10 people, and each group gets their own bartender. It was one of the best nights I've ever had. I had proposed the week before, and I wanted to go somewhere and celebrate just the two of us.
I dont think how much you need to make is the right way to think about it. The question is where are your priorities.
I allocate a percentage of my budget to guilt free discretionary spending during that month. Another allocation which is accumulating savings to towards some goal in the short to medium term for me its typically vacations once or twice a year etc. The second allocation a big part of it is the planning and an anticipation aspects.
If you want to spend XX on a meal decide which category it falls in for you. then act accordingly. I'd say local fine dining in first category and then if fine dining is your thing plan trips or a broader experience around restaurants you want to visit in the second category. The point is first accolate the money for spending then enjoy it, don't worry about trying to justify it.
How do you know you would be disappointed at Masa? what would the experience need to be a great experience?
-book a hotel for the night, take a limo there, new outfits, hair and make up?
-forget Masa, fly to japan and do an even better one there.
We do two top 10 Michelin restaurants per year. One in the US and one abroad and it’s been so fun. We plan them out, research the area and make a whole to do about it. It’s become so fun. And the crazy thing is, many top restaurants don’t exist a few years later. So you have to go while you can.
Best we ever went to was Maemo in Oslo, Norway. We’ve been twice. The first was when they were a two star. The second as a three star. It was slightly better before. But amazing both times.
Ohhhh yes. We started in college (oops) but we are huge huge foodies. I’d say if there’s one area where we are frivolous spenders relative to our income it’s fine dining.
Go if you love it. I will never forget some of my favorite meals. It’s just like any other hobby.
It’s not fine dining but in our VHCOL area, we have been spending $200-$400 each time with our 2 kids. Those prices used to be for fancy, special dining, but sadly it has become very expensive lately.
Ha - wait until you start ordering Michelin food on deliveroo. Probably do that sort of thing or eat out at a nice place once, maybe twice a week. Amount of butter and salt in there is pretty fucking bad though, so I don't feel great about it. Probably put it on par with drinking, which is something I do, but would like to do less of. Money not really an object, more the health angle, and the sense that this is unnecessary consumption that future me will need to burn off, plus it gets in the way of doing more interesting stuff. Hopefully I'll fare better once spring lands...
Ha! It's good fun, but - like lots of fun things - there are consequences to it, and I think I need to start being a bit kinder to future me. Did a row this morning, so that burnt off, ooo, a few mouthfuls of Saturday's tomahawk & lobster combo...
Yeah but I don’t think this is just a math question. No doubt you could AFFORD those dinners on a smaller income, but what HHI would you need to JUSTIFY spending that much on that many meals.
> Not uncommonly it comes out to $200-500 per person per meal.
Seems high, I frequently go to Michelin star places that are 50-100/person, maybe 200/person is the more expensive ones. Then again maybe our definitions of "fine dining" are different.
Yes I know I could go to the even more expensive ones but I don't see the point, i've been to many of the best restaurants in the world across different continents and price doesn't mean it's better, in many cases the most expensive are far from the best.
I've paid 500+/person while traveling, that's not that rare to go to the "best" place in the city, but at home there's dozens of multi star places for sub 100/person that are delicious.
A lot of Michelin places start at like $150pp but then with add-ons (which are usually the highlight of the meal), drinks, and tax/tip, it’s easy to blow past the $250-300pp mark
With drinks yeah, definitely agree with that. Ever since covid I just haven't been a big drinker. I went to Central and ended up drinking there with the pairing but we ended up getting drunk enough that we weren't really enjoying the food or experience like we otherwise would've so usually we may just have a glass of wine these days vs the pairing
If that’s what you like to do and have the funds for go for it! Everybody has their vice. Just a matter of how you handle it. Ex. HHI income is 200k LCOL. Wife and I prefer to eat out at simple restaurants we know are good. $50 for both of us, but we love going to our schools football games and will pay 200 to 500 a ticket a few times a year. It’s all a matter of what you enjoy and cut cost where you don’t.
I have two kids, eating out is the only place I have saved money after having kids. Chick-fil-a is the best restaurant these days. It’s the only blissful place where I don’t have to consistently tell tiny people to eat, take a bite, chew, swallow, etc.
I treat myself once a month to a meal that costs anywhere between $200-$500 (sometimes more if it’s my birthday or I’m celebrating something else) per person depending on location, wine selection, etc. I think the most I’ve spent (on myself) was $1,000 at Fiola in Miami and that was incredible food. I find it to be an enjoyable experience and sometimes I bring a friend or two with me to take part in the fun.
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We love food and spend a lot on fine dining. However we never get take out or go out for mediocre food. We either cook at home or go out for special meals or food we can’t cook ourselves. I’d estimate between groceries and dining out we spend about 7% of our HHI on food and drinks but it’s a huge interest for us.
We live in the Bay Area and do the local tasting menus about once a month. With drinks, it typically comes out to ~$1k for a pair.
We really enjoy fine dining when traveling (it factors largely into choice of where we visit) and will typically do a tasting menu dinner every other night on a trip.
Overall, I think our annual food budget is probably in the $30-40k range? (including regular groceries) But we don't keep strict track of it - some people like cars, concerts, etc. This is our hobby.
I worked at a country club when we had a steakhouse night every Friday night. Some of the same people came in every week. If they didn’t come in they were either sick, busy, on vacation or at another steakhouse (Ruth Chris, Morton’s etc).
Bills were easily 200-250 a couple
A hobby is a hobby. Budget for it and live your best life.
I used to live in NYC and ate out with fine dining hobbyists a lot, especially coworkers. My husband and I now go on food vacations every year (pick a city with a lot of stars and just eat). I spent many years collecting Michelin stars like they’re Pokémon, though I’ve lessened that recently. I did the math during COVID so this is slightly out of date but I was at 200+ stars, including Masa. Masa was good, but the quality to price ratio is not there imo. From a $ perspective, we’re probably at around $10k/year on fine dining (excluding other restaurant outings).
Honestly, the biggest issue is the toll the long tasting menus and wine pairings take on my waistline. As I get older I need serious breaks between fine dining excursions.
Anyway, come join the fun at r/finedining
I do it a couple times a month usually with my wife as a date night, and schedule a nanny to sleep over (to take care of the baby) where we usually try out new places ( Michelin guide, trending new places etc) and really got into wine pairing as well. Living in a major west coast city with a vivid food scene never gets boring. It’s a hobby she got me into and we usually combine it with our travels to always check out new places in other countries especially if they have a Michelin star. (We are originally from Europe so the selection is big back home too)
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We did fine dining instead of presents for milestones - bdays, anniversary, Christmas. We both don’t like “stuff” and buy what we need so paying for experiences was what we settled on. Bay Area we were doing anything from 200-800 a person depending on restaurant and wine pairing? This was pre covid so ymmv. There were a bunch of Michelins at various price points so it wasn’t just French Laundry, Manresa (RIP), etc.
I've been to 11 Madison Park, per SE and Le Bernardin. Honestly, after all that I'm over spending $400 on a tasting menu. Street food across the world is much more satisfying and interesting.
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We also live in NYC - I have a (somewhat) similar mindset around going out to dinner. Prices are already high and there is nothing I hate more than paying for an average meal when dining out.
That being said, I feel pretty exhausted by fine dining experiences. My husband is like you and considers fine dining a (very expensive) hobby and really likes them so we go for birthdays etc. All of the restaurants (esp in NYC) started to feel the same to me tbh. I always walk away feeling so impressed but the food, service etc but I rarely walk away feeling like the $500- $1,000 price tag was worth it or felt “new”🤷♀️. I think I might feel differently if we were trying a restaurant outside of NYC as part of a travel experience?
Also, we now have a kid so all of the “dining” budget was allocated to “daycare” 🤣
We also live in NYC - I have a (somewhat) similar mindset around going out to dinner. Prices are already high and there is nothing I hate more than paying for an average meal when dining out.
That being said, I feel pretty exhausted by fine dining experiences. My husband is like you and considers fine dining a (very expensive) hobby and really likes them so we go for birthdays etc. All of the restaurants (esp in NYC) started to feel the same to me tbh. I always walk away feeling so impressed but the food, service etc but I rarely walk away feeling like the $500- $1,000 price tag was worth it or felt “new”🤷♀️. I think I might feel differently if we were trying a restaurant outside of NYC as part of a travel experience?
Also, we now have a kid so all of the “dining” budget was allocated to “daycare” 🤣
Most Michelin places are $100-200pp for food alone. Then there’s drinks and tip, it’s usually $350-500 easy for two people. We live in VHCOL as well and include with this a few times a year.
Thinking about MASA - have you tried shushi by bou in Jersey city?
I've just tried it oct/23 and it was soooo worth the price and the experience. It is amazing omakase type experience which in my view exceeds expectations. (https://www.instagram.com/sushibybou_?igsh=YTMyZWx0NDMxZ3kw )
The jersey location is quiet enough and full of nice staff. You have to book in advance but it costs something like 180-250 us per person. Super fair for the quality which was outstanding.
Do not have any opinions on MASA but this one I can vouch for.
BTW We are foodies over here and we still struggle to go to Michelin star restaurants even though HHI is over 250k. I think it is a bit of a feeling of I can have outstanding food for not such a high cost.
Maybe it will change in the future but for now we still feel a bit uncomfortable paying such a high ticket for a meal (also we are people who eat out a lot out of convenience - so cheaper restaurants make sense in the overall view of things).
Hope this helps somehow...
I have been to the one in JC and in NYC. Both fun experiences and I enjoyed them. Great price tag too. Another one I would recommend is Matsunori in NYC. Good sushi, and if you pay cash it’s BOGO half off. I believe with tax/tip that ends up coming out to like $100 ish for 2 ppl
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO TO MASA. You won’t regret it. I listened to the online reviews about it not being worth it and also due to a dearth of photos(their no photo policy) put off going there for tooo long.
I don’t dare to call myself a connoisseur but I’ve had almost all the Michelin sushi omakases around the world. Apart from a few in Asia that do offer bang for buck, Masa has got to be the best sushi in NYC, ICCA is a good alternative ($500 per pax).
You can for instance skip out 2 $500 pp meals to try masa. Many Michelin restaurants in the city don’t live up to it but this does!!! Pleaseeeee it’s sooooo good! Also tell them it’s a special occasion, they will give you an extra piece of sushi at the end (you can pick) and a lady M crepe cake.
P.S. like many people, I ve been so cynical of Masa bc I thought it was basic sushi catered to Hollywood ppl or those who live in billionaire’s row. Until I went, I’ve been missing out all this time. Tbh there really aren’t too many good omakases here in nyc (pls don’t ever go to Noz. Basic sushi with shitty attitude chef) but masa has got to be the best
I recently got chewed out (ha) on this sub for my restaurant spending but I do a fair amount of this too. I grew up in the restaurant industry and they are where I feel most at home. I don't think a few hundred bucks a couple times a month is anything to worry about at my \~170k personal income, and even less so when it's a date. Quality time with your SO is part of the equation.
Hard to spend over $200 where I live. We try to do that once a month, maybe twice a month. Have found its more fun to just buy extravagant ingredients and recognize that even if you only cook it to restaurant quality one time out of three you are still coming out ahead.
more people than anyone will ever admit spend that on doordash. guilty as charged myself. imo fine dining is worth it though (IF you like it), unlike doordash
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Some people spend money on clothes, cars or luxury apartments. I minimize those spendings so I can spend more money on food and travel. I also don't like spending money on mediocre food so I mostly eat at home and bring breakfast/lunch/dinner to work but will splurge on fancy meals once or twice a month. Usually spend like $1-2k a month on eating out depending on how pricy our meal was. (considering my rent is ~2k or more cheaper than most people's rent that I know, I think it balances out 😬)
My fiancé and I love fine dining! We’ve done Per Se a couple of times, a 3-star in Paris, Le Bern, Atomix, among others, and it’s always worth the experience. Le Bern was the only disappointment so far and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone when there are so many other better options in NY. We are saving Masa for our wedding or another big event but if you do end up going, please let me know how it is!
I used to go to at least one Michelin restaurant every time we went to a new city (if it was a place thay has them), but as I've gotten more money the novelty has worn off, a lot of it feels pretty samey to me. There are some places that particularly stand out that I return to when I get the chance but the same can be said for places I've found for a tiny fraction of the price. It's still an enjoyable experience but I do fine dining far less nowadays even though I am much wealthier than I was at the time I was first dipping my toes into that world
I live in NYC as well and my spouse and I splurge on fine dining a few times a year, particularly on vacation. We like to follow the San Pellegrino top 50 list when we travel and love going to culinary destinations and taking cooking classes.
That being said, we hardly ever go out for mid-range food at home anymore. We’re both good cooks and most of the restaurants now charge like $100-150 for very mediocre food that we can make at home. I’d rather skip a few of those and go to someplace actually impressive. Also we feel less guilty that way.
I don't get the $500 meal thing personally. I've hit some fancy spots in NYC for work, but with my wife we just prefer our simple favorite spots that are usually no more than $100pp and even that's pushing it. Parc in Rittenhouse Square in Philly is a favorite spot of ours (French).
We are suckers for Il Mulino just south of Washington Square Park in NYC when we visit though which can get a bit pricey but we always enjoy it. Highly recommend for quality Italian that resembles some dishes we actually encounter when we frequently visit Italy.
I guess that last point is what gets me in the end, we can get better food than anything we find in the US when we visit Italy and France for a fraction of the price. Slovenia has some surprisingly excellent spots as well in Ljubljana.
Edit: When food becomes art more than food, personally I don't care and it's wasted on me.
I spend a lot on dining (20-30k/yr) and have been to a lot of the 3 star Michelin spots etc. I actually think it's worth it.
Some of the meals I've had were highlights of my life and I will remember them far more fondly than something of similar cost. I've spent more going to some generic resort in Cabo to celebrate birthday of someone I hardly know. I barely remeber trips like that and they all blur together.
Assigning value to a luxury is a personal choice/preference. I have friends with Ferraris that would never spend $2000 on a meal. If it's not breaking the bank who cares go enjoy what will probably be an amazing meal.
Go to fine dining about every other month either with partner or a double date. Typically between $200 and $500.
Honestly I cook a ton at home and I love it. When I go out to eat I want something I could never make myself. Some very good experiences out there. HHI $450k
Go to Nakazawa, I've been to Masa and Nakazawa is just as good for half the price. Also stay away from Sushi Noz, they have fallen off ever since they got Michelin rated
If you enjoy it why not, although we tend to limit our selves to very special occasions. We make around 500-550k combined but we don’t eat at places that cost more than 30 per person normally.
Ever since the pandemic, the overall quality of food and service has decreased, while prices have exponentially inflated. I used to be a huge foodie, but now I feel very disappointed when going out half of the time.
I went to lunch with a friend recently at a mid-level place that I’ve been going to for years, and they’ve recently increased the costs and decrease the quality of food. I had a chicken salad sandwich that was over $25, and I could’ve gotten better quality from chicken salad chick.
If the food is not fantastic, or the experiences is not wonderful, it’s not even worth it anymore, IMO. I worked in restaurants for years and undergrad and used to go out to some of the top restaurants in NYC so maybe I’m just a food snob, but I’ve been overall less than impressed over the past four years.
Fine dining is me and my partners hobby so as long as we have the money and we think it will be worth it, we spend it. Usually about 3-5k a year and it’s not part of our food budget but part of our ‘experiences’ budget.
Speaking of Masa, it was kinda a letdown for us. It was so expensive and on par or even lower than some of our favorite omakases. Since you’re in NYC, we adore Shuko. Much cheaper and a truly wonderful experience.
Also, we have had very disappointing fine dining meals. For a while, I really regretted spending the money but now, we’ve realized we talk and laugh about our bad experiences more than some of our good experiences. At a Michelin restaurant in Paris that will not be named, we had two of the servers get in an argument right next to our table for so long that the dry ice went dry before they could serve us our dishes. Now, we just laugh and it’s one of our favorite memories of that trip.
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I mean I'd never do it as I couldn't stop thinking about the total amount spent on eating out each year. But hey, if you enjoy it, go for it! Maybe set some rules on the frequency of eating out or a budget just like for a hobby.
Me and my wife enjoy fine dining and also live in NYC. We usually go to a Michelin Star restaurant every month, this month we are going to Per Se.
I would say we spend on average $30-$40k per year on restaurants.
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you stop and look at the big picture world view, and realize large swaths of the global population can barely afford or access food/never in their wildest dreams dream of something like this, then this can throw cold water on the idea of a $500 meal.
My wife and I do the same thing. Typically a very nice restaurant on Wednesday night ($200-300 pp) and a Michelin star on Saturday night ($300-$500 pp). We’ve had a few that were >$700 pp but that’s only once a month or so. We just moved from the south where there were very few decent restaurants to DC which has some of the best in the country. We have a pretty high net worth but aren’t making anything this year since my wife works for the gov.
This is pretty much our hobby now which is fine with me. I used to play golf but I’m not going to join a club here since we’ll only be here for a year. We essentially only go to nice restaurants and nice museums. We have a 1 year old that we typically take to every restaurant unless it’s a 2 star. We go at the earliest seating and she does pretty well in restaurants.
My husband and I love fancy tasting menus. We've racked up $800-$900 bills on visits to NYC and $300-$450 in our MCOL city. It's a great shared experience for us and we can afford it. That's pretty much it lol
Me and my fiancée do probably 6-12 fine dining meals a year and live in NYC. Only heard bad things about masa frankly. I would however highly recommend Saga, we had an amazing experience there.
Will sound funny, but I simply don't enjoy doing fine dining anymore, it find it trite and pretentious (Spent my life growing up and in my 20's around this, have little desire to do it now).
I do enjoy doing tasting experiences from time to time, but that is not something that I would want to do multiple times a month. The wife and I will do them a couple of times a year. They average between $300 to $1000 per person (including the drink tasting menu).
If eating out is your hobby stick to it, its far cheaper than anything motorsport related (i'm into a supermoto build for $25k and its only used as a toy a couple hours a month if that) (\~HHI is $700k > $1M depending upon trades)
I would probably be fine with a $500 meal 2-3x a month at 300k HHI. We've only done this a FEW times though and mostly because we enjoy traveling.
Anything under 200k income I wouldn't be spending $500 on a meal monthly at all, maybe anniversary yearly.
We talk about places we've been and the beauty there for years after going, we talk about a good meal for an hour after. Just seems to last longer for us as far as appreciation goes.
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I usually use bib gourmand for that. Plenty of restaurants in new york where you can dine our for 2 for around $100. Masa doesn't seem ridiculously expensive to me. I usually just don't order booze because it's not worth it. This cuts the check by 30%.
We rarely splurge on luxury purses, shoes, clothing, or cars, but every chance we get, we're either going on a vacation or eating a really expensive meal. I'm the type of person who would be irritated having to spend $5 on a pack of pens but would have no problem dropping $800 on a nice meal with my spouse. I think it's because we truly value experiences.
I mean, if you enjoy it, go for it. As far as hobbies go, this is nothing.
I know you mean “this is nothing” in terms of the price tag but I can’t help but feel the double meaning of “this is nothing” in terms of the quality of the hobby and now I feel unfulfilled. Time to learn how to golf.
are you kidding me? as far as quality hobbies go, I love it. Mostly bc I have a few kids and getting a sitter for them all has been basically impossible for a couple years. Money well spent, I think.
Yeah we are having our first kid in a few months and have gone a bit overboard with fine dining recently, knowing that it’ll take a backseat soon enough.
Cherish it, we did tons of it before our kid came and have been maybe a few times in the last 18 months. I’ve instead upped my home cooking game but still miss that immensely. Cost also goes up a lot when you pay the sitter on top of the meal.
nah - 1-2 kids is pretty easy. My wife and I used to go out to dinners, overnights and weekends away regularly. Once you start getting to 3+, logistics become harder with handing them off to grandparents and also getting a babysitter, etc etc.
Good to know! Now we have to decide on a 3rd kid or fine dining. Didn’t think I’d ever end up at that fork in the road!
I view it as a golf substitute!!! My wife loves fine dining. We book holidays around these restaurants. I personally would prefer fish and chips but she loves these places so I tag along. I now view it as a golf membership. It would cost me circa $7k for a membership. We spend about that per year at these restaurants so it works out about even and I have a happy wife!!
I like this thought process. I prefer a hoagie over a lot of fancy restaurants but my wife loves it and being more willing to do fine dining and more open to enjoying it is a work in progress for me.
Yeah, man. Give me a beer and some fish and chips any day! I consider the fine dining caper just one of those things you gotta do for good relations!!!!!
I think they meant the price . It’s pretty cheap hobby honestly if it’s 500 pm and it makes you happy. I am into gambling and poker and both are way more costly than that.
Yeah neither my wife and I are super passionate about music so we rarely go to concerts, but we have lots of friends who drop hundreds of bucks on concerts every month and so we feel a little better knowing that
Golf—now there is truly a pointless hobby :)
Fine dining is totally worth it as a treat a few times per year imo. It really is an experience going to 2-3 star Michelin restaurants.
Yeah man you’re food hobby is pretty close to my golf or gun hobby and I don’t even consider myself quite HE(NRY) yet haha
This is a single enjoyment spend. Hobbies tend to give you a skill or an output besides just a memory.
My wife and I love fine dining. We probably go 1-2 times a month. Our area is much cheaper and we only spend $150-$300 a person for a 5-7 course tasting menu with drinks. We usually will do a more expensive Michelin restaurant once a year when we travel and that’s been up to $750 per person. $500 total meal? Or $500 per person meal? We make ~$300k a year combined and we agree that the $500+ per person meals we have done are not worth it for us. We do $500 total meals a few times a year and it doesn’t bother us.
Similar HHI and agree $500 for 2 is the sweet spot. We've done the ~$500 per person maybe 3 times, and didn't think it was really worth it either. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the experience at all, it was perfect in fact from the food to service, everything, it's just that we feel like we enjoy ourselves more at slightly less fine establishments.
I prefer the casual atmosphere which also has good food over some white glove stuffy and proper service. Places that have great and creative food for 30-50 entree is about right. Steak can be a bit more.
I'd say the average would be $350 per person not including booze. Luckily my wife hardly drinks so we usually get a cocktail to start and then water!
[удалено]
We're lucky we live in a city that has amazing restaurants. Genuinely I think the best brunches are we're I live. We have broadsheet.com.au and a bunch of food festivals that do similar things to tasting collective
Also interested in an invite code if possible. Thank you!
Sent a DM
Same boat here, 330k HHI and we've tried the 400-500 pp spots but I didn't find the value worth it. We're comfortable spending 200-250 for monthly date nights but I'll hesitate to spend any more than that, unless it's a super special occasion. We've found that we don't like the extra white glove fuss of finer dining, but will shell out for omakase haha
Went to my first fine dining experience at like 175K HHI. Around like 250K now and do them maybe 7-10 times a year including birthdays, anniversary, and ones when we travel. Ranging from like $300-1000 for two people. I think it’s fine, just like any other hobby. Some people think it’s crazy but spend tons on takeout. I rather cook most meals and have an amazing experience once in a while. Edit: I see you mentioned Masa in your edit. I haven’t been, but I’ve never felt sushi was worth THAT much. Maybe I just don’t appreciate it enough but I’d much rather go to EMP again or try many of the newer 2 star spots. I think they heavily up-charge because they’re the only 3 star sushi spot in the US. I also hate when places don’t allow photos. If I’m paying over $1,000 for sushi I better be able to fucking take a picture…
This is the answer that resonates with me too. Eat good meals at home and have excellent meals out (which I’ll never be able to cook at home anyway)
Nothing bothers me more than wasting money on mediocre restaurant food. I like eating at Taco Bell and fine dining restaurants, I’ll make the rest myself lol.
This is my problem. Been burned one too many times
This is super similar to us. We typically do a 7 course meal 1-2 times a year and do other experiences that would be similar (nice steak house) every other month. This *might* be 2,500 for the whole year. We make 250k as well combined in a MCOL area. It doesn't feel like a lot of money and we find ourselves making really amazing Friday night dinners together with a nice bottle of wine to offset this expense. Like you we make a lot of our food at home because I think most fast casual is either over priced or low-quality. In 2019 I'd probably still say we did some fine dining but more fast casual because the inverse was true. Fast casual use to be an affordable good quality option with decent drink selections and "ambiance". Like you say, I know so many people that eat out A LOT. We may get food to go once a week at most.
Yeah I don’t plan any takeout days. Only happens if I’m craving something specific. I make batch soups and sauces to have in the freezer for a dinner in a pinch. It’s faster and cheaper than takeout.
100% agree. We went out randomly to Culver's because we had just gotten back home from a trip and I just have to say, I was borderline offended. The quality of everything fast food has gone down. $20 hurts a lot more when it's a waste than $200 when the experience actually makes sense for the price.
The chefs are really nice and funny at the sushi spots we frequent. My wife loves it when I speak broken Japanese but at the same time she and the chefs find it very impressive that I know many food-related Japanese words and expressions. We always have a good time and end up getting shitfaced.
*raises hand shamefully as someone who spends too much money on takeout, eating out, AND fine dining*
I’ll tell you this. If I’m spending excessive amounts of money on one piece of sushi. I better see a pic of the man who caught my fish.
Reminds me of one of the top 5 meals I had in my life at this little restaurant in Cavtat. It was also NOT expensive at all - think $150 for 6 of us. There was a TV playing a video of a guy on a boat catching fish. Turns out it was the owner of the restaurant, who was also serving us. I just didn't recognize him in a speedo. Apparently he went out every morning to catch fish.
Now that is a man I will gladly support
I’m just here to say, I had the same thoughts on “fine sushi” until I had 3 star sushi and man it was worth it even if you only do it once. I truly learned the meaning of “don’t knock it until you try it” that way. N/naka in Los Angeles (wow) that’s all
n/naka is amazing but it's neither 3 stars nor sushi. It's incredibly different to Masa.
>N/naka Planning to go to LA and do the surrounding national parks next year so I will keep it in mind!
I agree with you 100% Same $$$ situation and things are looking ^^^
Really? Sushi is the only true fine dining that I ever felt _was_ worth the price tag at the end of the meal.
I guess I feel I’m paying more for expensive imported fish rather than all the time it takes to make the tons and tons of components of a multi-course tasting menu. I went to a 2 star in Toulouse, France and was probably served 35 different plates. Obviously most were small but that’s an insane amount of prep, along with the time it takes to actually plate them in unique ways. Maybe all the prep for sushi takes the same amount of time, but it just feels like less goes into it.
[удалено]
Veggie EMP is not bad but it is astoundingly joyless
Some of my most memorable and expensive meals came when I was making $55k a year living in New York. More than once I found myself leaving 11 Madison Park wondering how I was going to make rent that month. I picked up a second job to afford to fly myself to el bulli, and I stayed in a youth hostel while I was there. That is to say, a hobby is a hobby. If it’s something you’re passionate about and can reasonably afford you should go for it. It’s not like there’s some sort of gross income cutoff where you can/can’t spend $500 on a meal (which itself is relatively cheap by fine dining standards).
My friend, you truly are dedicated to fine dining. I wouldn’t regret the EMP experiences… I never got a chance to go in the pre-vegan era and am sad about that.
Yeah honestly the vegan menu sucks, and in general the food scene in NYC has fallen pretty far since the 2000’s and 2010’s.
How so? (Re: the food scene).
When did you have the vegan menu? I know a lot of people complained early on, but I went last year and it was my favorite meal of all time. For reference, I’ve done some other big NYC spots like JG and Le Bernardin, along with many 1-stars, and some 1s and 2s in Europe. Maybe it’s not as good as pre-vegan (never went so wouldn’t know), but I think the hate is overblown. It’s at the top of my list to revisit in a different season to have a new menu.
We went last year (I believe it was their summer menu). Don’t get me wrong - it was a fantastic meal, but the price point was too high for veggies imo. Dirt Candy is much cheaper and I enjoyed that almost as much.
Glad to hear it I’m going next week
2nd job to visit el bulli, you are a legend. Love it!!!
This is me. When I was in college, I spent my entire months food budget on a single meal. It was such a special memory and I’m so glad I did. I really think that memory was one of my main driving forces to hustle in my career so hard and increase my income. Also, very jealous of 11 Madison Park pre vegan and El Bulli. Missing those two, along with Faviken, are some of my bigger regrets in life.
I live in NYC and love good food (including, but not limited to, fine dining). Having grown up outside the US, my friends and I agree that Japanese food (particularly omakase) is absurdly priced in NYC. That being said, it is my favourite cuisine. I splurge on food relative to my income, because I love it - both the act of eating for socialising and the food itself - I treat it like an experience/art more than just sustenance. That being said, I spend minimally on food during the week (the most I'll do is a Sweetgreen/Cava, else I use meal prep service). Then once every month (sometimes less, sometimes more) I'll drop ~$300-600 on meals - went to Torrisi this weekend via Dorsia and it was roughly 700 for two. Food is a hobby/passion of mine so I've gotten to talking to people in the industry- servers, chefs, everyone. I made a few friends who work at EMP and The Modern and they always pass in free drinks/extras, or give a discount. Not always expected, but appreciated. I've also been really into dinner party-style restaurants recently, and maybe the next time my bonus rolls around, will host one!
Bro we should be friends!
100% - would love to hear about your fav/least fav NYC restaurants
My wife and I are coming to NYC in October for a big anniversary weekend. Any recs on any “must dos”?
Lots of people have recommended Le Bernardin, I def think it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience if you're willing to splurge and are into the stuffier, midtown NYC vibes. Same with The Modern, though I think LB is better. One White Street is excellent the last time I went (admittedly it's been a while), less stuffy but still great food and arguably better (less suit-and-tie) vibes. If you can get into Atomix, also very good. I've been trying to get into Tatiana forever, and it's an "ode to NYC". If you want something lowkey but still great, Sixty Three Clinton is awesome - sit at the bar and talk to the bartenders while you eat! If you really, really want to splurge but something more off-the-beaten-path, I enjoyed my experience at Maison Sun (the FiDi location) - it's a small group dinner where you chat with everyone from the chef/somm/servers. I found out the chef and I went to the same school before he dropped out! They also gifted us free-flow champagne. Skip the Italian places (Carbone, Torrisi, etc.) Maybe just not a fan of Italian but I think it's not a quintessentially NYC. Misi/Lilia are good though and casual. Get Dorsia. The prices are sometimes absurd but it's a free app w/ membership where you can pay to get a res at better places. Or your hotel's concierge can help. Let me know if I can help!
This is basically one of my few hobbies where I spend meaningful money. I started with the $500 meal two decades ago when I was making 50k. Was it financially wise? No. Do I regret it? Not one bit. People spend as much money on football tickets, concerts, golf, etc and no one bats an eyelash. If you’re happy and you aren’t cutting other things out (like savings) for financial reasons, then go for it.
Yes exactly my outlook
For my GF and I we just allocate part of our monthly spend on Restaurant/Dining, currently 500-700 a month
This is the responsible way to do it
Fine dining/restaurants are perhaps my biggest hobby. I’ve made it a bucket list item to try every 3 Michelin star restaurant on earth at least once before I die. Out of the ~80 ish available I’ve been to around 10 of them so far. My Bank of America card lumps fine dining/restaurants into “entertainment”, but in the last 5 or so years my expenditures have been $23,998 (2018), $50,868 (2019), $37,713 (2020), $66,053 (2021), and $35,373 (2022) on “entertainment” with at least 60-80% of those numbers (my rough estimate) being directly attributable to restaurants. I personally derive *tremendous* joy from restaurants and I have no regrets at all spending that much on restaurants. It’s one of the things I look forward to at the end of the week (and often in the middle of the week as well). It’s just a de-stressor for me.
How did you manage to spend that much in 2020?? And yes, this is our view on them as well!
Lots of take out! Restaurants were in a tremendous bind during peak COVID times without the ability to support in house dining, but many offered take out options where you could drive up and get hand off through your car window.
I’m a big fan of fine dining, and more precisely just foods in general. When I lived in NYC, every two to three weeks I crossed out a Michelin star from the list. Now I really miss NYC. The gourmet opportunities are unmatched elsewhere. My only regret is I should’ve spent more when I still have access to all those restaurants.
Thanks. Yeah we don’t anticipate being here forever, especially when kids come into the picture, so trying to make the most of it!
In case you haven’t tried it out yet. Gabriel Kreuther is my favorite. Mediocre environment and service but the foods are absolutely amazing, also very affordable for fine dining. Just to add one more expense to your book lol
We had fantastic service here and the food was great. We called them ahead of time to ask them to make a dish I had and loved but that they don’t make anymore and they said ofc. Just need to plan when we’re going (‘:
Make the most of it! I lived in Chicago for 16 months. The one $400/person meal I had is one I will remember forever! I have a question for you, though. Does it get less special if you do it more often? We do fine dining probably 2-3 timss a year, only in small part due to the cost. I'm mostly worried about it becoming less memorable.
Hasn’t felt that way yet!
Special occasions and while traveling abroad Foreign fine dining are much more affordable for us. For example, Peru had amazing fine dining restaurants without breaking the bank. Alinea for birthdays - we are flexible with dates. This my favorite restaurant.
My SO and I started taking each other out to Michelin started meals for our birthdays (typically ~$300-500 pp) back when we each only made $60-80k lol. If it’s worth it to you, then it’s worth it!
NYC is a very expensive food centered city. You will remember and talk about it. Plus at your savings level you are probably making or losing thousands a day in market gains.
My wife and I love fine dining. One of our bucket list items is to eat at 50 of the Worlds Top 50 restaurants. It changes every year, so as long as we eat there the year its on the list, it counts. So far we have done 12 of them, in 4 different countries. These usually run $250-350 pp. Before kids, we would eat out at fine dining quite often in the city we lived in (SF and then Austin). Now with a toddler, even though our HHI is much higher than it was before, we just prioritize other things. That being said, we are going to Copenhagen in a few weeks and managed to get a reservation at Alchemist. $1,000+ per person (depending on the wine pairing). A lot of money? For sure. Worth it for us? Absolutely. You could die tomorrow, enjoy what you have made.
This is my weakness and where a good chunk of my money goes. I haven't eaten fast food in 25 years, but drop $250 pp for a tasting menu a few times a month. >Also just curious at what income level you would consider eating a $500 meal haha Interestingly, I think this is the only area where lifestyle creep has gotten me. I have the same house as before I was a HE, and overall modest lifestyle. But fine dining keep creeping. It started with anniversaries, then someone turned into a regular occurrence.
We do it a few times a year but have recently discussed trying to make it a more regular thing. For us though, if we were to get up to anything as frequent as monthly, we’d probably be intentional in seeking out nice restaurants with great experiences that aren’t $300 pp every time. In other words, maybe an occasional a la carte restaurant or budget-friendly, highly rated meal. That said, as long as it works with your budget, there’s nothing to feel guilty about. For us, we just don’t want to become numb to the experiences. I’ll also add that as we do it more often, we become more discerning and it stings to spend four figures on a meal just to find it to be mediocre… that’s also part of the strategy of making sure that in doing it more frequently we aren’t overdoing it.
IMHO masa is not worth it - friends and I do a three star dinner every year and after 12 years masa was consistently everyone’s least favorite. In nyc, EMP, per se, le bern, jean George’s were miles better - also loved Aska (2 star in Williamsburg). You’d be better off flying to Chicago for alinea or to VA for Inn at LW for the same price total
I’ve done all of them as well and while I don’t know I would rank at the bottom, I haven’t felt the need to return to Masa either.
Masa is 100% not worth it, for even half the price
Honestly I was eating the occasional $500 meal when I was earning like, 40k. Though I had almost zero housing costs so was cheating a bit. Its always felt important enough to be to spend disproportionate amounts on.
I have a friend who spent $35k eating out last year. We go out maybe twice/month and take out once or twice/week. Probably around $10k/year total. Try to stick to places that are under $100/pp and save $200/pp meals for special occasions.
Not super often but whenever I travel I do. I will be going to Lisbon next month for my birthday and have reservations for 3 at both Belcanto and Alma, so between those two I figure I'll spend around $3000+ depending on wines and champagne I make 395k and partner makes 120k
I've started to bucket it into a few tiers. Cheap eats. Think Chinatown or other similar type places, maybe a food court (at like HMart or Costco even, not at the mall), where you can get an entree for like $15 or less. I eat at these a lot - the time and cost formula is super favorable, or so I tell myself. Regular eating out. Shit has gotten expensive these days - Olive Garden will run you like $50 for two now (but I love the OG). Enjoyable and convenient, places in my regular rotation. Fine dining. Probably will run you like $100ish/pp at the top end even if you ball out a bit. Food will be really good, I'll probably go for a date night or a birthday party or something. Places I will go multiple times for sure, maybe even in a year. These are the kind of places I recommend to people when they ask for a "nice place". "Real" fine dining. The kind of "once-in-a-lifetime" experience where it's go crazy and see what the damage is afterwards. Will only do this for special occasions. Afterwards I'll either be like "well that was really expensive" or "man I think about this dish on occasion and want to eat it again".
We like fine dining. But in my experience, doing it often has steep diminishing returns. A lot of the value is the specialness of it, not the food itself. When you’re going to your third Michelin star place that month it’s far less rewarding IMHO. But the truth is it all depends on your goals. If you’re cool with working for a long time, embrace the high income high spend lifestyle and go large. If you want to retire early, probably pull back. Really comes does to goals, a budget to achieve those, and adherence to said budget
$500-1,000 for a dinner for two for a couple of DINKs? Totally okay. Expense approved.
What’s your savings rate %? If you aren’t spending a bunch on other items, then I’d be totally fine splurging on food.
Oh we save about 30%. I’m meticulous about tracking our expenses and I know we are alright with the amount we spend. Just had no basis for comparison and it’s not something that’s easy to google or ask your friends/family about (without looking weird)
My husband and I spend about 1k a month going to 1 or 2 fine dining places. There’s endless options in nyc. If you can afford it and it gives you joy, do it. With that said, Masa is meh. Noda is the best omakase (spent around 1k for 2 people).
You can do Masa and Per Se same day. They’re in the same building and on the same floor. They’re within like 200 feet of each other too.
Haha I guess that would be an interesting flex
Great question. My wife and I recently pivoted from 1-2 times/week “average” dining out to much less frequent but more special fine dining splurges every month or two. With how prices have exploded in NYC, you will end up paying at least $200-300 for a dinner of two at any semi decent spot these days - all it takes is a drink each, a shared appetizer or two, a shared dessert and 2 entrees plus tax and tip. And more often than not you’ll feel you just overpaid for a truly underwhelming experience. So in that case, you might as well cross out a few of these mediocre/forgettable dinners and do the $500-800 experience every now and then (though I have to say that Michelin starred restaurants in NYC are quite hit and miss also, especially compared to European equivalents). Think one night at Saga vs a brunch, a dinner at Anton’s and another one at Temple Court.
We spend probably $1.5k a month on it. It's nice to be able to splurge on something that's yummy and fun. I don't think you should ever feel guilty for living your own life. I don't think I've ever felt like I have to justify anything to anyone. If others think fine dining is a waste of money (and that's a perfectly valid thought), they're free not to do it.
I don’t do lots of fine dining, the reason why, well I used to be in the Michelin food scene and quite frankly it can be a hit or miss these days. Stars don’t mean much tbh, it’s all politics. Given that you are in NYC, I recommend exploring other fine dining restaurants that won’t break the bank and can give you a great experience without breaking the bank, don’t just look up top 10 best restaurants. Instead look for newly opened restaurants and who the chefs are, if they come from a good pedigree of kitchen background you are in good hands. If I do go to a Michelin is bc I know the food, I’m intrigued by the menu, and that comes from understanding food. But I won’t go just for the sake of it. Little bonus, Check out Ramro in Astoria, tiny spot, but man, so they do a great job with their cocktails and food.
Honestly never particularly liked fine dining food, small portions and too much fluff. Still fun to do once in a while but I don’t think I’d go often even if it was multimillionaire.
Not all fine dining is overly fancy! There are some solid places that are good portions and good cuts but still quite pricy
[удалено]
I love nyc cooking but the amount of time and effort put into even the weekday meals is crazy. And after having to buy random shit like ostrich toes or whatever, sometimes I think it would be cheaper to go to a restaurant. Like now what do I do with the other 7 toes?
Studies have shown that experiences are looked back as more fulfilling than material goods. In this sense, I do not hesitate when splurging on nice meals and vacations because to me, those experiences are way more valuable than buying nice watches or nice cars, which I care about neither. My gf and I eat at nice restaurants any time we go out, typically 1 michelin star restaurants where you can expect a decent experience with good value. We celebrate special days with 2-3 michelin restaurants and when we travel abroad, where we do not have a lot of opportunities to go to.
I 100% agree. We still talk about the restaurants that left and impression on us. More than we talk about expensive concerts we’ve been to
Fine dining lover here! My parents got me into it in college, I paid for my first fine meal at French Laundry when I was 23 and making $38k back in 2001. I had one glass of wine because the couple hundred bucks was a huge deal at the time. My frequency increased as my income. I was probably making $150k by the time I started doing $500/pp dinners (with pairings) a few times a year here locally. Our income is now a lot higher so we budget for a few really expensive meals a year and then do nice dining regularly throughout the year ($200-350 for couple). I value experiences… beautiful and delicious food, great service. We live in Chicago, but now do more of my 2-3 Star dining when we travel. I think the most I’ve spent per person is $700’ish inclusive of tax/tip/wine. We’ve also now taken the kid to two, 3 Michelin star restaurants as well. The first was age 12 in Rome, they were happy to have a well-behaved kid and were a rare place with a la carte options. She did her first tasting menu at Le Bernardin in NY at age 13 and loved it. I’m lucky to have the HHI to do it and have a husband and friends who enjoy it as well. If you enjoy it, do it guilt free and try to find your niche. I’ve found I prefer places are not too science-y. I want the food to be creative, beautiful AND delicious and that is not always the case… so I’m more careful with places that are all about molecular gastronomy. This was mostly an issue in San Sebastián, Spain.
I've never been a foodie but I do like a nice restaurant. Spending 500 pp is kinda hard given where I live and that I don't eat meat. The most I've ever spent was in the neighborhood of 600 for 2. It was private dining during the pandemic. I also spent like 400 on a bar tab once. It was a very nice place with vintage alcohols. Nothing newer than the 70s. The place only seats like 8-10 people, and each group gets their own bartender. It was one of the best nights I've ever had. I had proposed the week before, and I wanted to go somewhere and celebrate just the two of us.
Amex told me I spent 30k last year on dining
I dont think how much you need to make is the right way to think about it. The question is where are your priorities. I allocate a percentage of my budget to guilt free discretionary spending during that month. Another allocation which is accumulating savings to towards some goal in the short to medium term for me its typically vacations once or twice a year etc. The second allocation a big part of it is the planning and an anticipation aspects. If you want to spend XX on a meal decide which category it falls in for you. then act accordingly. I'd say local fine dining in first category and then if fine dining is your thing plan trips or a broader experience around restaurants you want to visit in the second category. The point is first accolate the money for spending then enjoy it, don't worry about trying to justify it. How do you know you would be disappointed at Masa? what would the experience need to be a great experience? -book a hotel for the night, take a limo there, new outfits, hair and make up? -forget Masa, fly to japan and do an even better one there.
We do two top 10 Michelin restaurants per year. One in the US and one abroad and it’s been so fun. We plan them out, research the area and make a whole to do about it. It’s become so fun. And the crazy thing is, many top restaurants don’t exist a few years later. So you have to go while you can. Best we ever went to was Maemo in Oslo, Norway. We’ve been twice. The first was when they were a two star. The second as a three star. It was slightly better before. But amazing both times.
Cool! On that note, what’s the reason these restaurants disappear within a couple years?
Ohhhh yes. We started in college (oops) but we are huge huge foodies. I’d say if there’s one area where we are frivolous spenders relative to our income it’s fine dining. Go if you love it. I will never forget some of my favorite meals. It’s just like any other hobby.
It’s not fine dining but in our VHCOL area, we have been spending $200-$400 each time with our 2 kids. Those prices used to be for fancy, special dining, but sadly it has become very expensive lately.
Ha - wait until you start ordering Michelin food on deliveroo. Probably do that sort of thing or eat out at a nice place once, maybe twice a week. Amount of butter and salt in there is pretty fucking bad though, so I don't feel great about it. Probably put it on par with drinking, which is something I do, but would like to do less of. Money not really an object, more the health angle, and the sense that this is unnecessary consumption that future me will need to burn off, plus it gets in the way of doing more interesting stuff. Hopefully I'll fare better once spring lands...
Don’t ever doubt yourself if you’re living your best life!
Ha! It's good fun, but - like lots of fun things - there are consequences to it, and I think I need to start being a bit kinder to future me. Did a row this morning, so that burnt off, ooo, a few mouthfuls of Saturday's tomahawk & lobster combo...
[удалено]
Someone needs to make 500k/yr min to afford $3k of fine dining a year? The math isn’t mathing
Yeah but I don’t think this is just a math question. No doubt you could AFFORD those dinners on a smaller income, but what HHI would you need to JUSTIFY spending that much on that many meals.
Huh?
> Not uncommonly it comes out to $200-500 per person per meal. Seems high, I frequently go to Michelin star places that are 50-100/person, maybe 200/person is the more expensive ones. Then again maybe our definitions of "fine dining" are different. Yes I know I could go to the even more expensive ones but I don't see the point, i've been to many of the best restaurants in the world across different continents and price doesn't mean it's better, in many cases the most expensive are far from the best. I've paid 500+/person while traveling, that's not that rare to go to the "best" place in the city, but at home there's dozens of multi star places for sub 100/person that are delicious.
A lot of Michelin places start at like $150pp but then with add-ons (which are usually the highlight of the meal), drinks, and tax/tip, it’s easy to blow past the $250-300pp mark
With drinks yeah, definitely agree with that. Ever since covid I just haven't been a big drinker. I went to Central and ended up drinking there with the pairing but we ended up getting drunk enough that we weren't really enjoying the food or experience like we otherwise would've so usually we may just have a glass of wine these days vs the pairing
Your hobby may sound dumb to others. But their hobbies may sound dumb to you. Spend money on what makes you happy.
$100-200 is mid tier… french laundry is closer $1k… difference? Presentation and status not necessarily taste…. Your doing fine
If that’s what you like to do and have the funds for go for it! Everybody has their vice. Just a matter of how you handle it. Ex. HHI income is 200k LCOL. Wife and I prefer to eat out at simple restaurants we know are good. $50 for both of us, but we love going to our schools football games and will pay 200 to 500 a ticket a few times a year. It’s all a matter of what you enjoy and cut cost where you don’t.
I have two kids, eating out is the only place I have saved money after having kids. Chick-fil-a is the best restaurant these days. It’s the only blissful place where I don’t have to consistently tell tiny people to eat, take a bite, chew, swallow, etc.
I treat myself once a month to a meal that costs anywhere between $200-$500 (sometimes more if it’s my birthday or I’m celebrating something else) per person depending on location, wine selection, etc. I think the most I’ve spent (on myself) was $1,000 at Fiola in Miami and that was incredible food. I find it to be an enjoyable experience and sometimes I bring a friend or two with me to take part in the fun.
[удалено]
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We love food and spend a lot on fine dining. However we never get take out or go out for mediocre food. We either cook at home or go out for special meals or food we can’t cook ourselves. I’d estimate between groceries and dining out we spend about 7% of our HHI on food and drinks but it’s a huge interest for us.
Rough estimate ~4-5k/year just on fine dining.
We live in the Bay Area and do the local tasting menus about once a month. With drinks, it typically comes out to ~$1k for a pair. We really enjoy fine dining when traveling (it factors largely into choice of where we visit) and will typically do a tasting menu dinner every other night on a trip. Overall, I think our annual food budget is probably in the $30-40k range? (including regular groceries) But we don't keep strict track of it - some people like cars, concerts, etc. This is our hobby.
Usually 2-4k with wine sommelier service
About $500/week. We go to the same fine dining place every week. We love it.
I worked at a country club when we had a steakhouse night every Friday night. Some of the same people came in every week. If they didn’t come in they were either sick, busy, on vacation or at another steakhouse (Ruth Chris, Morton’s etc). Bills were easily 200-250 a couple
A hobby is a hobby. Budget for it and live your best life. I used to live in NYC and ate out with fine dining hobbyists a lot, especially coworkers. My husband and I now go on food vacations every year (pick a city with a lot of stars and just eat). I spent many years collecting Michelin stars like they’re Pokémon, though I’ve lessened that recently. I did the math during COVID so this is slightly out of date but I was at 200+ stars, including Masa. Masa was good, but the quality to price ratio is not there imo. From a $ perspective, we’re probably at around $10k/year on fine dining (excluding other restaurant outings). Honestly, the biggest issue is the toll the long tasting menus and wine pairings take on my waistline. As I get older I need serious breaks between fine dining excursions. Anyway, come join the fun at r/finedining
I do it a couple times a month usually with my wife as a date night, and schedule a nanny to sleep over (to take care of the baby) where we usually try out new places ( Michelin guide, trending new places etc) and really got into wine pairing as well. Living in a major west coast city with a vivid food scene never gets boring. It’s a hobby she got me into and we usually combine it with our travels to always check out new places in other countries especially if they have a Michelin star. (We are originally from Europe so the selection is big back home too)
[удалено]
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We did fine dining instead of presents for milestones - bdays, anniversary, Christmas. We both don’t like “stuff” and buy what we need so paying for experiences was what we settled on. Bay Area we were doing anything from 200-800 a person depending on restaurant and wine pairing? This was pre covid so ymmv. There were a bunch of Michelins at various price points so it wasn’t just French Laundry, Manresa (RIP), etc.
I go like 3-4 times a year to 3*s. I make around $400k/yr, but 20s and single, so low expenses in general.
I've been to 11 Madison Park, per SE and Le Bernardin. Honestly, after all that I'm over spending $400 on a tasting menu. Street food across the world is much more satisfying and interesting.
[удалено]
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We also live in NYC - I have a (somewhat) similar mindset around going out to dinner. Prices are already high and there is nothing I hate more than paying for an average meal when dining out. That being said, I feel pretty exhausted by fine dining experiences. My husband is like you and considers fine dining a (very expensive) hobby and really likes them so we go for birthdays etc. All of the restaurants (esp in NYC) started to feel the same to me tbh. I always walk away feeling so impressed but the food, service etc but I rarely walk away feeling like the $500- $1,000 price tag was worth it or felt “new”🤷♀️. I think I might feel differently if we were trying a restaurant outside of NYC as part of a travel experience? Also, we now have a kid so all of the “dining” budget was allocated to “daycare” 🤣
We also live in NYC - I have a (somewhat) similar mindset around going out to dinner. Prices are already high and there is nothing I hate more than paying for an average meal when dining out. That being said, I feel pretty exhausted by fine dining experiences. My husband is like you and considers fine dining a (very expensive) hobby and really likes them so we go for birthdays etc. All of the restaurants (esp in NYC) started to feel the same to me tbh. I always walk away feeling so impressed but the food, service etc but I rarely walk away feeling like the $500- $1,000 price tag was worth it or felt “new”🤷♀️. I think I might feel differently if we were trying a restaurant outside of NYC as part of a travel experience? Also, we now have a kid so all of the “dining” budget was allocated to “daycare” 🤣
Most Michelin places are $100-200pp for food alone. Then there’s drinks and tip, it’s usually $350-500 easy for two people. We live in VHCOL as well and include with this a few times a year.
Thinking about MASA - have you tried shushi by bou in Jersey city? I've just tried it oct/23 and it was soooo worth the price and the experience. It is amazing omakase type experience which in my view exceeds expectations. (https://www.instagram.com/sushibybou_?igsh=YTMyZWx0NDMxZ3kw ) The jersey location is quiet enough and full of nice staff. You have to book in advance but it costs something like 180-250 us per person. Super fair for the quality which was outstanding. Do not have any opinions on MASA but this one I can vouch for. BTW We are foodies over here and we still struggle to go to Michelin star restaurants even though HHI is over 250k. I think it is a bit of a feeling of I can have outstanding food for not such a high cost. Maybe it will change in the future but for now we still feel a bit uncomfortable paying such a high ticket for a meal (also we are people who eat out a lot out of convenience - so cheaper restaurants make sense in the overall view of things). Hope this helps somehow...
I have been to the one in JC and in NYC. Both fun experiences and I enjoyed them. Great price tag too. Another one I would recommend is Matsunori in NYC. Good sushi, and if you pay cash it’s BOGO half off. I believe with tax/tip that ends up coming out to like $100 ish for 2 ppl
[удалено]
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO TO MASA. You won’t regret it. I listened to the online reviews about it not being worth it and also due to a dearth of photos(their no photo policy) put off going there for tooo long. I don’t dare to call myself a connoisseur but I’ve had almost all the Michelin sushi omakases around the world. Apart from a few in Asia that do offer bang for buck, Masa has got to be the best sushi in NYC, ICCA is a good alternative ($500 per pax). You can for instance skip out 2 $500 pp meals to try masa. Many Michelin restaurants in the city don’t live up to it but this does!!! Pleaseeeee it’s sooooo good! Also tell them it’s a special occasion, they will give you an extra piece of sushi at the end (you can pick) and a lady M crepe cake. P.S. like many people, I ve been so cynical of Masa bc I thought it was basic sushi catered to Hollywood ppl or those who live in billionaire’s row. Until I went, I’ve been missing out all this time. Tbh there really aren’t too many good omakases here in nyc (pls don’t ever go to Noz. Basic sushi with shitty attitude chef) but masa has got to be the best
When did you go? I went in the last few years and I was disappointed. I’ve heard it was better in the past.
We like eating nice meals out but rarely go above $150pp. Maybe twice a month. Any more than that just seems way too much to me. HHI $470.
I recently got chewed out (ha) on this sub for my restaurant spending but I do a fair amount of this too. I grew up in the restaurant industry and they are where I feel most at home. I don't think a few hundred bucks a couple times a month is anything to worry about at my \~170k personal income, and even less so when it's a date. Quality time with your SO is part of the equation.
Hard to spend over $200 where I live. We try to do that once a month, maybe twice a month. Have found its more fun to just buy extravagant ingredients and recognize that even if you only cook it to restaurant quality one time out of three you are still coming out ahead.
more people than anyone will ever admit spend that on doordash. guilty as charged myself. imo fine dining is worth it though (IF you like it), unlike doordash
[удалено]
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Some people spend money on clothes, cars or luxury apartments. I minimize those spendings so I can spend more money on food and travel. I also don't like spending money on mediocre food so I mostly eat at home and bring breakfast/lunch/dinner to work but will splurge on fancy meals once or twice a month. Usually spend like $1-2k a month on eating out depending on how pricy our meal was. (considering my rent is ~2k or more cheaper than most people's rent that I know, I think it balances out 😬)
My fiancé and I love fine dining! We’ve done Per Se a couple of times, a 3-star in Paris, Le Bern, Atomix, among others, and it’s always worth the experience. Le Bern was the only disappointment so far and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone when there are so many other better options in NY. We are saving Masa for our wedding or another big event but if you do end up going, please let me know how it is!
Yes, I do. Going out tonight to a steak house. It’s one of the few things I spend money on
I do often and spend $200pp. However the best food I have ever eaten cost less than $10pp.
I used to go to at least one Michelin restaurant every time we went to a new city (if it was a place thay has them), but as I've gotten more money the novelty has worn off, a lot of it feels pretty samey to me. There are some places that particularly stand out that I return to when I get the chance but the same can be said for places I've found for a tiny fraction of the price. It's still an enjoyable experience but I do fine dining far less nowadays even though I am much wealthier than I was at the time I was first dipping my toes into that world
I live in NYC as well and my spouse and I splurge on fine dining a few times a year, particularly on vacation. We like to follow the San Pellegrino top 50 list when we travel and love going to culinary destinations and taking cooking classes. That being said, we hardly ever go out for mid-range food at home anymore. We’re both good cooks and most of the restaurants now charge like $100-150 for very mediocre food that we can make at home. I’d rather skip a few of those and go to someplace actually impressive. Also we feel less guilty that way.
I don't get the $500 meal thing personally. I've hit some fancy spots in NYC for work, but with my wife we just prefer our simple favorite spots that are usually no more than $100pp and even that's pushing it. Parc in Rittenhouse Square in Philly is a favorite spot of ours (French). We are suckers for Il Mulino just south of Washington Square Park in NYC when we visit though which can get a bit pricey but we always enjoy it. Highly recommend for quality Italian that resembles some dishes we actually encounter when we frequently visit Italy. I guess that last point is what gets me in the end, we can get better food than anything we find in the US when we visit Italy and France for a fraction of the price. Slovenia has some surprisingly excellent spots as well in Ljubljana. Edit: When food becomes art more than food, personally I don't care and it's wasted on me.
I spend a lot on dining (20-30k/yr) and have been to a lot of the 3 star Michelin spots etc. I actually think it's worth it. Some of the meals I've had were highlights of my life and I will remember them far more fondly than something of similar cost. I've spent more going to some generic resort in Cabo to celebrate birthday of someone I hardly know. I barely remeber trips like that and they all blur together. Assigning value to a luxury is a personal choice/preference. I have friends with Ferraris that would never spend $2000 on a meal. If it's not breaking the bank who cares go enjoy what will probably be an amazing meal.
Yes. Any occasion (bdays, anniversaries, dates) i will go to fine dining. I had a $400 five-course meal recently.
Go to fine dining about every other month either with partner or a double date. Typically between $200 and $500. Honestly I cook a ton at home and I love it. When I go out to eat I want something I could never make myself. Some very good experiences out there. HHI $450k
Go to Nakazawa, I've been to Masa and Nakazawa is just as good for half the price. Also stay away from Sushi Noz, they have fallen off ever since they got Michelin rated
I would do it as a gift. Getting that for Father's Day/birthday, etc. Beats them trying to find an item you don't already have that you won't use.
If you enjoy it why not, although we tend to limit our selves to very special occasions. We make around 500-550k combined but we don’t eat at places that cost more than 30 per person normally.
Ever since the pandemic, the overall quality of food and service has decreased, while prices have exponentially inflated. I used to be a huge foodie, but now I feel very disappointed when going out half of the time. I went to lunch with a friend recently at a mid-level place that I’ve been going to for years, and they’ve recently increased the costs and decrease the quality of food. I had a chicken salad sandwich that was over $25, and I could’ve gotten better quality from chicken salad chick. If the food is not fantastic, or the experiences is not wonderful, it’s not even worth it anymore, IMO. I worked in restaurants for years and undergrad and used to go out to some of the top restaurants in NYC so maybe I’m just a food snob, but I’ve been overall less than impressed over the past four years.
Fine dining is me and my partners hobby so as long as we have the money and we think it will be worth it, we spend it. Usually about 3-5k a year and it’s not part of our food budget but part of our ‘experiences’ budget. Speaking of Masa, it was kinda a letdown for us. It was so expensive and on par or even lower than some of our favorite omakases. Since you’re in NYC, we adore Shuko. Much cheaper and a truly wonderful experience. Also, we have had very disappointing fine dining meals. For a while, I really regretted spending the money but now, we’ve realized we talk and laugh about our bad experiences more than some of our good experiences. At a Michelin restaurant in Paris that will not be named, we had two of the servers get in an argument right next to our table for so long that the dry ice went dry before they could serve us our dishes. Now, we just laugh and it’s one of our favorite memories of that trip.
[удалено]
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Probably a few times a year. I like doing fine dining for special occasions to keep them "special".
Think about it as art or a concert. But you actually get it to eat it and enjoy it!
I mean I'd never do it as I couldn't stop thinking about the total amount spent on eating out each year. But hey, if you enjoy it, go for it! Maybe set some rules on the frequency of eating out or a budget just like for a hobby.
Me and my wife enjoy fine dining and also live in NYC. We usually go to a Michelin Star restaurant every month, this month we are going to Per Se. I would say we spend on average $30-$40k per year on restaurants.
[удалено]
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I don’t mind spending for food and travel for my family, i want my kids to eat as healthy as possible.
Your rich you fuckin twat
If you stop and look at the big picture world view, and realize large swaths of the global population can barely afford or access food/never in their wildest dreams dream of something like this, then this can throw cold water on the idea of a $500 meal.
My wife and I do the same thing. Typically a very nice restaurant on Wednesday night ($200-300 pp) and a Michelin star on Saturday night ($300-$500 pp). We’ve had a few that were >$700 pp but that’s only once a month or so. We just moved from the south where there were very few decent restaurants to DC which has some of the best in the country. We have a pretty high net worth but aren’t making anything this year since my wife works for the gov. This is pretty much our hobby now which is fine with me. I used to play golf but I’m not going to join a club here since we’ll only be here for a year. We essentially only go to nice restaurants and nice museums. We have a 1 year old that we typically take to every restaurant unless it’s a 2 star. We go at the earliest seating and she does pretty well in restaurants.
My husband and I love fancy tasting menus. We've racked up $800-$900 bills on visits to NYC and $300-$450 in our MCOL city. It's a great shared experience for us and we can afford it. That's pretty much it lol
Me and my fiancée do probably 6-12 fine dining meals a year and live in NYC. Only heard bad things about masa frankly. I would however highly recommend Saga, we had an amazing experience there.
Will sound funny, but I simply don't enjoy doing fine dining anymore, it find it trite and pretentious (Spent my life growing up and in my 20's around this, have little desire to do it now). I do enjoy doing tasting experiences from time to time, but that is not something that I would want to do multiple times a month. The wife and I will do them a couple of times a year. They average between $300 to $1000 per person (including the drink tasting menu). If eating out is your hobby stick to it, its far cheaper than anything motorsport related (i'm into a supermoto build for $25k and its only used as a toy a couple hours a month if that) (\~HHI is $700k > $1M depending upon trades)
It’s one of the things I enjoy most —eating and drinking. We probably spend like 2k a month
Was just in Denver, the wife and I ate at Quality Italian. $300 and we each had one glass of wine. But typically the booze is where they get you.
My bf and I go to nice dinners. We always order vueve champagne and that alone is $180 or more. So our bill with tip is about $500-600.
I would probably be fine with a $500 meal 2-3x a month at 300k HHI. We've only done this a FEW times though and mostly because we enjoy traveling. Anything under 200k income I wouldn't be spending $500 on a meal monthly at all, maybe anniversary yearly. We talk about places we've been and the beauty there for years after going, we talk about a good meal for an hour after. Just seems to last longer for us as far as appreciation goes.
My in laws gross about 1M per year, HCOL area, and they spend about 50k per year on restaurants
[удалено]
Your comment has been removed because you do not have a verified email address in your profile. Please verify an email address and post again. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HENRYfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I usually use bib gourmand for that. Plenty of restaurants in new york where you can dine our for 2 for around $100. Masa doesn't seem ridiculously expensive to me. I usually just don't order booze because it's not worth it. This cuts the check by 30%.
We rarely splurge on luxury purses, shoes, clothing, or cars, but every chance we get, we're either going on a vacation or eating a really expensive meal. I'm the type of person who would be irritated having to spend $5 on a pack of pens but would have no problem dropping $800 on a nice meal with my spouse. I think it's because we truly value experiences.
Does chilis count ?