How much do you spend on a "nice" dinner?

[K Frame]

"All I know is the accordian player ticks off the wife when he comes right up to your table and blasts you with the thing."

Accordian player?

Where the hell are you eating?

Big Fat Al's All You Can Eat Perogie and Kielbasa Smorgasboard?

I can see the advertisement now...

"So come down to Big Fat Al's for all the Perogie and Kielbasa you can eat! Tuesday Is Polka 'till You Puke Night! And remember, if our accordian player doesn't make your ears ring, your meal's on me!"

Christ, I've been to more than one wedding like that in Pennsylvania...

[The Viking]

I don't go out to eat dinner. At most, I'll have lunch somewhere if I'm out and about. Then I'll have dinner at home.

[280plus]

No, no Mike, picture red checkered table cloths and bread sticks. It was a great Italian place until the old man died, then the kid took over for a while and then sold to some middle easterners. Now it's not so good, but they always had an accordian player that wandered from table to table. The original one was really good, that dude could play. The new one, OK, but not as good. Still, I made the mistake of being polite and smiling and nodding as he walked by us and next thing you know, we can't get rid of him. And the damn thing is LOUD when it's right in your ear. Meanwhile I can see the wifey is starting to boil. 

It's either him or if he's not playing they got all the old Italian tunes with the usual Sinatra, Dean martin etc ad nauseum...

Honestly, these days, I don't know of a place around here that I like to eat. The Italian joint was the only good place around until the old guy died. Now there's nothing. Filomena's in Manchester, CT DOES make the best pizza around, but that's pizza.

[Manedwolf]

No, no Mike, picture red checkered table cloths and bread sticks. It was a great Italian place until the old man died, then the kid took over for a while and then sold to some middle easterners. Now it's not so good, but they always had an accordian player that wandered from table to table. The original one was really good, that dude could play. The new one, OK, but not as good. Still, I made the mistake of being polite and smiling and nodding as he walked by us and next thing you know, we can't get rid of him. And the damn thing is LOUD when it's right in your ear. Meanwhile I can see the wifey is starting to boil. 

It's either him or if he's not playing they got all the old Italian tunes with the usual Sinatra, Dean martin etc ad nauseum...

Honestly, these days, I don't know of a place around here that I like to eat. The Italian joint was the only good place around until the old guy died. Now there's nothing. Filomena's in Manchester, CT DOES make the best pizza around, but that's pizza.

Old-style "red sauce"* restaurants are a dying breed. About the only type of widespread mom-and-pop left is Chinese-American places, since the high-profile chain attempts at a theme restaurant in that (P.F. Chang's) have performed miserably.

* place that has spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, those wierd red plastic water glasses, and rolls covered in garlic, not "Northern Italian Japanese Brazilian Fusion Cusine with a Mesquite Woodfired Oven and Open Kitchen"

[HankB]

. . . eat what millions of little Japanese schoolgirls do for lunch. To each his own.

You get bait sushi because millions of little Japanese schoolgirls have it for lunch? What are you trying to catch? 

I'm not even going to ask if your vehicle has a live well . . .

[280plus]

Reminds me of the fancy schmancy place I got this "garden salad" and it looked like a bowl of weeds. Tasted like it too.  

[K Frame]

We have a family Italian restaurant here in Fairfax called Esposito's.

I think it's still family owned. Decent, but not wonderously fantabulous.

They did have rather spectacular gnocchi, though.

Most places around here when you order gnocchi the waitress just looks at you as if you're a 3-headed alien...

Sigh.

[280plus]

Gnocci in sausage sauce, my favorite off their menu! They got their gnocci's straight from Boston. Goooood... 

Damn, now I want some! I wonder if the accordian player is on tonight. 

[Manedwolf]

One of the only reasons I'll actually go into Boston is the Italian family places in the North End.

They're still the old style, they're still the sort where a minor family argument about food preparation in the kitchen sounds like a serious domestic disturbance, and where there might be a "courtyard" of tables between old brick buildings with some hanging strings of lightbulbs, and an empty chianti bottle is still the table decor. 

And the food is not only fantastic, but enough to break the table when they set aircraft-carrier-sized plates down. Gnochi and things like osso buco are to be found just about anywhere.

[280plus]

I love the north end, the smell of all the food and bakeries is enough to drive you crazy. I recall some poor limo driver trying to navigate his way through those streets after a wedding there. I didn't think it was possible but he made it back out. 

Damn, now I want to go to Boston and eat gnoccis. I better quit this thread now! 

 

[charby]

We have a family Italian restaurant here in Fairfax called Esposito's.

I think it's still family owned. Decent, but not wonderously fantabulous.

They did have rather spectacular gnocchi, though.

Most places around here when you order gnocchi the waitress just looks at you as if you're a 3-headed alien...

Sigh.

ah gnocchi tasty stuff if it is done right

so how is pronounced  ga-knocky or ga-knew-chee?

[Manedwolf]

Amusingly, the North End really doesn't suffer from the thuggish gang street crime that other areas of Boston do. While Roxbury, Dorchester and Jamaica Plain suffer gang drivebys pretty much every night, the North End doesn't. I have a feeling there's still some "family" there keeping things quiet, and if any gangstas showed up and tried to claim it as their hood, they'd end up floating in the Charles. 

[280plus]

I pronounce it, "nyo' kees" (long "o") How bout everybody else?

[280plus]

Last I heard the Irish were in charge up there. But don't quote me. Please.     

"The Brothers Bulger" is a good book on the subject.

I'll bet there's a helluva party going on in Boston tonight!

[Manedwolf]

Last I heard the Irish were in charge up there. But don't quote me. Please.     

"The Brothers Bulger" is a good book on the subject.

I'll bet there's a helluva party going on in Boston tonight!

Oh, there's those neighborhoods, too. I think the gangstas know to leave them alone as well. A wannabe thug with a fo-tay vs. someone who might have relatives who were fighters during the "troubles" and who know urban combat as well as any soldier...I wonder who'd come out on top, there.

Boston has its peaceful enclaves, but it's due to the residents in those areas and what they're willing to do to keep it that way, not to the socialist government that's soft on crime. Some other areas are total freefire zones you just don't go into, and the public areas like Boston Commons are not safe at all after dark...you will be mugged. Public transit is also extremely unsafe, there's been shootings on the T and executions on MBTA buses.

As to old-style gangsters there, yes, a Boston mob guy is one of the ones who gave that famous quote of "He can't be dead, he owes me fourteen thousand bucks!"

[280plus]

I guess I shouldn't tell you about servicing the A/C on a Payless Shoe store in Dorcester the day after the Rodney King riots in LA.     No problems at all. Even bought a Black Muslim paper from one of the guys at the intersections becasue it was right there and I was curious as to what they were saying. The guy thanked me and we shared a smile. The Muslims were calling for peace in their paper that day. I felt enormously relieved. 

(sorry about the thread drift, fly)

[Fly320s]

Only exceptions to the chain disavowal are the Pappas restaurants, which are fairly expensive/high-class as chains go.

Ah, yes... Pappasitos, Papa's, Papa Brothers, Pappadeux.  'Sitos is my favorite; great salsa.

-----

As for the North End in Boston... more please.  I love that area.  I was down there today trying to get to it after getting stuck in downtown.  I hate Boston streets.  I think a bunch of drunk monkeys designed them.

[tokugawa]

I get faint if I have to spend over 50-60 dollars on a meal for two. If it is really good maybe 80. But my experience is that the cost has little to do with the quality.  I had the best, bar none, blt in my entire life in a little cafe in Fairfield Montana this summer. The place was run by an Amish lady.(Or maybe Mennonite?) The bread was homemade, the lettuce and tomato fresh and tasty, the bacon thick, crisp, and not too salty. I could not buy this food for any price in the city. Simple fare, perfectly done with care- about $5. I hate chain food- when we go out to eat it is usually to a small local cafe where we know the owner/cook- $30-40 tops.

[280plus]

I think a bunch of drunk monkeys designed them.

I think you're right! 

I used to drive there a lot, haven't been in years now. I haven't experienced driving in post big dig Boston at all yet. I'm not so sure I want to. 

[Manedwolf]

I think a bunch of drunk monkeys designed them.

I think you're right! 

I used to drive there a lot, haven't been in years now. I haven't experienced driving in post big dig Boston at all yet. I'm not so sure I want to. 

I believe they were originally cow paths that had buildings built along them. I can't think of any other explanation.

And it's gotten worse. Appropriate music for driving downtown there is either the Indiana Jones theme, or the taxi-chase music from The Fifth Element.

[yesitsloaded]

A good sushi place makes it easy to run up a $100 tab. Best so far was around $350 for 4 when we ordered one of everything at a fancy restaurant. Thats not counting the $150 for the pink Cadillac limo....

[Scout26]

About every three weeks we do "Supper Club" with friends of ours who have two daughters ~same age as our two crumbcrunchers (Ours: Daughter-14, Son-6; Theirs: Two daughters-13 and 5.)  We try to find family friendly non-chain places that we haven't been to before (although we have been known to circle back to Uncle Bub's BBQ in Westmont, IL a couple of times.)  And now with the girls old enough to watch their siblings, we can occasionally ditch them at one of the homes a leave a pizza behind while we go out to somewhere a little fancier/not so kid friendly.  We've hit all the major ethnic cusines , except bait sushi and have even had a Wild Game dinner at our home, we supplied Venison, Pheasant and sides, they brought Goose, booze and appitizers.

Average tab:
With the Yard Apes ~ $10-$15 per person.  The older girls are now ordering from the adult menu, but the two youngest still mostly split a kiddie meal with reinforcements from the parents plates when needed.  Normally includes one adult beverage for the parents of each family.

Sans Rugrats: $20+ per person. The best was one was a Brazilian Churrascaria Restaurant in Lombard  with like 25+ different kinds of meat cooked on sticks.   I "mooed" for the next week.  They lost money on me, which might be why they've since closed up.  (insert Mr. Creosote smilie here) 

I also like the Greek owned places for (cheap, tasty and completely unhealthy) breakfasts anytime as opposed to any of the chains (IHOP, Waffle house etc.).

A few years back our largest vendor took took the mangement team to Morton's in Oakbrook.  We all ordered from the right side of the menu and killed the wine list.   It always tastes better on someone elses dime...... 

Then once a month during the Orchestra season, Mrs. Scout and I attend the Elgin Symphony, we'll easily drop close to a C-note on dinner prior to the performance.  (Season tickets to the ESO is our combined Anniversary, Birthday and X-mas/Hannukah gift to each other.)


 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

SWMBO and I will drop $70 for a good steak with all the trimmings, dessert, and a couple of beers at decent steakhouses around Dallas. We'll spend about $35 for terrific Mexican food, a drink, and maybe flan at the mom-and-pop over where we used to live (Don Pepe's, J.F.)

I've ponied up $150 at the Mansion and  the Landmark including wine and felt like it was a deal.  Took my old crew and their wives to dinner at the Landmark for Christmas a few years ago; the 6 of us, with drinks, ran up $900. An excellent evening.

I spent $100 on chateaubriand in the late 70's for myself and a date. Yes, it was worth it in more ways than one.

As a footnote, I'm a cheap bastage. I'll eat peanut butter sandwiches at home, but tonight we fixed grilled salmon and saffron rice. If I'm suitably motivated, I'll take ramen to work and heat water in my electric kettle instead of getting a Whataburger for lunch. 11 cents vs. 5 bucks.

Regards,
Rabbit.

[Scout26]

....then there was the time that two mods/adminstrators from APS came and ate at the same restaurant as us.......


http://youtube.com/watch?v=tIipASEM1zU

 

 

[Soybomb]

so how is pronounced  ga-knocky or ga-knew-chee?

nyo-key

Well the best nice dinner is the one I make myself and those are actually pretty affordable.  I've spent over $200 for dinner for two on several occasions.  Its not something to do every day but if you get the opportunity, the extra cash, and the right dinner companion its quite nice.