Elizabeth35|1471980636|4069126 said:Maybe sushi (take out or eat in) twice a month. Occasionally if we are working on a house renovation we might go to lunch---maybe once a month?
3-4 times per year we go to a nicer restaurant in Chicago. And probably once a year we do a tasting menu someplace like Alinea--food that I can't make at home! When we travel (probably 8 times per year) we obviously eat out more, especially if in a hotel instead of a villa/condo.
DH and I love to cook and we always make extra so we have leftovers for lunch, or evenings when we get home late. We make all types of cuisine from Indian to Italian to French and Chinese. We try new recipes frequently and get several cooking magazines for inspiration.
In the summer we have homemade pesto, bruschetta, roasted tomatoes, homemade hummus and fresh mozzarella for making snacks/appetizers.
The kids are great at consuming leftovers, as are their friends!
We figure that saving $100 per week eating out pays for one of our vacations. And I'm sure some people spend much more than that on eating out.
We could afford to eat out whenever we like--but know that our own cooking is almost always superior to what we get in a restaurant.
We feel that the kids/young adults (ages 18-29) are more adventurous eaters because they have been exposed to a wide variety of foods. But they still eat what we view as an appalling amount of junk---fast food and soda and the awful energy drinks. Yuck!
Dancing Fire|1471978617|4069116 said:Over 10X per week including lunch and dinner...![]()
Lunch time!!
Elizabeth35|1471986097|4069170 said:PB-
Alinea was pretty darn spectacular!
It was over the top food-as-theater and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
For example, there was a helium filled balloon made out of green apple spun sugar--they hand you the sugar 'string' and you pop the balloon, inhale the helium and enjoy talking like Minnie Mouse. I remember another course that involved foraging what looked like a pile of twigs to find your food--I think it was a fancy jerky? The food was all fabulous but the presentation was like nothing I have experienced. And we have been to restaurants like Tru, L2O, etc.
It was not stuffy yet the service was impeccable.
If you love fine dining and are willing to pay for the experience-I think it was great fun!