World's Most Expensive Restaurants

I was out for dinner one night a few weeks ago in a Manhattan with a group of friends and when the bill came, I nearly fell out of my chair. The total for about a half dozen of us came to over $1000. I couldn't believe it, and immediately regretted agreeing to come to the dinner (which I arrived to late anyway, due to work). One night, and I paid the near equivalent of a new iPod nano...all for some (albeit delicious) food and wine (yes, it's the wine that really cost us). This was easily one of the most expensive meals I've ever eaten, and I still feel guilty about it.

But it seems like expensive fare is all the rage these days with some restaurants taking great pride from jacking up their prices. Oh, what a world we live in. The poor get poorer and the rich dine out.

And so...keeping to the topic...take a look at the Forbes list of most expensive retaurants. Topping the list the world's most expensive restaurants is Aragawa, a wee steak house in Tokyo's Shinbashi district. It is hidden away, has not Web site and does not profess grandiose decor. But reservations are impossible for the average gaijin, and the tab reliably starts at $370--per person. That, dear Gadling readers, in the currency of my own priorities, an ipod and a half for some charred cow flesh.