Most Expensive Restaurants in the U.S. from Forbes.com

Americans are hungrier than ever to eat out. Last month, they spent $36.2 billion in restaurants. This year, they are on track to spend $511 billion, a record high.

Alex: $114 Las Vegas

This French restaurant in Steve Wynn's Wynn Las Vegas now outpaces Picasso as Sin City's most expensive restaurant. Atlantic halibut with borlotti beans, roasted pork chop and veal tenderloin are three signature dishes available à la carte; the tasting menu includes sweet corn custard with caviar, seared sea scallops and foie gras with roasted figs.
For more information, call (702) 248-DINE.

Masa: $446 New York City

This Japanese restaurant, where the sushi is flown in directly from Japan, achieved legendary status almost immediately upon its opening in 2004. With a prix-fixe menu that starts at $400 per person--not including drinks, tax or a mandatory 20% tip--only the best-heeled can make Masa a habit. Bar Masa offers similar dishes, like baby squid with curried salt and Kobe beef with yuzu pepper, at a bargain $15 to $20 each.
For more information, call (212) 823-9800.

The French Laundry: $254 Yountville, Calif.

Some of chef Thomas Keller's iconic dishes have migrated from this Napa Valley locale to Per Se, his outpost in Manhattan, but purists swear that the nine-course dégustation menu in The French Laundry's small stone building is the ultimate experience. The restaurant features American dishes with French influence, like roasted lamb with sweet carrots and pearl onions; reservations must be made two months to the calendar date in advance.
For more information, call (707) 944-2380.

Alinea: $168 Chicago

Alinea chef and owner Grant Achatz trained with Thomas Keller, but left to open the sleek, futuristic Alinea in May of 2005. The mini-dishes, served in a 12-course "tasting" menu or a 24-course "tour," feature ingredients so brightly colored and creatively combined and presented, they are like artful science experiments. Peanut butter and jelly is a peeled grape covered in peanut butter and a paper-thin layer of brioche, and rabbit is accompanied by the "smell of burning leaves." Dessert choices include red pepper taffy and licorice cake.
For more information, call (312) 867-0110.

The Herbfarm: $152 Woodinville, Wash.

This romantic, farmhouse-style restaurant serves nine-course, Pacific Northwest menus that rotate every few weeks to reflect the best seasonal ingredients. Five or six wines will be served with your meal, many of them straight from the 21,000-bottle wine cellar, which features an enormous collection of Oregon and Washington wines. This week, a "Mycologist's Dream"-themed menu will include wild mushrooms from throughout the region.
For more information, call (425) 485-5300.

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