1. my ex & every new truck he had to have every friggin year of our marriage that i paid for. arrrrrrgh!! ok i feel better. ;)

2. probably the $20,000 worth of concrete we have in our back yard. the boys love playing on it, we've had parties on it, & hope to build a 3 car garage there some day.

1. College. I sit today as a consultant with a great salary but blew over $70k on 6+ years of college that I never finished. But I did throw the most bomb ass parties and always provided the booze. And I met my wife at one such extravaganza, so not all was lost.

2. Champagne room at Sapphire in Las Vegas.

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http://www.the1913room.com/ 

I thought I told this story before,but here goes...


Actually I had two $100 meals in four days. First one (entree Dover Sole that melted in one's mouth) was merely $130. Ate alone.

Second one was the big one. I had told some fellow foodies at the conference and we made a night of it. 8 of us, 4 hours all told, probably 5 bottles of wine.

Wines: Actually, I don't really remember much about them. I don't know much about wines. South American is all I remember.

Salad and Appetizers:
1. Asparagus and micro-greens salad. Asparagus cooked perfect.
2. Escargots bourguignonne. Easily the best escargots I've ever had -- buttery, garlicky, sizzling hot, melt-in-your mouth. I almost ordered a second order.
3. Braised bison short ribs, cooked sous vide, with a cabernet reduction. More melt-in-your-mouth tastiness. Not overcooked, but still tender as can be.

Entree:
Filet of beef au poivre with souffle potatoes. I almost never order a filet (I'm a big rib eye man), and never order rare. This time I did both. Best steak I've ever had. Two-plus inches think. Cut it with a fork. (Could probably have cut it with a spoon, but that would have been rather gauche. :)

Dessert:
1913 Forbidden Apple. I can't really describe this. Imagine getting a plate, and it looks like two apples. One a smallish apple like a Macintosh, the other a tiny crab apple. Not real apples, but look just like them. The little one is dipped in two different kinds of chocolate. When you push at the bigger one with a fork, the "skin" (which is a candied toffee-ish shell of some sort, breaks, and inside is cream, ice cream and who knows what else.

After-dinner drink:

A flight of Grand Marnier: Three snifters, one with regular Grand Marnier, one with 25-year-old, one with fifty-year-old.

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Wow Wade. Nice description. Made me hungry just thinking about it, but why no rare steaks? Best steaks I've ever had ranged from rare to medium rare.

Agreed about the filets. Overrated. Good steaks, don't get me wrong. Like you though, I'd prefer a rib eye.

Never had escargot. I've had sea snails, but never land snails. Sea snails were delicious although salty.

That forbidden apple sounds like something you order for a mistress. If that doesn't impress her, you get yourself a new mistress. 😉

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I almost always order medium rare. But most of my experiences with rare have been that the middle is cold and tough.

One thing I miss from Wisconsin is thick cut rib eyes. Most places around here cut the darn things too thin. Whoever heard of a "thick" steak being 3/4" thick before cooking?

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Same with me. I'm a medium rare guy but will go rare with prime rib. I love bloody as hell prime rib.

California actually has good steaks. When I lived in Texas, I was disappointed by their steaks. Texans love to brag about their beef and it pales in comparison to California beef. I know Texans will get all butt hurt reading that, but it's true.

People love to knock Californians as being flakes and wimps, but that's just the cities. The vast majority of California is farmland and farmers love good steak. Texans know oil, guns, high school football, and cheerleading, but not steak.

And yeah, 3/4" is thick? What the ****?

Now if someone asked me to cook their steak well done, I'd spit on it.

Clicked on their site Wade. Wow. I'm all about the Louis XIV elegance. Looks amazing (and nice brunette inspecting the wine glasses). Never stepped foot in Michigan though.

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My wife's birth control pills. I mean once or twice a year, come on. I'm willing to just roll the dice.

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Once or twice a YEAR!?!?!?


(You lucky dog!)

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Wade......i STILL can't get my mind around a $180 meal. Heck, i think the MOST i ever spent on a meal with BOTH my wife and I was MAYBE $50.
Of course I don't really drink (one or two at the most) so ibet that was a big part of your cost.
I can't eat as much as I used to. Alot of times if we DO go out, we end up splitting a meal. My favorite is prime rib, done RARE. Me and the wife will split a 24 ounce one, and STILL end up taking some home.
I'd love some day to go to a REAL fancy eattin' place. I have never done that.
Of course the only way i'd ever go is if i didn't have to worry about the prices.
I've already gone to a few places, looked at the menu, and left. I just couldn't bring myself to spend alot on something that in a few hours will be POOP!
Besides of which, I'm a real good cook. I wait till tenderloin goes on sale, buy one, and make several meals out of it.
My wife gets mad when i want to go out to eat, cause i cook better then most places do! But i tell her, sometimes it's just nice for ME not to have to cook and wash the dishes.

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Cheesey - You have a different love for food than Wade. Not knocking either of you. Just saying it's different.

I love food to the point that I would do a $180 meal. I just haven't done it yet. But when I say I love food, I really mean it. I can cook better than most places that make $20-30 meals so going out to eat is a letdown unless I go into it knowing that the only reason we're going out to eat is I don't feel like cooking.

I cannot however do what Mr. Madsen of the 1913 room did. That guy is a true artist.

Pick up a book on gourmet food preparation. No exaggeration, but Wade's meal took about 3 to 4 days to make. The sauces alone are unreal when it comes to prep work.

I make one dessert that takes 3 nights to make. Literally. I only make it for very special occasions.

These all-star chefs are married to their jobs. You'd be surprised how high their divorce rates are.

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