Home

Tastes like money

istock_000001670780xsmall.jpgI adore tasting menus, or degustation menus, as French chefs call them.

From the amuses-bouche to the petits fours, there’s nothing that comes close to sitting back and letting chefs send out whatever they please. Some of my fondest culinary memories revolve around tasting menus: Thomas Keller’s at The French Laundry, Charlie Trotter’s at his namesake Chicago townhouse, and long, long ago Andre Soltner’s at Letuce. We’re talking food so divine it makes me moan with delight.

So when Forbes published their World’s Most Expensive Tasting Menus recently I was all ears. Here’s who made the A-list. Prices per person.

L’Arpege, Paris ($466) Chef Alain Passard – number of courses varies

Alain Ducasse, Plaza Athenee, Paris ($437) – five courses

Guy Savoy, Paris ($402) – nine courses

Masa, NYC ($400) – 25-course Omakase menu

Pierre Gagnaire, Paris ($373) – nine courses

Joel Robuchon At The Mansion, MGM Grand, Las Vegas ($360) – 16 courses

Louis XV, Alain Ducasse, Monaco ($307) – six courses

La Pergola, Rome ($267) Chef Heinz Beck – nine courses

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa, Rangali Island ($250) – 23 courses

Eigensinn Farm, Singhampton, Canada ($250) Chef Michael Stadtlander – eight courses

Per Se, NYC ($250) Chef Thomas Keller – nine courses