Priciest U.S. Restaurants

• from Forbes.com
  French Laundry, San Francisco/Bay Area
  
  It'll cost you $240 plus tax just for the privilege of taking a seat at a French Laundry table (service is included), but at least you get to "own" that cush chair for several hours. The nine-course tasting menu here (a vegetarian version is available) is a serious investment of time: Only dedicated food-lovers need apply.
  
  For more information, visit
  www.frenchlaundry.com.
  
  
  

  Courtesy of The French Laundry

• from Forbes.com
  Masa, New York City
  
  Starting at $400 a person, the 29-course Omakase menu (four to five appetizers followed by 25 distinct sushi courses) at Masa makes this the most expensive restaurant in the country. Chef-owner Masa Takayama flies most of his finned delicacies from the Tokyo fish market--first class, apparently.
  
  For more information, visit www.masanyc.com.
  
  
  
  

  Masa

• from Forbes.com
  Alinea, Chicago
  
  The 24-course tasting menu climbed to $195 earlier this year, but fans of Grant Achatz culinary whimsy don't seem to mind, judging from the packed reservations book. Part of what makes a meal so expensive (other than the far-flung ingredients and the kitchen's technical wizardry) are the unique serving vessels--many of which Achatz designed himself. One such piece is "the antenna" a stainless-steel skewer on a base that tilts forward so that the diner may bite off a morsel directly from the tip--no utensils or hands required.
  
  For more information, visit
  www.alinea-restaurant.com.
  
  
  
  

  Courtesy of Alinea

• from Forbes.com
  Canlis, Seattle
  
  This Seattle classic has been around since 1950, and remains a compelling choice for foodies seeking a quintessential Northwest dining experience. (The kitchen prides itself on sourcing top-shelf ingredients: "We'll drive dusty roads and walk hidden trails to taste, test, try again, munch, scour, sip, slurp and find our way to the best local ingredients in the Northwest," the chef team proclaims on the Web site. "All we want you to do is enjoy.") Expect to pay $75 a person without wine -- and you won't be able to resist this 90-page list.
  
  For more information, visit www.canlis.com.
  
  
  
  

  Courtesy of Canlis

• from Forbes.com
  Joel Robuchon At The Mansion, Las Vegas
  
  Las Vegas may be known for its bargain buffets, but it's also home to one of the priciest restaurants in America: Robuchon at the Mansion where food lovers fork over $360 for a 16-course extravaganza that is anything but a gamble. Channeling Joel Robuchon's magic at his Vegas outpost is Claude Le Tohic who just earned three Michelin stars for his culinary sleight of hand. Consider his ethereal cream of lettuce, poured from a silver pot over sweet onion custard and garnished with a teensy bouquet of garlic flowers.
  
  For more information, visit
  www.mgmgrand.com.
  
  
  
  

  Courtesy of Robuchon

• from Forbes.com
  Urasawa, Los Angeles
  
  When Michelin released its first Los Angeles red guide last month, its anonymous critics deemed no restaurant in L.A. worthy of three stars. Only three restaurants were deserving of two: Spago, Melisse and this tiny sushi joint no bigger than a bento box in a Rodeo Drive shopping complex. The restaurant has good sushi bones: It used to belong to Masa Takayama before he took his knives to NYC and opened the most expensive restaurant in America. At $275, the 29-course meal at Urasawa is a relative bargain.
  
  For more information, call 310-247-8939.
  
  
  
  

  www.chuckeats.com

• from Forbes.com
  Inn at Little Washington, Washington D.C.
  
  Patrick McConnell, chef/owner of this famous restaurant and country inn says he often feels like "the producer, director, set designer and lead player in a wonderfully fractured nightly performance. calamities happen, but somehow the show still opens every night." You'll pay Broadway ticket prices for all that excitement -- much of it on the plate, by the way. The seven-course prix fixe menu varies from $148, $158 to $168 on different nights of the week.
  
  For more information, visit theinnatlittlewashington.com.
  
  
  

• from Forbes.com
  Antoine's, New Orleans
  
  A meal at this 160-year-old restaurant, the French Quarter grand dame of dining, is as much about time travel as it is about any culinary journey. Don't miss the Oysters Rockefeller ($13), which were invented here. For a city full of foodies, restaurant prices have remained low and, even at tourist-happy Antoine's, only one entrée has crept into over-$40 territory: the grilled lamb chops. Though they come with mint jelly, regulars say the side boat of Bearnaise is worth the extra $5.25.
  
  For more information, visit www.antoines.com.
  
  
  
  

  AP Photo/Sandy Colton

• from Forbes.com
  The French Room, Dallas
  
  Open the dinner menu at The French Room and the first item listed is caviar--plenty of it--leading off with Imperial Royal Ossetra at $300 for a 30-gram serving. That should set the tone for a meal at this fancy French restaurant at the Adolphus Hotel, if the Roccoco furnishings didn't already. But for all its Old World opulence ambitious Chef Jason Weaver keeps reaping accolades for his New World sensibilities -- like his Diver scallops on braised pork belly with truffled lentil potato salad. Expect to spend at least $100 a person, without wine.
  
  For more information, visit www.hoteladolphus.com.
  
  
  
  

  Courtesy The French Room