Outrageously Expensive LA Dining

High end sushi restaurants are always outrageously expensive, and adding them all here would be futile. But Urasawa stands out for being a) amazing and b) around $250 per … person, and that's not counting sake. Here's the joke I wish I could make: "For that price the caviar should come sprinkled with gold." But guess what? It actually is sprinkled with gold. Urasawa's five hour tasting meals are legend in LA for a reason, and the impeccable service makes it a one-of-a-kind experience. Which, when meals for two can hit $1,000, should be required by law. [link]

Water Grill is famous for its tasting menu, which includes six courses -- none of which can be seen on the a la carte menu, of course -- for $95 a person, or $150 a … person with wine. Otherwise, the priciest single item is the caviar, surprise surprise, at $105 for an ounce. Filet mignon and lobster both flirt with the $50 mark, but barramundi's only $36. At that price they might as well just give it away. [link]

Valentino takes no chances with its Italian menu, flying in fish, various cured meats, and cheeses straight from the source. The nine course tasting menu is $85 per … person, and clever wine pairings from the cellar add $60. The atmosphere's a little cheesy, but by your third or fourth glass of wine, you won't be able to focus anyway -- a handy handicap for when the bill comes. [link]

One of Gourmet's top 50 restaurants in the country, Providence (formerly Patina) specializes in seafood, though steak and duck both make prominent appearances on the … menu. Main courses range from $20 to $50 a pop, and there's also a market menu -- words to salivate and refinance by. But the priciest single item on the menu is the alverta osetra caviar, which is $240 for 50 grams. Eat slowly. [link]

La Cachette is the type of French restaurant that insists that $29 is an appropriate price for bouillabaisse, which, if I recall my high school French correctly, is soup. … However, you could do worse -- steaks start at $38, and if you like to cleanse your palate with caviar, you could spend $140 on a mere appetizer. (Eat that, Wolfgang.) However, the food is, by all accounts, sublime, with service to match. And corkage is only a dollar on Sundays, a very sweet touch. [link]

Il Grano features an ever-changing Italian menu with a focus on seasonal ingredients and fantastic seafood dishes. The five course tasting menu may not break the bank at … $75 per person, but factor in wine and you can practically hear the collection agencies calling. The service can also be a little sub-par, which is the last thing you want when 15% adds up to $30 or more. [link]

Wolfgang Puck's latest venture into the steakhouse business has, in the year since it opened, become famous for amazing food and infamous for appallingly high prices. The … six-ounce Kobe steak will set you back a cool $120, and that's without a side. Corn -- the yellow edible stuff that comes from the Midwest -- is $12, and no, it's not served with a garnish of diamonds. But if you're a red meat connoisseur, you know you can't put a price on fatty marbled heaven. [link]

Newly reopened after a controversial renovation and boasting new chef Walter Manzke, Bastide is now prix fixe only, with menus starting at $80 for four set courses and … $100 for seven. (Wine pairings add $50 and $80, respectively.) Prior to its revamping, the restaurant offered a formal French experience; now the atmosphere is more like "a lovely house with a garden," according to the LAT. Right. A lovely house with a garden where people serve "deconstructed tacos" at prices more appropriate to a down payment on a sports car. [link]