Ultra High End Dining in L.A.? Help please!

[hshahi]

I am not fimiliar with Los Angeles so I will need your advice on this topic.

My friend is arriving from Europe and is planning to propose to his fiance at a fine restaurant! He is looking for the MOST EXPENSIVE restaurant in L.A. He is expecting to spend +$300 for a entree, desert, and wine. What would be the best restaurant for this occasion? Thanks in advance.

[yummyewe]

Providence, Melisse. Urusawa only if you want Sushi.

[budgetrick]

Pinks. Granted, you will get LOTS of hot dogs @$300+ per person, but if spending big bucks is the idea, this will do as well as any other place ...

[ipsedixit]

Hmm.

"Ultra high end" and "Pink's" go together like "diet" and "Paula Deen"

[Servorg]

Like understated elegance and Lady Gaga's meat dress...

[ipsedixit]

... or anything understated and Lady Gaga.

[Servorg]

Just trying to stay chowish... ;-D>

[kevin]

you buy a round of dogs for everyone in line and then propose, big splashy la proposal.

[Phurstluv]

Don't forget the Hummer limo!!

[spoggly]

Perhaps I am mistaken, but isn't now the time of year for alba truffles? I don't know who serves them since I could never afford them, but don't places like Melisse do white truffle dinners? That could be quite expensive.

[RicRios]

Oh dear Tuber Magnatum Pico, thou art due mid October, best end Nov !
(Connoisseurs in the know, eschew earlier offerings!)

[spoggly]

So, hold off until then, and pair with DRC. That should work.

[Harry Niletti]

"Connoisseurs in the know, eschew earlier offerings!"

Ric, please eschew obfuscation, as we used to say in the Old West, ...

"Oh dear Tuber Magnatum Pico"

... and give a full reference for white truffles in high-end dining: Tuber Magnatum 3115 Pico Boulevard, S.M. (i.e., Valentino ;-).

-Harry

[RicRios]

Darn!
Truth revealed.
OK, let's open it wide: best Tuber Melanosporum at Adrienne Vittadini.

[Searching4Dunny]

White Truffle season technically started on September 15 ( I was in Alba last week and went truffle hunting) - however, healthy truffles will be more common/abundant in October - November. I am sure a truffle based meal can be enjoyed at somewhere like Melisse, or perhaps Valentino (still open?).

[Porthos]

Nice. Bodes well for my Tuscany trip next week.

[ramenbound]

As previous posts get at, the intimate bar setup of Urasawa could be a little awkward. One might actually be physically closer to dining neighbors than to fiancee when kneeling to propose...

$300+ for a meal with a SINGLE entree? I'd think that would have to be CUT, which, at last check, offered the highest grade of Wagyu at $180. Potential downside = smelling like meat when proposing?

Otherwise, I would favor going for Melisse or Providence. A booth at Melisse might offer some nice intimacy, although table spacing is quite favorable throughout. IMO, Providence from a culinary POV would offer the comparatively more unique option given that your friend is coming from Europe.

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Urasawa Restaurant
218 N Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

[J.L.]

Original post states very clearly: "... MOST EXPENSIVE restaurant in L.A."

And so we answered it.

Perhaps the bling factor of Urasawa's moniker as "Most Expensive in L.A." is exactly what the Euro-friend is looking for... It's not for me to second guess that.

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Urasawa Restaurant
218 N Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

[Bradbury]

OK, so it's none of my business, but two questions come quickly to mind:
1) The guy's coming from Europe and wants to drop serious bucks in LA? Why not at, say, Taillevent or Fat Duck or l'Arpege?
2) Does he think that the odds of a positive answer correlate to money spent? (Then again, I proposed to my wife 3 years ago at the top of a hiking trail over two Clif Bars, so maybe I'm the outlier here...)

That said, I'd suggest Ortolan, Melisse, or (if a great view and celebrity chef helps) WP24. As noted above, Urasawa is probably the most expensive dinner in town but the spatial logistics are awkward.

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WP24
900 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015

[RicRios]

Go to Petrossian on Robertson
Order a caviar tasting menu using 100 grams pp of their best caviar.
(Kitschy and schmutzig, but effective: hide the ring inside the caviar)
Wash down with a bottle of Krug Clos du Menil.
(You can even use the Krug to wash the ring)

[Phurstluv]

Such a shame that it's gone, but L'Orangerie would have been perfect for this. It's where I got engaged.

I'm not sure what the priority here is - atmosphere, price (that's what it sounds like) or food.

My favorite romantic spots are:
Ortolan
Bel Air Hotel (has it reopened yet? check it out)
Four Seasons in Westlake Village
Ritz Carlton in Laguna Beach
Whist at the Viceroy, on the patio

There used to be a restaurant in B Hills, I believe, and it was Indian, and they would serve you on beds. I think it was called Nirvana, but I could be wrong. Haven't heard much else about it since it was profiled on a tv show, but it was considered pretty sexy & romantic at the time.

[ramenbound]

Hotel Bel-Air is out of the running til at least 2011.

[raytamsgv]

It would be easier to make a recommendation if you or your friend post the following information:

1. What type of dishes are preferred? (e.g. spicy, raw, vegetarian, Thai, etc.)
2. What type of dishes are to be avoided? (e.g. seafood, beef, spicy, etc.)
3. Do they want an ocean or city view?
4. Is music desired?

[yogachik]

The most expensive restaurant in LA is not necessarily the most romantic, nor the most appropriate place to propose (Urasawa would be the worst place to propose).

I would suggest Melisse, Cut, Capo for expensive and romantic. Chateau Marmont or Asia de Cuba for view/atmosphere. Penthouse at the Huntley is another idea.

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Chateau Marmont
8221 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046

[andytseng]

Certainly not the most romantic, but I do feel like Hiro-san would come up w/ a brilliant way to serve up the ring if you contacted him ahead of time.

I don't think I would propose at Urasawa though... The space just feels a little small for that, and unless they sit at the table (which, to me, defeats a lot of the purpose of going to Urasawa), they'll be sitting side-to-side, instead of being able to look into each other's eyes most of the time.

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Urasawa Restaurant
218 N Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

[HastaLaPasta]

Urasawa is the most expensive in terms of how much you HAVE to spend. But there are plenty of other places where you can easily spend the same or more. Wolfgang Puck's "Cut" comes to mind, for instance. Unless he's trying to impress his lady with how much he's going to spend on her, maybe he'd do best to take her to another really nice restaurant where the food and ambiance will impress her and make the evening more enjoyable and memorable than simply making how much he spends the only consideration. Most woman would like somewhere romantic and very nice more-so than somewhere that's necessarily hyper-expensive. Besides, Urasawa is not a good choice unless both of them are serious sushi eaters.

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Urasawa Restaurant
218 N Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

[ipsedixit]

"Besides, Urasawa is not a good choice unless both of them are serious sushi eaters."
____________________________________

Or if either of them do not want to spend 4 to 5 hours on a single meat.

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Urasawa Restaurant
218 N Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

[LesThePress]

My suggestions would be Providence, Capo or Melisse.

[monku]

Urasawa is the most expensive restaurant in LA.

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Urasawa Restaurant
218 N Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

[jysh]

Well, I would say it's one of the more expensive restaurants in LA, it's certainly possible to beat Urasawa in price depending on what you eat/drink at other expensive restaurants.

10 seats only, 1 seating per night, 3-4 hours of dining experience. High end Japanese fare, some sushi with some cooked dishes, Kaiseki style.

It would be very cozy to say the least, there is a small room off to the side but you really want to sit at the bar anyway. Unsure how proposal would work here as there would be 8 total strangers in a small space, unless he wanted to rent out the entire restaurant, all 10 seats ^^

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Urasawa Restaurant
218 N Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

[J.L.]

Is he OK with up to $450 per person? That was the price of our last meal at Urasawa. Hope they like sushi.

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Urasawa Restaurant
218 N Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210