My first chime-in here
Dragn
What is gourmet for us?
I really like Lobster Tails, though they are spendy, I watch for them on sale for $4.99USD per previously frozen tail.
As to Mussels Dragn, I like to buy New Zealand Green Lip Mussels for DH.
They're HUGE!!
I can get them in the Asian markets down south from here.
I get a coupla 3-4 boxes frozen, 2 pounds each;
divvy them in half and usually make them with Marinara over pasta for him --- very happy 10 year old, whiny little picky eater, I mean very happy husband
I think I pay about $8 now for that box and I hide them in the deep freeze outside, so he isn't asking from them every Sunday
A pound of pasta is about $1.25/pound now, so a gourmet seafood supper for us would be, what?
For my Lobster Pasta dish:
$4.99 + $0.16 (for 2oz of pasta) + EVOO, Garlic & a splash of white wine $1.00 = $6.15
For DH's Mussel Pasta dish:
$4.00 + $0.16 + $1.00 (same as above) = $5.16
Oh add in some nice bread from Trader Joe's please, I think that's about $2.99/loaf and we eat half of it at a time... $1.50
Grand total = $12.78, for two, for a nice meal at home.
What do you figure you'd pay in a "fancy" restaurant for this meal?
DH and I play this game all the time: what do you think this would cost us if we ate at XYZ Cafe?
At least twice as much, because they've gotta make a buck too, let's be honest. The profit margin is usually 100%, am I right?
Now, I don't fault restaurants for that, that's business.
Oh, at my "restaurant", it's come as you are and BYOB
<edit: DH's total was as Mussel Aglio e olio as was mine, rather than Marinara, sorry--- Marinara would be even less expensive
>