I don’t remember exactly, but it was enough that I had to use a credit card since I didn’t have that much cash on me…

It was definitely NOT worth it. In any and all of those situations with ‘expensive’ meals, the food was in no way superior to that in less expensive venues, and in all cases, the ambiance did NOT justify the expense. Certainly, in some instances, the service may have been a little better, but never ‘better enough’ to justify the rest of the expense…

I’ve learned over a lifetime that simpler is generally more satisfying and usually less expensive, leading to a more general peace of mind. But the absolute best is what I prepare for myself with good, healthy, and fresh ingredients…

An anecdote from my memoir, which I’ve previously posted, though I may have described the incident in a slightly different light, then:

Valentine’s Day ’95 … I think, give or take a year…

I took my wife (at the time) out for a Valentine dinner date. We went to Night Town, a nice restaurant/club, featuring excellent food and live soft jazz piano entertainment while dining. It was very pleasant, and I thought that she and I were starting to get over a difficult period in our relationship that had lasted since the birth of our twins a few years before. It was pretty expensive for us at that time, even though I was finally earning a ‘decent wage’ as a technical writer.

Later that evening, she informed me that she wanted a divorce… and my life, and that of our children took a long downhill trajectory for several years after that, which goes without saying…

So, even satisfaction with an expensive meal and comfortable ambiance turned out to be misleading and ultimately ‘NOT worth it’, as she intentionally led me to believe that our relationship was on the mend, which in reality, she had no intention of allowing.

–LE – 8/6/25