Die beiden molekulargastronomischen Highlights El Bulli und Alinea gehören dem immer schon Äußerst rankingaffinen Forbes Magazine zufolge zu den 12 teuersten Restaurants der Welt (via Cucina):

Those willing to pay dearly (about $300) for an over-the-top dining experience head to El Bulli, Ferran Adria’s famously experimental restaurant in Catalonia. It’s already booked through the 2008 dining season. And good luck getting a reservation within two months at The French Laundry, or Alinea, where the 24-course “culinary journey” menu ($195) has obtained cult status.

Danach gefragt, ob diese Restaurants nur für die dünne Oberschicht der USA in Frage kommen, antwortet Brent Thorn, Food-Redakteure von Nation’s Restaurant News:

No, says Thorn. In times like this, these very high-end restaurants are even more appealing to people of moderate means. “You might be more likely to spend on a little luxury,” he says, “like going to a great restaurant, than going on a vacation say, to Italy.”