What Is Antipasto

Hidden Price of Prix-Fixe Dining Includes $1269 at Del Posto: Ryan Sutton

Only a naif would figure the cost of a meal at one of New York’s top restaurants based on the menu price. That’s just a tease.

What follows is a real-world guide to prix-fixe dining around town for two. The restaurants will be familiar. The prices won’t.

Because if you’re plunging into a four-hour meal, you’re probably not dining alone. And if you’re taking out a client (or wooing a date), you’re not likely to be splitting the bill.

So: Flush with cash? Mario Batali ’s Del Posto serves Manhattan ’s most expensive meal, the 12-course “Collection” with mandatory wine pairings: $1,269 for two. Masa’s $1,142 before-sake price gives teetotaling couples a break.

For the city’s priciest three-course dinner, try Gordon Ramsay ’s $343 bash.

You won’t see those faint-inducing figures on your menu.

You’ll find them on your check.

Take David Chang ’s Momofuku Ko. The East Village spot offers a $125 menu -- which is fine if you don’t tip, don’t drink, don’t bring company and have a diplomatic exemption from paying sales tax . For the rest of us, dinner at Ko will cost $317 for two after tax and 18 percent gratuity. If both of you do the $95 wine pairing, the price grows to $558.

Checks are tough to estimate. L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Midtown doesn’t publish an online menu with prices. Opentable.com, which takes reservations for L’Atelier, says you’ll spend “over” $50, a useless figure for a venue where a beverage-paired tasting for two will cost north of $700.

Fine restaurants do a fine job of e-mailing guests when black truffles are available, a lousy job communicating champagne prices and a downright miserable job at letting you know how much a meal will actually cost.

Our charts show what your check will really look like. A couple enjoying a wine-paired menu at these restaurants will easily spend over $500 after tax and tip; a table for four might spend over $1,000.

Transparency is the issue, especially in the era of food inflation. Good restaurants like Blue Hill at Stone Barns inform diners of new tasting menu prices during the booking process.

Not so at Bouley, where reservationists don’t tell you that the set menu has grown by $50 in recent months, so through no fault of your own, you’ll show up and pay $100 more per couple than expected.

Everyone’s a human calculator in the age of the smart phone; we just shouldn’t have to rely on one.

What is in a Antipasto Platter? | Fine Cooking Online

Antipasto is typically served as an appetizer prior to an Italian meal. These platters typically consist of Italian meats, cheeses, and roasted vegetables drizzled in olive oil. These platters vary widely and can be made as simple or complicated as desired, thus there are a large variety of antipasto recipes. Below is a how to recipe for a traditional antipasto platter.

Ingredients 1. Cook the artichoke hearts according to the package directions but do not add any salt or fat and drain them well.

2. Combine the broth and next 5 ingredients in a jar. Cover the jar tightly and shake vigorously.

3. Roast the mushrooms, onions, red peppers, and eggplants in the oven.

4. Place the mushrooms, artichoke hearts, onions, and beans in a bowl and cover with 1/2 cup of the marinade made in step 2. Cover and chill for 2 hours while stirring occasionally.

5. Place the lettuce on a large serving plate. Spoon the bean mixture into the center of the plate. Surround with ham strips, cheese, sweet red pepper, cucumber, and eggplant. Drizzle the remaining marinade over the salad.

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