Is Expensive Always Memorable?

Recently, my friends and I had a very expensive dinner in the city!  Everything was good, but nothing was great.  There was a lot of food, but not spectacular food.  The drinks were good, but nothing I couldn't create at home with a blender and some good liquor.  The check however, was astonishing (over $150 average and all I had was a chicken dinner!).

A week later, I went to a casual restaurant on the beach.  Everyone took their shoes off, we ate simply cooked high quality fish and drank beers.  We sat under the stars and listened to the ocean.  This check was less than a tenth of the check the night before.

It taught me a very obvious lesson - expensive doesn't equal memorable.

I believe, what customers are really looking for is a memorable experience - memorable can be in the food quality, the service, or the atmosphere.  Ultimately we all want something memorable for our dollar.

So the question is - what was your most memorable dinner?  Was it that $400 special occasion dinner?  Or was it on a camping trip under the stars?