Image courtesy of La Tur

October’s issue of Gourmet magazine asks six restaurant critics how they would spend a theoretical $1,000 on a meal for two in their home town. Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post is their go-to guy for the District. The spirit of the challenge would seem to be concocting a decadent meal or series of eating experiences that can fit into a reasonable evening and a reasonable stomach. Reasonably large, anyway. As do his peers, Sietsema takes liberties with the task, taking his theoretical companion—and readers—on a culinary tour of the city.

Sietsema starts out with tapas and sangria at Jaleo and moves onto appetizers, including a spicy duck kebab, at Bombay Club. We might still have some stomach space left. He reserves his big bucks for a $350 omakase dinner at Sushi Taro, declaring the revamped Dupont Circle joint one of the best restaurants in the city. We’d imagine being pretty full by this point. But a $400 meal at Obelisk is yet to come, and Tom even manages a shout out and a $50 check from Et Voila! along the way. And we’re spent.

The $1,000 question is a dream for your DCist’s food writers. While these critic’s meals are ones writers at big media outlets might actually get to enjoy on the company credit card, $1,000 spending sprees are not so much in our food and drink budget. But we can dream too, can’t we? Check out some of our staff’s picks for our grand tours of the town. Commenters: what’s on your luxurious list?