Dining - Out or IN

Image by Nemo's great uncle via Flickr

I've known this for quite some time... dining out is much more costly than eating at home.
The problem lies in the fact that sometimes we just need a change of scenery.  It's not just the food but it is the "event" as a friend once told me.  Going out for dinner is an event. One gets to "people watch" and taste some foods that are too expensive to make at home or, are just very different from the usual home fare.
    I recently went to one of my favorite local restaurants and had chicken with apples and walnuts.  It was a 22.95 special which I could make at home for less than 5.00 per person.  I had a glass of wine that night which was more costly than an entire bottle of a good but inexpensive wine.  So for sure, after the dinner and tip, my family and I were in the hole
for over 100.00... an amount that we could have dined at home on for about 10 days.  Now it is not impossible to find a place or two which may actually be less expensive than eating at home.
For example, a family run restaurant at the beach serves all-you-can-eat Prime Rib for 15.95.  It may be a wash but think of not having to clean any dishes with that heavy beef fat on them... yum AND yuk!
Oddly enough, the local Chinese buffet place has some items that would cost me more to make at home.. King Crab legs and Sushi being just a couple to mention... After all, the buffet is only 16.95 per person for dinner.  How can I possible eat all the coconut shrimp I want along with so many other delights and follow that with ice cream and fruit?  Can't.
Well, for now, I'm trying to stay out of the restaurants...that is until I open up one of my own.
People have to eat somewhere.