Do you splurge when eating at a nice restaurant?

YIKES. By family, do you mean mom & dad & siblings? Or a bigger group? Who paid? Not that that even matters...

I always splurge. I mean, wtf, I can do spaghetti or meatloaf at home. That is kinda the point of dining out. I do aps, cocktails, WHATEVER I want to eat & dessert. If I had to watch my pennies, I wouldn't' bother.

Yeah, I always try to consider what the overall price is going to be. Unless your treating, and are made of money, I would suggest you do the same. I always try to find the best meal for the best price. Most higher end places, like Ruth's Chris or PF Changs (not so much latter but more the former), are starting to offer 3 course meal deals. Also, there are some cities that have yearly Restaurant Weeks. I try and take advantage of those.

Obviously you were not the one picking up the check. So, in the future if you are not picking up the check, ask your 'neighbor' what they are having and stick to that price point. You don't want to be the only person ordering lobster (for instance).

That is what works for me. If I am out with friends we talk about what we are going to order before the waiter comes. So I know if we are all ordering appetizers or all ordering entrees. It's not wierd to talk about food in a restaurant.

If you don't eat out that often or it's a special occasion then it shouldn't be an issue. Otherwise, I try to stick to the cheaper items unless all the items are around the same price and more expensive than others.

it depends on who is paying. If you are with your family - say mom and dad - maybe ask if you need to stick to a certain limit. If you are paying say on a date, you cannot ask your date to order something inexpensive. I would suggest going to as nice a place as you can reasonable afford without limitations.