Is Cafe Pushkin (Moscow) really that expensive?

I was looking up a restaurant and saw this on Pushkin in Moscow, even though old. There is no way a restaurant like Pushkin goes for anything close to $25. The restaurant is absolutely exquisite, and I've eaten all over Europe for many years, and I think this is the most beautiful restaurant I've ever eaten in. We ate there a couple years ago for a lunch and it averaged about $75 a person with vodka's, no wine, but we did not have the largest lunch, some had lamb chops, others the pelmini, soups, salads etc. Well the reception to us was quite cordial, after we got the table sorted out, I made reservations (my guide did, I should say) way in advance and I requested the Library and we got put in a different room but they did come through and found a table where we wanted to be. This kind of thing happens a lot in "east" Europe, they just usurp your position if they have a larger party they want to accomodate and put you in an inferior place. I just stand my ground and if I don't get my wishes they will compensate by giving us free alcohol or something else. The owner, Andrey Dellos, restaurant impresario and person who created Pushkin certainly did dump a lot of rubles into it, so prices not surprising. He created also the Konditerskaya Pushkin for pastries etc adjoining it. Also the restaurant Turandot, which is a ornate fantasy. You can see this on a website I stumbled across www.russkayastorona,ru/moscow/restaurants It is in Engish, good picures inside and out, but no prices or menus.
If you are looking for "cheap eats" then you need to stay in the more local ethnic restaurants. We went to several from the Baltshug Hotel, across the river from Red Square, like Taras Bulbas, charming and not that expenise. Even Gudunov right off Red Square near the Metropol Hotel is a charming place like a dacha inside, painted rib-vaulted ceilings, folk music in the evening, flavored vodkas and closer to $50pp. A nice experience.
The Antinori chianti wine family has a few restaurants in Vienna, Florence, Zurich and now Moscow, but the prices in Moscow start around $200-300pp and these prices are not at that level in their other towns.
The food at Pushkin we thought was very good and for what we paid I think we had value in the food. I would not miss the experience and if you are weak over the prices, do lunch as it is much easier to get a table and not so crowded so service is better. We thought the service was paced right, we did not wait a long time between courses nor spend all afternoon for lunch, but I would say we were there about 2 hours, and for the $$ you want to be able to soak in the fantastic atmosphere. By the way they don't allow any picture taking, don't want anybody copying the interior. They are quite clear on this and enforce this policy.
There is a double standard in Russian, we foreigners just pay more than the Russian Citizen, and unless you speak fluent Russian, and look like a Russian, you will not get the cheaper prices unless your guide quietly buys the museum tickets. But, then again they are registered guides and so naturally assumed they are taking tourists around. With hotels rooms in the class-acts going up near $1000 a night in season, the restaurants are in line with that. I usually figure on $100pp without being in the most expensive restaurannts. Look at the price of ballet tickets to Bolschoi, we had our guide buy tickets and they were at least better priced. Karen Pasold, Classic Europe, Dallas, Texas

Karen Pasold in Europe