There’s a new article in the print edition of Star Magazine detailing a very expensive dinner that Ben Affleck splurged on with Jennifer Garner, one that cost more than the value of my car. (I have a sh*tty car.) Kaiser typed it in for me and she said that about halfway through she started to suspect it was an ad for the restaurant. It does read like a commercial and it’s possible the source was in the restaurant, but I don’t see how an exclusive place that charges thousands of dollars for a meal thinks that it’s a good idea to plant a story in a gossip rag. Their clientele doesn’t seem like the type to read Star Magazine. Here’s the article from this week’s issue:

Publicly, Jennifer Garner has been taking pains to say that while she and estranged hubby Ben Affleck are on good terms, she’s “moving on” with her life. But behind the scenes, Ben has been trying to win back his wife’s affection ever since his alleged affair with ex-nanny Christine Ouzounian rocked their 10-year marriage last summer. Since their split, the duo have been spotted happily spending Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays together with their three children. An insider adds: “Ben’s been inundating Jen with compliments and flowers, anything to win her over and win her back.”

And it could be mission accomplished for Ben: Star has learned exclusively that he and Jen spent the evening of Feb. 9 enjoying what one eyewitness described as a “romantic date night” at an exclusive LA restaurant – and outing that may have “sealed the deal,” says an insider, on a secret reconciliation for the duo.

That evening, Ben’s chauffeur-driven Range Rover rolled up the Hinterland restaurant in Santa Monica. Jen stepped out dressed in a tight black dress and heels, and as they entered the eatery, Ben was the perfect gentleman, helping her remove her coat and pulling out her chair. After settling in at their candlelit table, the couple only had eyes for each other.

“It was all about them. There were no distractions, no calling, no texting. They ordered from the Secret Kitchen menu – there are no prices listed, but appetizers are about $100 each.”

After flirting over caviar, charcuterie and oysters, the couple ordered their first and main courses, with Ben tucking into filet mignon and veal chop, while Jen enjoyed seafood.

“She seemed almost first-date giddy” during the evening, the eyewitness adds. “And when their desserts arrived, they shared the panna cotta, chocolate ganache tarts and gelato with one spoon.”

Their romantic meal lasted three hours and their check totaled $5000 – “Obviously, the cost was no object for Ben when it came to sharing some quality time alone with his wife.”

A source adds: “They’ve vowed to have more date nights” like the one at Hinterland. “That one was the epitome of romance, and it really opened Jen’s eyes to what they could have again. Slowly but surely, she’s seen a change in ben, who has realized he made a monumental mistake – and her heart has begun to melt.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition]

Ok that just made me really hungry, but more like $50 night out hungry not $5,000 hungry. I don’t understand how a meal could total that much, even with $100 dishes, unless they were drinking insanely expensive wine. Even with all the product placement (what is charcuterie? Ok I have had that in Germany at peasant prices) I can believe that they went out to dinner and spent $5k. Their combined net worth is $115 million, it’s not like they can’t afford it.

Apparently OK Magazine has a similar story about their night out, at least I’m assuming they’re referring to the same night.

Do you think they’ll still go through with the divorce? People Magazine suggested that they’re going to file “sometime after their next movies are released in late March” although the language kind of hedged and said an announce “could come.” There was also a lot of verbiage about Garner’s state of mind and how she fought for her marriage and family. I can see these two reuniting yet again. I get the impression that a lot depends on how Batman v. Superman does at the box office, like Ben is basing major life decisions on if he’s able to helm a superhero movie and he’s the one calling the shots.

US Mag has another story about how Ben would change the Batman v. Superman script while he was in the process of filming. That sounds like a nightmare for the cast and crew, like it would cause version control issues for so many different people.

Photos credit: WENN and Fame. All these photos are from last year