America's Most Expensive Burgers

Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of sizzling meat. There isn't much that is more American than the cheeseburger, and there also isn't much that is more American than conspicuous spending. Armed with this knowledge, here are three of America's most expensive cheeseburgers.


The 2nd Runner-Up is courtesy of Daniel Boulud, whose burger is composed with:

an exterior of ground sirloin with a filling of boned short ribs braised in red wine, foie gras, black truffle and a mirepoix of root vegetables. The homemade bun is topped with toasted parmesan and layered with fresh horseradish mayonnaise, tomato confit, fresh tomato and frisée lettuce.

It doesn't matter if you don't know what a "mirepoix" of root vegetables is because you take one look at that photo and you know that burger is going to taste like you're own little piece of heaven, and at the downright plebeian price of $150, you'll feel like you just paid for your own little piece of heaven too.


In what might now be forever known as the "War of the Burger Prices", the Wall Street Burger Shoppe has just raised the price of their burger to $175, to ensure their place as New York's most expensive burger. And no, you're not seeing things. The photo at left is sparkly and gold because their burger is topped with gold leaves. According to Reuters:

The burger, created by chef and co-owner Kevin O'Connell, seeks to justify its price with a Kobe beef patty, lots of black truffles, seared foie gras, aged Gruyere cheese, wild mushrooms and flecks of gold leaf on a brioche bun.

Wondering who on earth would pay $175 for a burger? Well, according to co-owner Heather Tierney, "the eatery sells 20 or 25 per month."


For those of you out there thinking, "Heck, I eat $175 burgers for breakfast," don't worry your fat, ostrich-leather wallets because there is one burger that puts both of these wannabes to shame. It's the Chuck Bass of burgers, the Kira Plastinina of gastronomical expenditures. It's Las Vegas' own $5000 burger. Sold at Fleur de Lys at Mandalay Bay, "the foie gras and black truffle-stuffed Kobe burger is served on a brioche truffle bun and garnished with Chef Keller's special sauce, which also has truffles. Accompanying this burger is a bottle of Chateau Petrus 1995."

Yup, you read right: the burger is so good, they throw in a thirteen-year-old bottle of wine for free!

So, what do you think? Are your tastebuds quivering, or is your wallet shivering? Tell us your thoughts below!

Comments

[Citizen4Justice]

Now the rich can feel good about eating commoner food, since the version their eating is too expensive for the peasants. God bless the rich.

[WIpatriot]

Not today, but maybe in another year, if inflation takes oiff....

[Wiredwilly]

Note : mirepoix is a French flavor base, named for the chef who created it, a combination of onions, carrots, and celery either eaten raw ,roasted, or sauteed with butter.

[Wiredwilly]

Ah, the discreet charm of the bourgeoisie...
It's not a good sign when thousands are scraping up coins for food and elite chefs are serving $ 5,000 hamburgers. If this was 15 years before the French Revolution it could be seen as a sign of things to come....

[mamacat]

A few years ago there were articles about $2,000 margaritas being made and sold in Vegas. Interesting to read about, but I don't think I would want to buy one myself.
Apropos of nothing in particular, I ate the veggie burger at Red Robin restaurant a while back, and I thought it was actually quite tasty. Anyone interested, I recommend it.

[mediamarv]

Well, if you include the artery scraping precedure necessary after eating that cholesterol bomb, that sounds about the right price...

[bwither]

Whatever $5000 burger. . . you get set in front of me and you're getting dipped in Heinz 57 like all the others.

It's nice to know that no matter how poorly the economy is doing, the robber-baron class has something to blow their money on besides. . . you know . . paying people to work.

[Vyvjala]

Excuse me Mr. Buffet, you dropped this million dollar bill..................

[randakost]

Having been married to an excellent Chef for many years I appreciate a good meal and have been known to spend a lot of money eating out in the name of "research". However given the current economic times articles like these seem to be "poking the bear". At a time when so many of us have difficulty not only paying for gas but when just buying food from the grocery store is painful..maybe the "haves" shouldn't so flagrantly show off their lack of financial cares to the "have nots". From things such as this the French revolution was born. Let them eat McDonalds?

[mamacat]

As someone once said (I think) "Rich people are different than you and me."
I have met a few really, really nice rich people, but I think they live on a different planet than I do. Some of the things I have seen them do boggles my mind to the point that to say that I am flabbergasted is a great understatement. For instance, I have seen the rich spend so much money on food, that they could easily feed a whole village in Africa luxuriously for a year with what they spend on one family for a month. $175 hamburgers are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to extravagant lifestyles.
By the way, I think they do not need to have their tax rates reduced, like Bush and McCain say they need. If anything, they could easily afford to pay a little higher tax rate. Maybe they would have to start eating $150 hamburgers instead of $175 hamburgers.

[LiberalBuzz]

Well that's a little rich for my tastes.

BUT what I am curious about is this....has Huffpost suddenly been co-opted to mention that little 15 year old spoiled girl from Russia? WHY would anyone bring up her name with regards to this article?

Things that make you go hmmmmm.

[minidriver]

What you eat in Vegas should stay in Vegas as well.

[sandpiper]

After a day or so, it does.

[JFaye]

I imagine the corporate executives rewarded with millions for systematicall closing down manufacturing and shipping the jobs overseas ... with tax incentives (thank you Nafta and Cafta ... Clinton's legacy) can well afford and splurge on such faire ...

Or, the benefactors of ridiculously high oil profits, compliments of the Bush's reign of terror might dine at either of these establishments and with no guilt.

The least expensive of these burgers is a tank of gasoline for the family's van or SUV.

Watch out America ...

[truth4achange]

YUM. I'll take mine extra well done. With mayo.

[nanotubz]

As that old adage goes, " a fool and his money are soon parted." One thing to offer them and another to actually buy them.

[mamacat]

The thing is, there is a market for these hamburgers. There is a group of people for whom $175 is not too much to pay for a hamburger. They are not fools, they are just extremely rich.

[kinnycut]

Something is wrong with this world. A Hamburger shouldn't cost as much as a good used Buick.