Would you spend $100 on a cheesesteak? What about an egg that costs a cool grand? Talk about putting your money where your mouth is. Despite the economic downturn of the past four years, many eateries are still churning out ridiculously expensive dishes like the recession never happened. Some are exotic delicacies, while many others are just straight-up gimmicks. Next, check out our list of some of the most expensive dishes in the U.S. How much would you spend on a single item? Let us know in the comments.
[Also see: 10 Crazy Tacos From Around the U.S.]
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Fleur: The FleurBurger 5000, $5,000
Fans of "Top Chef Masters" know <strong>Hubert Keller</strong> as the French-accented chef with mean knife skills and a calm demeanor. They may also know that he makes the most expensive hamburger in the world. At <a href="http://www.zagat.com/r/las-vegas-9" target="_blank">Fleur</a>, Chef Keller's burger joint in Las Vegas, the eponymous FleurBurger 5000 clocks in at a whopping five grand. And what does that "pocket change" get you? A Kobe beef patty with a cube of seared foie gras, shaved black truffles and truffle-spiked "special sauce" all sandwiched into a buttery brioche bun. And bonus, it comes with a bottle of 1990 Chateau Petrus. Technically, the burger is a steal compared to the hospital fees associated with a FleurBurger-induced heart attack.
<strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/03/regional-mexican-smackdown-which-style.html" target="_blank">Regional Mexican Smackdown: Which Style is Numero Uno?</a>]</strong>
Norma's: Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata, $1,000
<a href="http://www.zagat.com/r/normas-manhattan" target="_blank">Norma's</a>, an all-day breakfast restaurant in <strong>New York's Le Parker Meridien Hotel</strong>, boasts an egg dish that's all about the Benjamins. Ten of them, to be exact. The menu dares you to put the Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata on your expense account, which we guess means the menu was created pre-2008. Regardless, this dish contains six eggs and Maine lobster tail, all of which is topped with 10 grams of caviar. Baller.
<strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/03/this-weeks-top-restaurant-and-food-news_16.html" target="_blank">This Week's Top Restaurant and Food News</a>]</strong>
Serendipity: Grand Opulence Sundae, $1,000
If you've already spent $1,000 on breakfast at Norma's, why not walk a few blocks to <a href="http://www.zagat.com/r/serendipity-3-manhattan" target="_blank">Serendipity 3</a> to double down on your fancy feast? Make an appointment beforehand for the Grand Opulence Sundae, a doozy of a concoction that puts your average banana split with the works to shame. Madagascar vanilla beans flavor the ice cream while chocolate chips are replaced by cocoa chunks from the Venezualan coast. Toppings include candy from Paris-based Fauchon and a trio of infused caviars: passion fruit, orange, Armagnac and plenty of 23K gold leaf. The whole thing is presented in a Baccarat bowl with a gold spoon.
<strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/03/foodie-travel-guide-to-sf-where-to-eat.html" target="_blank">Foodie Travel Guide to SF: Where to Eat on Any Budget</a>]</strong>
Nino's Bellisima: Luxury Pizza, $1,000
Cheese, bread, sauce. Maybe a topping or two? How could that get so expensive? Try introducing chunks of lobster tail, crème fraîche and four types of caviar to the mix. Oh, and it's not even an eight-slice monster. Manhattan's <a href="http://www.zagat.com/r/ninos-bellissima-pizza-manhattan" target="_blank">Nino's Bellisima</a> is the merchant hawking the Luxury Pizza, an order-ahead item. This personal-size pizza clocks in at approximately $33 per bite, but unfortunately this pie doesn't make our plebeian mouths water in the same way that a regular street slice does.
<strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/03/10-awesome-athlete-owned-restaurants.html" target="_blank">10 Awesome Athlete-Owned Restaurants</a>]</strong>
Bar Masa/Shaboo: Hot Pot, $500
Traditionally a pretty informal affair, hot pot (or shabu-shabu) is a dunk-and-dine feast and an exercise in one-pot cookery. <a href="http://www.zagat.com/r/bar-masashaboo-las-vegas" target="_blank">Not at Shaboo</a>, a Masa restaurant sibling in Las Vegas' Aria Resort and Casino. Just-flown-in ingredients including items like bluefin tuna belly, abalone, yellowtail, crab and, of course, beef are made for dunking into your bubbling, custom-made pot as you count the dollars trickling out of your wallet. Add another $95 on to the tab with a scoop of white truffle ice cream for dessert.
<strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/03/2012-james-beard-nominees-announced.html" target="_blank">2012 James Beard Award Finalists Announced</a>]</strong>
Barclay Prime: Cheesesteak, $100
Philadelphia is famous for its cheesesteaks but one restaurant is actually upping the ante on the sliced meat sammy. <a href="http://www.zagat.com/r/barclay-prime-philadelphia" target="_blank">Barclay Prime</a> is the daring resto with the nerve to charge $100 for the dish. So what makes it worth all those pennies? There's foie gras, of course, Kobe beef and truffles thrown into the hoagie roll. Add in some oozing Taleggio cheese and a half bottle of Perrier-Jouët, Grand Brut served alongside and you've got a retooled comfort food fit for a high roller.
<strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/03/10-pizza-hot-spots-in-la.html" target="_blank">10 Pizza Hot Spots in LA</a>]</strong>
Tocqueville: Golden Araucana Egg, $100
Sure, eggs are pretty incredible and many a chef has become obsessed with perfecting the art of cooking them (ahem, <strong>Wylie Dufresne</strong>). But a hundred dollars for an egg dish? That's pretty steep.
<a href="http://www.zagat.com/r/tocqueville-manhattan" target="_blank">Manhattan's Toqueville</a> utiizes a prehistoric-looking Araucana (a Chilean chicken) egg in a dish that would make Mr. <a href="http://www.zagat.com/r/wd-50-manhattan" target="_blank">WD-50</a> drool. It's poached, crisped and plated with gnocchi, risotto or tagliatelli before getting a layer of shaved Perigord truffle.
<strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/03/ultimate-san-francisco-dining-guide.html" target="_blank">Ultimate San Francisco Dining Guide: Best Burger, Pizza and More</a>]</strong>
Serendipity 3: Haute Dog, $69
Known as much for its long lines as it is for its ice cream sundae, <a href="http://www.zagat.com/r/serendipity-3-manhattan" target="_blank">Serendipity 3</a> gets a second spot on this list for its Haute Dog. Now, this is no two-dollar street cart dirty water dog. Replacing the squishy bun is pretzel bread, that's flown in from Germany and spread with white truffle butter and sea salt from Malta. Then, there's the beef, which is basted with white truffle oil. And if that doesn't sound rich enough, throw in some black truffle-foie gras pate, black truffle mustard and heirloom tomato ketchup. Does Heinz not pair well with truffles and foie?
<strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/03/londons-must-try-street-food.html" target="_blank">London's Must-Try Street Food</a>]</strong>
A life spent in search of a perfect danish is not a life wasted. Gratifying because one can succeed often.
Try this:
At 10 AM make an omelet with two eggs laid at 5:00AM. With one Table spoon fresh beluga, one half table spoon of fresh chives, chives cooked in the eggs with salt and white pepper, caviar in the center with one table spoon of cold sour cream,one slice rye toast, one latte, 6 oz carrot juice made with lemons and apples. A few drops of black truffle oil and green hot sauce... A $60 breakfast you can make for $25.
http://www.araucana.org.uk/but_why.html
They make it look like schlock.
They would have to pay ME to eat some of that.