The FleurBurger 5000
Those shocked by conspicuous consumption dropped their jaws yesterday when the Guinness Book of World Records announced the world's most expensive dessert, the $25,000 frozen "hot" chocolate at Serendipity 3 made of cocoa, milk and several grams of 24-karat gold. Of course, the costly concoction's excesses didn't end there: topped with whipped cream, La Madeline au Truffe and yes, more gold, it's served in a gold-crowned diamond-encrusted goblet with a gold spoon.
Serendipity's Frrrozen Haute Chocolate may be the swankiest sundae around, but it has lots of company. Across the globe, restaurants and hotels looking to draw attention to themselves are offering outrageously overpriced fare. Just this Monday, chef Frank Tujague at the Westin in Times Square announced the following menu addition: a $1,000 bagel topped white truffle cream cheese, goji berry–infused Riesling jelly and the obligatory gold leaf.
And that isn't the only 1K breakfast treat. If bagels aren't your thing, you could always head to Norma's in NYC for its $1,000 "Zillion Dollar Breakfast Fritatta" made of eggs, lobster and 10 oz. of caviar (the menu "dares you to expense" it).
Besides premium price tags, what these dishes have in common are highly coveted ingredients – think gobs of caviar and mounds of white truffles. Chicago's Blue Water Grill recently honored national seafood month by selling a $100 maki roll constructed from lobster, sea urchin, gold leaf and an ounce of Osetra caviar.
And since those famous white fungi are especially rare this year (they run about $275 an ounce), truffle-bedecked delicacies are seeing their prices rise. Most notably, the infamous truffle-topped mac 'n' cheese at New York's Waverly Inn, which once cost $55 a serving, is now $85.
Are these prices for real?
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Burgers, one of America's favorite meals, aren't immune to the insanity either. If the $120 "double truffle" burger at db Bistro Moderne in New York is too cheap for you, there's always the FleurBurger 5000 served at Fleur de Lys in Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay (pictured above). Not only does it come with truffles, foie gras and Japanese Kobe, it replaces the usual Coca-Cola with a bottle of 1990 Chateau Petrus poured in Ichendorf Brunello stemware (bonus! the crystal is later shipped to your home).
Of course, there are extremely pricey items out there that don't have anything to do with fish eggs or fungus. Kopi Luwak coffee, for instance, is harvested from the *** of Asian Palm Civets who eat raw coffee berries but can't digest the actual coffee bean. Buying Kopi Luwak coffee beans can run up to half a grand per pound. Or if you're a bit strapped for cash, you can always head to Silks at the Mandarin Oriental in San Francisco where you can drop a mere $40 on a cup.