Just Desserts or Just Expensive?
Posted on November 8, 2007 by Jennifer Caraballo |
It can be said that Stephen Bruce and Frank Tujague have expensive tastes. However, I think that would be an understatement! This week, it seems that these New Yorkers are cooking up a lot of rich treats for those with expensive tastes.
On November 6 at The Westin Hotel in Times Square, Frank Tujague “bageled” all the rest! To help raise funds for culinary school scholarships, Tujague revealed his $1,000 bagel which is topped with white truffle cream cheese, goji berry infused Riesling jelly, and golden leaves.
Four years ago, Stephen Bruce introduced his $1,000 ice cream sundae called the Golden Opulence at his chocolate inspiring New York restaurant, Serendipity 3. Yesterday, November 7, he unveiled a $25,000 chocolate sundae (!!!!!!) that set a Guinness world record for the most expensive dessert….ever. The dessert is called “Frrozen Haute Chocolate,” — with two r’s in the word frozen and hot spelled “haute” meaning fashionably elegant. (”Now that’s “haute”!)
The sundae is an expensive blend of 28 cocoas including 14 of the most exotic from around the world. With the help of Euphoria, a top New York jewelry designer, Bruce “decorated” his dessert with 5 grams of edible 23-karat gold. It’s also served in a goblet lined with more edible gold and comes with an 18-karat gold bracelet with white diamonds at the base of the goblet. Another take home treat is what you eat it with: a gold spoon decorated with white and chocolate-colored diamonds!
As if the dessert wasn’t “rich” enough, the sundae is topped with gold covered whipped cream and comes with a side of “La Madeline au Truffle” from Knipschildt Chocolatier, which sells for $2,600 a pound.
Wow. These treats satisfy more than just a craving! If only I was a food critic! In my book, chocolate is always grand! But, who’d order a bagel for a grand? Seems at these prices, I won’t be able to afford either!
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12 Responses to “Just Desserts or Just Expensive?”
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I find the thought of such opulence disgusting.
while much of the world is starving, someone out there is buying a $1000 bagel. OYE!
This is why people hate Americans.
Seriously. I did not know that humans could digest gold. I like bagels and all, but this high priced food doesn’t sound too kosher. I guess if somebody’s version of heaven involves consuming thousand dollar food, then more power to them. I prefer an everything bagel with chive cream cheese, tomato, and lox for about $7.50. Now thats a good!
People envy what Americans are able to do for themselves. The liberals in our nation want us to believe that others hate us. But that is simply not true, generally.
Now if most of those in modern societies who envy us would just get off their arses and work 5 or 6 days each week for 50 weeks every year, they would be able dessert with cherries on top. Unfortunately too many of these people expect their governments to provide too much. Hence, only a few can even dream of a $25,000.00 chocolate sundae.
Those in third world countries have a much tougher road to chocolate chip ice cream. Most of these folks labor under oppresive governments who only care what their citizens can do for the government. I’m not sure if I’m a fan of nation building, but as the world gets smaller, we can’t ignore the fact the 90% of the world population lives in a not-so-free society. These folks can’t even dream of a $25,000.00 chocolate sundae.
As Don King and Jay Black put it…”Only in America.”
Pass the strawberry syrup, please.
The place I visit in Mexico is a small fishing village, with a mostly-international-ex-pat community on the ocean side of the highway and the working class Mexicans living in the Colonia, an area carved out of the jungle, on the other side of the highway. The people I drink and eat with, and have some pretty hot conversations with, are the ocean side crowd. I’m usually the only U.S. American in the bunch, and I really get pretty beat up sometimes. During a recent round of abuse, I asked Christof (a very bright German man who fits the German stereotype to a “t”) to define a U.S. American. I probably don’t have to tell you that he began by saying some pretty uncomplimentary things. I corrected him. A U. S. American is an Englishman, an Irishman, a German, a Mexican, an Italian, a Puerto Rican, a Palestinian, an Israeli, and so forth, all of whom have left their birth nation to come to the United States of America in search of a free and better life for themselves and their families. I’m betting that not one person on this site is proud of the way our country throws it’s weight around on the world stage. At the same time, those $1000 bagels were presented as a “stunt” to raise money for charity. I have to say, I would rather that fund raiser had been for something other than a scholarship for a culinary school, but who knows, maybe a Mexican, an Iraqi, a Haitian, or such, who would never dream of having an opportunity to study at a culinary school and learn a respected trade, will receive one of those scholarships. The people of this country are more charitable with their riches than any other people on this earth. 25 years ago, I had the opportunity to spend time with a group of 30-something Italian professionals in a casual, dinner environment in someone’s home. They were going on and on about how bad the U.S. was (it always amazes me when people do that… it’s so friggin rude), and they kept saying, “Oh, we’re not talking about you, Virginia, it’s your country.” I was young (22) and pure Pollyanna, but I was pissed off and let them know it. But that’s the way it is, was, and until this country is no longer a world power, ever shall be. I’d like to know how they’re going to all feel when China steps up to take our place.
Its not so black and white. A lot of the world doesn’t like us because of our foreign policies, but we’re historically respected for the rewards of capitalism within our borders - why do you think we have the current immigration issue? So many foreigners continue to risk their lives for the American Dream.
However, lets ask everyone below the middle class what their reward is for working 5-6 days a week for 50 weeks. Honestly, how nice would it be if the amount of time spent at work actually gauranteed financial freedom.
Thats for Will, not Virginia.
Virginia, I dated a lovely German girl while she was living and working as an Au Pair in Princeton New Jersey. I have spent time with her and her family twice now in Germany and I absolutely loved it there. Every second of it, event hough I fell very ill on the first trip (December of 2004). It was my first time ever out of the country and from the moment I stepped off of the plane I felt like I was truly at home for the first time in my life. If circumstances allowed it, I would pack up and spend the rest of my life there without any hesitation.
Greg, I used to think I would feel that way about Italy. I’ve decided now (along with my husband, who has a say in this as well, lol), that I like my life in the US, along with our screwed up political situation, too much to ever call another country my primary home. I would love to be in a position financially (I assume that’s what you mean by “circumstances”, i.e. having to make a living) to pick up and live in another cultural environment for months at a time, but I would not be willing to give up my life here permanently. I do recognize, however, that we also “got lucky” when we made our home in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Everyone is missing the point here…white truffle cream cheese would seriously be the bomb
LOL Brian!
Hey, when you go pick up one of those bagels for a grand, will you grab me one, too? I swear I’ll pay you back. Oh yea, I want extra goji berry infused Riesling jelly on mine.