Battle of the Decadent Burgers

[Fat Guy]

Urbani is currently charging $70 (US) per ounce for whole fresh black winter truffles, retail.

https://www.urbaniusa.com/main.asp

[Bux]

I too wonder if that's the best use for truffles, but the first time I recall having truffles in a sauce or dish, it was in a small Perigourdine bistro in Paris and I had stuffed goose neck with sauce perigueux. One could easily describe cou d'oie farcie, sauce périgueux as meat loaf stuffed in the skin of a goose's neck with truffles. Here from a post on the France board.

I orginally posted this as Rostang's Black Truffle sandwich:

"I haven't been back to Rostang in a number of years and unfortunately, the last time we were there, the food was only fair. But the time before last, we went and had the black truffle sandwich which was an amazing dish."

This sandwich will be available here in NYC as part of a $250 menu dinner at le Bernardin.

Sunday, February 9th, at Le Bernardin: a benefit for City Harvest, honoring the legacy of Jean-Louis Palladin.

The Announcement, including bios of the chefs:  Ariane Daguin, Elena Arzak Espina, Hélène Darroze, Christine Ferber, and Caroline Rostang.  And Eric Ripert.

The Menu.

This doesn't seem like the right economy to seek this kind of publicity. Then again, maybe Boulud knows who he wants to attract to db bistro.

[Steve Plotnicki]

I don't understand why people find this pricing outrageous? Last week at Chez Josephine on the rue de Cherche-Midi in Paris, I had an Omelet de Truffe that I split with someone else (actually it was one course of a 3 course truffe extravaganza) and it was $41. Yes for an omelet. So if eggs can cost that price, I don't see why top quality chopped meat can't cost the same or more? In fact if you take current currency conversion rates into account, the omelet is close to $50. And as to whether there is anything intrinsically wrong with a $50 burger, well the price sort of defeats the purpose of a burger which is to offer a reasonably priced meal. But DB has transformed their burger into a different kind of food then just a sandwich so to me it justisfies the price point. But I can't speak for the Homestead or DB Truffle burger because I haven't had them. But I will try to do that shortly.

[cabrales]

Well, at least two actively posting eGulleteers have now sampled the "new" db burger.

Another eGulleteer (who, I trust, will provide input as well shortly) and I had lunch at db today. We each sampled the $50/person "db Burger Royale -- The original db burger with shaved black truffle." My burger was served with pommes souffles (the normal accompaniment for the "new" burger), while my dining companion requested that his side be the fries from the original db burger.

As usual, I ordered by burger rare. It was presented that way, although in the past it has been ever-so-slightly more cooked than rare. This time, the beef has a suppleness, in part due to the rare preparation, that I liked. The dining room team member confirmed that everything is as was the case with the original db burger, except that (1) slices of black truffle, with some sort of buttered effect, had been placed both above and below the beef patty, and (2) pommes souffles were included instead of fries.

The difference was noticeable. First, there was a reasonable amount of sliced black truffles both on top and below the patty. Not an enormous amount, but more than fair. The black truffles were of an appropriate, limited thickness (moderate). Their diameter (not radius) for the larger area was about an inch (or less). Thus, not the largest black truffles were utilized, but these were of appropriate quality. They had been somehow integrated with butter, according to the dining room team member. This was detectable to me and my dining companion, and the butter/oil effects manifested themselves in fatty oils that soaked into the bun in certain portions. Nice emoliance and buttery sensations to the black truffle slices. The whole burger seemed more oily (in a positive manner), for some reason.

I experienced nice black truffle aromas to the new burger prior to eating it. (The shaving is not done at table, to be clear.) I detected a very limited hinted of acidity to the saucing of the burger, from "sniffing" the burger (in a polite manner). The dining room team member noted there was a "truffle vinaigrette", whose composition is subject to interpretation.

Today, the red onion (raw) pieces were particularly strong. I removed some from the burger, so that the onion would not overpower the black truffles (particularly on the nose). The tomato confit was nice, and the frisee seemed normal too.

The condiments were the same as for the normal db burger -- (1) horseradish mayonnaise (for some reason, slightly "hotter" today than the on the two prior occasions a burger was sampled, (2) ketchup and (3) Dijon mustard. Somehow the horseradish mayonnaise, even though intended to be the same as that for the original burger, was slightly "hotter" than I recall. I believe the "new" burger is better taken either without additional sauce, or perhaps with the horseradish mayonnaise (which seemed to have been included in the burger to some extent already). I believe the Dijon mustard would overwhelm the black truffles a bit.

I had a quarter liter of the Chateauneuf du Pape, Domaine de Vileneuve 1999 ($20). Total bill allocable to me, was $99 after tax and before tips, with a glass of house champagne (Cuvee Daniel) and a $9 glass of Graham port "Six Grapes". I had never heard of the "Six Grapes" version of Graham (NV), and therefore sampled it. It is a cuvee that is average at best, and its label mentioned, not surprisingly, that it was intended to be drunk young.

Service by our dining room team member was very good. My dining companion and I were seated in the "back" room. This room is a bit brighter than most restaurant venues I have visited recently, and we both noted the ease with which the braised short ribs portion of the burger could be discerned to be different visually from the beef. The foie seemed slightly larger than for an original burger, although that is not intended.

Overall, I believed the $50 "new" burger is at a not unreasonable price increment relative to the $28/29 initial db burger. I enjoyed the new burger, and, if I visited db again, might be inclined to order it.

Below is a transcript of certain portions of the Today show's Boulud interview:

"KATIE COURIC, co-host:

Now to another moo-ving experience. The battle of the burgers. On Wednesday we showed you the 20 ounce American Kobe beef burger from The Old Homestead

Steakhouse, costing a whopping 41 bucks. It was billed as the priciest burger in town. But now it's been dethroned by the DB burger which costs $50. It's served at Chef Daniel Boulud's restaurant, DB's Bistro Moderne. ... How come this is so expensive?

Chef BOULUD: Actually, this is a $29 burger where it's sort of got a royal flavor inside, and I'm putting fresh black truffle. Fresh black truffle is a very short season. It's about three to four months. And I think, you know, I mean, in an Italian restaurant you would shave white truffle for a lot of money, and fresh black truffle is certainly a little bit more affordable and better when it's cooked with meat as well and--and beef. So my burger, having already a--a--a filling of braised short ribs foie gras and truffle inside, it's a

natural truffle, so **two layers of fresh black truffle** in it. And--and it's--of course it looks unassuming, 'Where's my 50 bucks?' But it's all in the taste. It's all in the burger. It's all...

ANN CURRY: You've got a lot in there.

MATT LAUER: Well, what else--tell people how much those black truffles cost. I mean, they're expensive.

Chef BOULUD: So I cover--I cover the buns on the burger with the truffles. And...

LAUER: How much are they a pound, the truffles?

Chef BOULUD: Those cost about 500--four to $500 a pound. ... So you see the burger is--we--we--we cover it with those truffles *inside on top* and...

CURRY: And it's because they have such a short season that--they're--they're so pricey?

Chef BOULUD: Yeah, it's a short season. Of course, you can still enjoy the burger at $29. But I felt then, it's not about the war of the burger, but my burger is so complex in flavor, it's so interesting, I think I wanted to make the greatest burger in America.

COURIC: If you do say so yourself. So it's--it's--it's ground up braised short ribs and foie gras in the middle?

Chef BOULUD: And foie gras and a little bit of truffle and root vegetable, and then wrapped up in the best prime meat. And it's not too fatty, actually. I tried to use a very lean meat, and then braised it...

COURIC: Three parts sirloin and one part chuck, right. Is that right?

Chef BOULUD: Yes, plus a very small percentage of fat. Actually, the Kobe beef burger has much more--a lot of more fat and much less complexity in taste.

LAUER: Well, and also he fired a bit of a shot across the bough...of The Old Homestead restaurant saying anybody can just take ground beef and jam it together and make a hamburger, that there's something a little more intricate and delicate about this.

Chef BOULUD: Yeah, it--it takes a real chef to make a DB burger.

CURRY: *Ah, OK.*

COURIC: Them's fighting words. And I like that it has red onion, curly chicory and tomato comfit.

Chef BOULUD: Of course, because this extends the flavor of the burger into it. ... And the burger is a nine-ounce burger. It's a real meal to itself.

LAUER: How's it selling?

Chef BOULUD: And I know Matt is having one basically three times a week. ... Very big. Already yesterday without having to put it on the menu, we sold about 30 at lunch out of maybe a 100 burgers, so...

LAUER: Hmm.

Chef BOULUD: That was a 30 percent sale in two days it going to go to 80 percent.

LAUER: It's delicious, Daniel.

CURRY: How did you get your mouth around this, Matt? Because I mean, we're using our...

LAUER: I just bit a little corner.

CURRY: Right. ...

COURIC: So when--*when black truffles go out of season, you just won't serve this anymore, right*?

Chef BOULUD: I'll--yeah, I'll wait until--and that's why I think it will be a wonderful thing to bring it back again in December when truffle season come back.

COURIC: All right.

Chef BOULUD: I love truffles...."

Edited January 20, 2003 by cabrales (log)

[Holly Moore]

The condiments were the same as for the normal db burger -- (1) horseradish mayonnaise (for some reason, slightly "hotter" today than the on the two prior occasions a burger was sampled, (2) ketchup and (3) Dijon mustard.

Curious. Are the ketchup and dijon mustard from a bottle or prepared in the kitchen? If from a bottle, I see the opportunity for DB's to add another $10 - $20 to the price and offer their own ketchup and dijon mustard. Be interesting to see if Chef Boulud can improve upon Heinz.

[cabrales]

Holly -- All three condiments were in little, rustic-looking ceramic jars. They had little spoons for the diner to transfer the condiment to her plate. I strongly suspect the ketchup and Dijon mustard were not prepared at db. In fact, it would not have been technically correct to label the mustard Dijon if it had been prepared in db's kitchens, I'd imagine.

The horseradish mayonnaise is almost certainly restaurant-made, as its taste has varied from meal to meal.

[muon]

Cabrales -- thanks for the details -- I'm pushing the db burger up higher on my short list, based on your post. Do you (or any others) know for how long this latest incarnation (with truffle shavings) will be offered? I doubt I can get to DB Bistro Moderne within the next month.

Also we knew this was going to come at some point -- but Texans appear to mock New York burger wars, with 29.6lbs burger, for $41.

--m.

Edited January 21, 2003 by muon (log)

[vengroff]

I just had a burger at City Hall. It's been too long since I was there last. That's one seriously good straight-shooting gimmick-free no-bullshit $15 burger.

[cabrales]

Thanks to member David Bizer, we have today's Le Figaro cover-page article on "Hamburger Wars in New York".

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...ST&f=10&t=15734

I have provided a *very rough* translation of the Le Figaro article below:

In New York, it's war. Already? Yes ... but it is infinitely more frivolous and a lot less dangerous, because there is no physical danger. In summary, hamburger wars are raging there.

It's not a rivalry among franchisees of the McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, Horaces and Curiaces fast food chains. It is bewteen vaulted cuisiniers who look to produce a refined cuisine using buns. It's about who sells the most expensive burger, which is presumably the best burger.

The battle began last week with a restaurant known for the quality of its meat. Old Homestead. Its burger is based on Kobe beef. Why that in the country of cowboys [literal translation, here]? Because, in this Japanese area, cows receive a special feed, drink beer and have their flesh massaged. [The article does not make clear whether the Old Homestead burger's beef is Wagyu variety raised in the US, or in Japan, but almost seems to suggest the latter. I am unsure where OH sources its Wagyu beef from?] In the stables, soothing music is broadcast to reduce stress. The cows there are mad, but with joy. This chic treatment without stress renders the flesh incomparably tender. The bill is also incomparable: 41 dollars, or about the same amount of euros. At that rate, one can have a whole meal.

Heralding French cuisine in New York, chef Daniel Boulud could not leave the Japan-American actions remain without an answer deserving of Boulud's reputation. He already had a hamburger on this menu; we are in the US, after all. He decided to add to the composition of foie gras, truffles and fresh parmesan [i'm not sure fresh parmesan is in the burger]. This increased the price from 29 to 50 dollars. 60 with service, whcih is not included. It was our compatriot who holds the title of having the most expensive hamburger. Eric Blauberg of Club 21 only has a 26 dollar burger. For that price, one receives only a garnish based on duck's fat, thyme and marjolaine (spelling).

The most expensive, is it the best? Ed Levine, New York Times restaurant critic [is that his title?], was guarded. "I have eaten", he confesses, "burgers for many days in pursuit of that question". What hard work! "I visited all regions of the city. And in the smallest places as well as the most chic restaurants, I was satisfied. New York, my research indicates, is hamburger heaven. " One does not know where hell would be for the consumer. If Ed Levine decides to leave food writing, a career might be available in diplomacy.

Edited January 22, 2003 by cabrales (log)

[johnjohn]

In pictures of the the db burger that I've seen the burger is sliced in half to show the interior - is this how it is served? Does the filling stay together or fall apart while eating? Is it difficult to eat?

johnjohn

[cabrales]

johnjohn -- Yes, both the original db burger and the new burger are sliced in 1/2. Each side has a longish toothpick-like small wooden spear (light wood) to hold it in place slightly. The top of the spear that shows is circular and has the "db" logo on it.

The burger patty and the bun have less "base" area than the usual McDonald's burger (as a point of reference). Thus, there is more height, and less "base" area. The burger seems "plumper".

The burger can be eaten with one's hands, so it is not difficult to eat. One does have to take largish bites, but that can be done politely. Interestingly, there is no finger bowl for the burger; one presumably uses one's "regular" napkin.

[Stephanie]

In today's NY Daily News, restaurant critic Pascale Le Draoulec reviews 6 different burgers, including the Old Homestead Burger and the two db ones. Luger's was her favorite.

$50 Burgers? Holy Cow!

[cabrales]

From the article: "The short ribs are delicious but overpower the chuck." The short ribs have several roles in the db burger, to which the article does not refer.

First, one of Daniel's signature dishes (apart from the bass in paupiette) at the main restaurant is braised short ribs in red wine sauce. Granted, the short ribs don't appear to be the same short ribs as those in the db burger. However, there is a hidden reference there potentially -- one which reinforces the chef's intention that the burger be gastronomic.

Per Boulud's website, there is currently a dish called "LE BOEUF ET LE CELERI. Duo of Braised Short Ribs in Red Wine and Peppered Filet Mignon with Celery Root Purée

and Braised Green Celery Stalks". The braised short ribs are not always served with filet mignon, but the wine braising and the short ribs are emblematic of Daniel restaurant.

Second, in my view, the short ribs portion of the patty adds texture as much as flavor. The short ribs are soft-ish, and have a moist "strand-like" texture to them. The red wine braising is rather subtle, and the ribs themselves are appropriately subtle in the burger when the burger is ordered rare. When ordered rare, the beef non-ribs meat is supple, tender and moist, and is not such a stark contrast, one may argue (with counterarguments), to the ribs as if one ordered the burger medium well, say, and the non-ribs meat were harder and more "formed" as a patty. I believe reviewers have been overlooking the key role of db's asking diners for how cooked or rare they want their patty, and how that decision can affect the burger experience at db.

Third, in the new burger, the short ribs have a further role of matching quite well with the black truffle slices.

Edited January 22, 2003 by cabrales (log)

[cabrales]

Below are excerpts from a transcript of CNN NEWSNIGHT with Aaron Brown (January 17, 2003):

BROWN: Up next on NEWSNIGHT, the man behind the $50 burger meets the man who ate one. That would be me. ...

BOULUD: I think this is the *Taj Mahal* of burgers, in a way. There's multiple layers. We start with a Parmesan bun with onion seed, homemade. ... And then after, we have fresh and baked tomato, also as well in the oven. And layers of truffle between a 10-ounce burger, where, inside, it's filled with braised short ribs, cooked for hours in red wine. ... And mixed with foie gras in the center and truffle. So, the idea is that this burger, normally at DB Bistro Moderne is $29. But during the fresh truffle season, I have wonderful fresh black truffle here. During the fresh black truffle season, I boosted my burger -- because the burger is made to go very well with truffle, with the meat, and all that. ... So the truffle, of course, is $500 a pound. So, adding the truffle into the burger, it's a little bit of a bonus.

BROWN: It's just a wonderful smell, the truffle.

BOULUD: It's wonderful. It's very earthy. It's very unique. And I think it's quite a unique burger.

BROWN: All right, a couple of quick questions. Do you think you could sell it in...Omaha, Nebraska?

BOULUD: No. ... It's a New York thing. And, also, I'm a French chef. ... [Laughter] ... I am very proud to show to the French that a burger can be the greatest thing ... Grinding a patty and patting on the grill and put it between two buns don't take much of a great chef. But here, I'm very proud to have created a burger with beyond just the flavor of a burger. Once you have it, you never forget.

BROWN: Seriously, do you think someone who's a reasonably good cook could whip this up at home?

BOULUD: Yes. You have start by braise the short ribs... Basically, you start *two days ahead*... it's easier.

BROWN: ... How many do you sell a day? Do you know?

BOULUD: Well, today, we sold about -- at the restaurant at lunch, we sell about 100 burgers a day. And the DB burger royale -- which we call it royale because -- and this is only during the truffle season *until March*. And we sold

about 40 percent today [note higher than the 30% in another article]. So that was amazing. I was very surprised. So, I think people love it...

BROWN: And we paid for the burger, you know. We didn't take a freebie.

BOULUD: I know. But the thing is, also, doing fresh white truffle, white truffles is two times to three times more expensive than black. And people will shave white truffle, plain risotto, and pay $100 for it. So, **I feel that my

burger is a bargain at $50.**

BROWN: It's the most wonderful taste.

BOULUD: Thank you, Aaron."

Edited January 22, 2003 by cabrales (log)

[cabrales]

Today's edition of Newsday contains an article entitled "Hold the Pickles, Not the Lettuce; Where's the beef? It's in Big Apple burgers that go for big bucks". Excerpts follow:

"At The Old Homestead ... there are days when the meat runs out, so intense is the demand for $41 Kobe-beef burgers... The upgraded [db] burger ... will be available only during the season for fresh black *Perigord* truffles [is it so clear it is not Southern French], approximately late December through late March. ...

I ate the Old Homestead burger Friday while Matt Lauer, Al Roker and party dined at the next table. Waiter Nelson Cruz confided that 80 percent of the customers in the restaurant had ordered the burger that day, putting quite a strain on the kitchen. Overall, according to manager John Surgil, about 70 percent order it.... three sauces, including homemade chipotle ketchup (mild) and stoneground mustard with champagne, come on the side ....

This [db burger] is a smart burger, because the fatty

foie gras and short ribs keep the ground meat moist. ... Boulud, the highly regarded French chef, serves the burger with both attitude and humility. It is topped with tomato confit and **truffle dressing** and served on a house-baked Parmigiano poppy-seed bun, yet the ketchup offered on the side is the familiar American Heinz....

Old Homestead Burger

Idaho russet potatoes, cut into shoestrings and fried

Assorted exotic mushrooms sauteed in butter

Kobe beef patty

Microgreens

Brioche-style bun...

DB Burger Royale ( DB Bistro Moderne)

Pommes souffles

Black truffle

**Parmigiano and poppy** seed bun

Ground sirloin

Filling of short ribs braised in wine with foie gras, **truffle** [suggests truffle component of original db burger was in the short ribs] and root vegetables ..."

Edited January 23, 2003 by cabrales (log)

[201]

...The article does not make clear whether the Old Homestead burger's beef is Wagyu variety raised in the US, or in Japan, but almost seems to suggest the latter.  I am unsure where OH sources its Wagyu beef from...

A while ago, I happened to catch a televised CNN piece on the Old Homestead burger in which the chef explained that the beef is indeed produced in the US. Unfortunately, I can't find any documentation of this on the CNN website.

[cabrales]

Below is an article from the NY Post with a picture of the new db burger. I am uncertain whether the link has been previously provided.

http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/nycuis...rants/53240.htm

Note the version I sampled may not have had black truffle slices on top of the upper bun (beneath the db end of the wooden toothpick-like "holder"). I am uncertain about this.

[Holly Moore]

BOULUD: No. ... It's a New York thing. And, also, I'm a French chef. ... [Laughter] ... I am very proud to show to the French that a burger can be the greatest thing ... Grinding a patty and patting on the grill and put it between two buns don't take much of a great chef. But here, I'm very proud to have created a burger with beyond just the flavor of a burger. Once you have it, you never forget.

I scoffed at the idea of a $25, $29, $41 or $50 burger. I've had so many great hamburger stand burgers that the idea of Manhattening up a good ol' burger seemed more than a tad on the inane side. Struck me as a contest among restaurateurs to see just how much New Yorkers could be suckered into squandering on a hamburger.

Then I read the above from Chef Boulud's interview with Aaron Brown on CNN. Gotta respect that sort of initiative. I can't say the same for Homestead's Kobe burger. But I'm of the minority that likens Kobe beef to the emperor's new clothes. I'm much happier with well aged steak from a quality butcher.

[cabrales]

From the Toronto Star today, an interesting point regarding gender of clients:

[At Old Homestead,] "I asked Alex, my waiter, how many they sold and he figured 100 a day during the week and nearly twice that on the weekends. Mainly in the evening, and **almost exclusively to men.** Did he have any theories why they ordered it? 'It's different,' he shrugged, 'and some guys always gotta be different, gotta be with it.'"

At [db], according to a dining room team member: "'We sell a lot more at lunch when it winds up on expense accounts. People are less willing to spring that much when it's their own dough. Hey, aren't we supposed to be in a recession?'... For the record, the Burger Royale didn't cut it for me. Short ribs, fois gras and truffles don't really belong in the middle of a ground beef patty, no matter how classy the beef... As I was leaving, I noticed a table with four women who could have stepped right out of Sex And The City, each chomping on a Burger Royale. I asked them why they were spending [CAD]$75 on a hamburger. One who looked so much like Cynthia Nixon that it was scary, smiled at me. 'I spend that much on a hamburger,' she said between bites of truffle, 'for the same reason that I live in New York. Because I can.'"

Edited January 24, 2003 by cabrales (log)

[Orik]

Marginally on topic - I had it in the back of my mind that I've seen a super-priced burger offered before and I just remembered where it was:

Note that these are the 1977 prices. I don't remember if when I ate there in 1997 the grand burger cost $250 or $1000, but judging by the quality of their steaks it may very well be a great burger.

cabrales -- I'm curious - you've wondered elsewhere about (undue) focus on pricing and yet it seems that you do not see the problematic or amusing aspects of price focused PR. As mentioned earlier on this thread, some hangovers ago, I see nothing wrong (or right) with the pricing of any dish, yet I would prefer it to be advertised for its gastronomic merits rather than its price point. (although such advertising would undubtedly end up on page 76 of Saveur, not page 1 of the times).

[bpearis]

The Obsever "reports" on the situation, which has quickly escalated to the $500 burger. This link may only be good through the weekend.

[cabrales]

I had my second db burger royale tonight. My assessment is as was the case before -- favorable. One aspect I noticed for the first time tonight was the utilization of truffled butter (melted) on the bun. The "area" associated with the individual truffle slices varied more tonight -- some were large, and some were as previously describe. I had both the Chateauneuf du Pape and the Cabernet Sauvignon. The darkness of the former is preferable.

I forgot to mention that the amuses last time, which was the same as this evening, was a spoonful of salmon, with a nice hint of acidity. Nice, although the salmon was not extraordinary, the utilization of acidity was nice.

I had a lobster salad was an appetizer, with haricots (nice sweetness and crunchiness), artichokes and a raw leaf of endive (appropriate), and nice halves of cherry tomatoes. Although the lobster was not Brittany lobster (preferred by me), the lobster was nicely crisp in texture.

Nice desserts. Overall, an appealing menu.

[Holly Moore]

why call it a "burger," as "burger" clearly denotes "beef."  why not just "truffles on brioche, with some ground beef and other stuff."

Cause $50 is a resonable price for "truffles on brioche, with some ground beef and other stuff." Nothing to hype there.

[cabrales]

Today's LA Times contained an article on the db burger. Below are excerpts:

"Daniel Boulud began shaving $350-per-pound black

truffles onto his regular DB Burger, raising the price from $29 to $50. ... By the next weekend, Larry King and David Letterman were said to be vying to get the two chefs together on camera. Meanwhile, Boulud was making cracks about how Kobe beef should be sliced, not ground, and Old Homestead owner Marc Sherry was accusing the Frenchman of stooping to using a publicist to hawk his burger....

'OK, we're going to war, but we're not in a depression yet,' Boulud said. 'Everyone has $41,' Sherry said. 'Or everyone can raise $41.' ....

Apparently, [boulud] considered charging $55 as a tribute to the restaurant's address at 55 W. 44th St. So why not $44? 'We're adding **$15 worth of truffles** to a $29 burger,' said Guy Heksch, DB's manager. 'We needed to make some profit.' After a few bites, I realized I wasn't eating a hamburger but the illusion of one. After all, when does a burger stop being a burger and become something else? ..."

The average amount of truffles in a db burger would therefore appear to be ($15/350) pound, possibly.

Edited January 27, 2003 by cabrales (log)

[Wilfrid]

I am sceptical about the line of argument that this isn't a burger. It looks like a burger, it largely feels like a burger, and it even sort of tastes like a burger. If they served a good beefy patty with the truffles and foie gras all on top, instead of the bacon and cheese, that'd be a burger, wouldn't it? It's really very burger-like.

As for the cost, I work backwards. $50 indeed seems about right, if the price of $29 without the extra truffles is right. Is it? Well, how much is a burger at the 21 Club? How much were people paying at Patroon and Mortimer's? And the $29 burger includes some truffles and foie gras.

Maybe I'm going mad, but it doesn't all seem so terrible.