Thursday, February 01, 2007

Why does this brownie cost $1,000?

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A) It's made with unicorn blood.
B) It has the image of Mother Theresa on it.
C) It's just nuts.

I can't link to the story directly, so I'll put answer in comments.
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2 comments:

Jim Donahue said...

It is, of course, nuts.

Story from the Press of Atlantic City:

ATLANTIC CITY — One thousand dollars can buy a lot — say, a brand new wardrobe, a nice vacation, a couple of car payments.

Or, a brownie.

Well, OK, maybe not just any brownie. More like a brownie experience.

“It's a hazelnut brownie ... made with the best hazelnuts in the world,” said Jemal Edwards, pastry chef at Brulee: The Dessert Experience. The dessert-only hot spot is one of two restaurants in The Quarter at Tropicana Casino and Resort offering $1,000 confections. Red Square is the other.

Those hazelnuts — imported specially from Italy — are chopped and toasted, then mixed with a pure hazelnut paste. Then, of course, there is the decadent chocolate.


“Then we frost the brownie and serve it with pure gold dust blown over the top of it,” Edwards said.
Wondering if that adds up to a grand? Add in this to wash it down — a Baccarat crystal atomizer filled with 1996 Quinta do Noval Nacional, a vintage port wine that scored a 100 by Wine Spectator (an extremely rare feat).
The atomizer alone retails for $750, and a bottle of the port would set you back $2,500.

“Here's the idea,” Edwards said. “You have this beautiful atomizer filled with the finest port known to man. You take a bite of the brownie, and as the flavors are coating your palette your partner squirts the port onto your tongue. The acidity and sweetness from the port are hitting your mouth at the same time.”

Red Square, a Russian-themed restaurant known for its fine selection of imported vodkas and caviar, decided to play up what the place is known for in its $1,000 offering.

A rich, chocolate pound cake is served with a raspberry chambord “bellini” and a plate of “caviar” — black tapioca pearls sweetened with sugar and honey.

“With the amount of caviar that we do serve, we wanted to create a sweet dessert that would emulate a caviar plate that we serve with the traditional accompaniments,” said Steve Cozzi, the executive sous chef at Red Square, who designed the Russian restaurant's dessert.

The dessert also will be served with real, Grand Passion caviar, a salt-free, sweet caviar flavored with orange as a garnish, as well as shaved chocolates, fresh fruits, chopped candied nuts, gold leaf and vanilla cream.
And the final touch — two authentic Russian Faberge eggs and a mother-of-pearl spoon, along with two shots of $500-per-bottle vodka.

“It's a great dessert for any occasion,” Cozzi said. “Not just Valentine's Day. It's so much fun to eat. You eat it with somebody special. It's very hands on.”
Of course, with both desserts, the diner keeps the atomizer and the Faberge eggs.

Red Square will begin offering the dessert on Valentine's Day. Brulee has sold three of the desserts in the year it has been serving them.

So, who is buying these desserts?

“One of the customers just had a lucky evening at a tables,” Edwards said. “They were out splurging. They loved it, it was so unique.”

1:26 PM
Anonymous said...

Yep, this gives my burger a run for most insane food experience.

12:02 AM

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