Thread: Burger King 4TW...

Got a good laugh out of this...now im hungry lol

http://adage.com/article?article_id=128056
Is BK's $190 Burger Worthy of a King?

London Store Offers Customers VIP Dining Experience to Change Perceptions of Chain's Quality

By Emma Hall

Published: June 30, 2008
LONDON (AdAge.com) -- The world's most-expensive burger -- at $190 a pop -- is not to be found in an exclusive Manhattan restaurant, but in a tiny branch of Burger King in West London.
The $190 Burger from Burger King is available only on Thursdays at a single location in West London. Photo Credit: Gareth Davies




Yes, Burger King. Determined to show the world that it takes meat quality seriously, the fast-food chain is marketing a limited-edition gastronomic glory available once a week, Thursdays only, in this single location. All proceeds go to a local children's charity.

"The idea is to change perceptions by pushing the envelope to raise awareness of our ambitions," said Mark Dowding, Burger King's head of product and innovation for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. "We have emphasized the quality to create noise and interest in the market."

Flurry of publicity
Enough noise, in fact to draw a flurry of publicity in the U.K., stoked by Burger King's PR shop, Cow PR, and the curiosity of this Ad Age reporter.

With scaffolding outside and part of the entrance boarded up, the Gloucester Road branch does not inspire culinary confidence. It has been chosen because it's the nearest branch to Harrods and the wealthy people who shop there.

Inside, $190 burger customers, who have pre-ordered by telephone, are ushered through a red velvet rope and up some steps to a more upscale dining experience than the regular diners. There is crisp table linen and free-flowing 2003 Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz from the Whalebone Vineyard in South Australia.

A free limited-edition bottle of Coca-Cola, declared by the attendant on duty to be worth $300, is presented on arrival -- as if the hope of a quick sale on eBay will make up for the price paid for the burger.

Made from Wagyu beef, topped with white truffles and Pata Negra ham (which owes its nutty flavor to the fact that the pigs are fed on acorns), the burger nestles in a bun spread with organic-white-wine-and-shallot-infused mayonnaise, plus pink Himalayan rock salt, and dusted on top with Iranian saffron. It is served with Cristal champagne onion straws (inspired by the "angry lobster" dish at David Burke & Donatella Manhattan restaurant) and a garnish of lamb's lettuce.

The customers' take
While I wait, I chat to some fellow customers. The first is Ireen Esmann, who won the burger in a newspaper competition. She shrugged, "It's a burger." Then she whispered guiltily, "It's very dry. The Pata Negra and champagne onion straws are nice, though."

Next up are two Leo Burnett employees (who preferred not to be named). They were sharing a burger on expenses, checking out the competition on behalf of client McDonald's. "The experience is terrific," they said, "and it's a unique occasion, but the presentation and the service are better than the burger -- the ingredients are good, but it's overrated."

Anna Martin and Bernard Coyle, both employees at Because, an experiential-marketing agency across the road, won an in-house competition to taste the world's most-expensive burger and were also on expense accounts. Ms. Martin said, "It's a nice combination of flavors. It's very meaty and you can taste the truffles. It's a treat and a real brand experience."

My burger arrives, beautifully presented, and I tuck in nervously. Mr. Dowding ("Call me chef," he said), is waiting to speak to me about the product that he has spent six months developing and personally prepared for me this lunchtime.

Not about the meat
Unfortunately the meat has to be cooked to U.K. Food Safety Standards at around 74 degrees Celsius (165 Fahrenheit), so it's overcooked by anyone's standards and pretty dry. Mr. Dowding acknowledges that he's more of a "medium" person. "But food safety and consumer protection are more important to us," he added.

So the meat's not perfect but you can really taste all the other stuff -- the mayonnaise, truffles and Pata Negra are something special. The bun is dry but the saffron coating is a new experience. I'm even finding myself convinced by Mr. Dowding's suggestion that "the saffron's aroma puts your nose in synch with your taste buds."

"Food to me is entertainment; the emphasis is on igniting the senses," he said. So far the chain has sold 30 of the burgers in the U.K. and plans to introduce the $190 burger in Spain and Germany, also for a limited period.

Coming next
Burger King's other big initiative in Europe this summer is the 6-Pack, which challenges KFC and Pizza Hut in the "sharing" category. The Angus 6-Pack consists of six mini-burgers set inside six rolls that are joined up so that consumers can tear off their own portions. There are three different types of burger to choose from -- plain, with cheese or cheese and bacon.

David Kisilevsky, Burger King VP-marketing, EMEA, said in a statement, "It has been developed as a new menu item that can be shared and enjoyed sociably amongst friends and family at home as well as in restaurant. With a summer jam packed full of tennis, football, the Olympics and cricket, the new 6-Pack is set to be a sporting success."

What McDonald's has planned
Rival McDonald's will not admit a similar move upmarket, but has hugely increased its appeal to the British middle classes with stylishly refurbished restaurants, healthier, better-sourced menus, and staff uniforms designed by Bruce Oldfield -- a favorite of Diana, Princess of Wales, Queen Noor of Jordan, Faye Dunaway and Angelica Huston.

The modernized restaurants, a cheerful homage to the classic Danish designer Arne Jacobsen, are showing an average sales uplift of 6%. The modernist setting, combined with organic milk, Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee, free-range eggs and "locally" sourced produce, have made the middle classes feel more comfortable at McDonald's without alienating its traditional customer base.

Aspirational eaters can also bask in the kudos of McDonald's new U.K. head of food, Mike Faers, who has worked with the Roux brothers and done time at two of Europe's most-celebrated restaurants, Le Gavroche and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons. He is currently developing the "M," a more fanciful burger, where "the beef is the hero."

very very strange. i don't see the point when you have to over-cook it, especially since kobe starts losing flavor fast the more you cook it.

and it's not even white truffle season :P

- chuck

lol chuck, i was waiting for you to see this thread

thats a mighty priced burger

Originally Posted by Che

thats a mighty priced burger

It is. And from Burger King...

Originally Posted by carendt242

very very strange. i don't see the point when you have to over-cook it, especially since kobe starts losing flavor fast the more you cook it.

and it's not even white truffle season :P

- chuck

Exactly, that ruined it right there!

i'm trying to remember if there is a more expensive hamburger out there and i swear there is.

technically, the "DB Burger" (DB Bistro in Manhattan) can be more expensive since they will pile on as much black truffle as you're willing to pay for (in addition to the short ribs and foie gras.)

but there's another place that's slipping my mind...

- chuck

Even if it tastes like cardboard all the money goes to a childrens charity, so its cool in my book

Originally Posted by carendt242

very very strange. i don't see the point when you have to over-cook it, especially since kobe starts losing flavor fast the more you cook it.

and it's not even white truffle season :P

- chuck

My thoughts exactly.

America's most expensive burgers...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24761956/

On May 26, millions of Americans will celebrate Memorial Day with backyard barbecues. While most of our grills will be filled with the usual Grade-A meat from local butchers and supermarkets, dozens of restaurants across the country will serve Kobe-beef burgers topped not with ketchup and mustard, but truffles and foie gras. The price tags on these wallet-busting burgers can reach $175.

According to Adam Kuban of Seriouseats.com, the appeal of the luxury hamburger is that it democratizes status symbol foods. “Most people don't get to say they've tried the best or most expensive truffles, caviar or wine,” he says. “But a $40 burger is arguably within reach of mere mortals. It's a chance to try the ‘ultimate’ example of something edible, and because it's a burger—well, who doesn't want to eat the ultimate burger?”

High-end burgers have been around for years (the $17.50 caviarburger at Serendipity 3 in New York City, for instance) but there’s one chef to thank for the new trend: Daniel Boulud. In 2001, the French chef introduced a $27 hamburger stuffed with short ribs, foie gras and truffles at New York’s DB Bistro Moderne. A few months later, the Olde Homestead Steakhouse debuted a $41 Kobe beef burger; several other New York restaurants then followed suit, unveiling high-end burgers of their own.

Some of them didn’t last. For a time, Le Cirque 2000 was offering $24 mini-hamburgers, popularly known as “sliders;” Laurent Tourondel’s BLT Burger sold a $62 burger made from five ounces of beef. For whatever reasons, both restaurants have since taken them off the menu.

Other eateries were happy to take up the slack. And two restaurants, both in Las Vegas, went to the extreme. The Las Vegas branch of Herbert Keller’s legendary Bay Area restaurant Fleur de Lys serves the FleurBurger 5000: a Kobe beef patty topped with foie gras, black truffles and truffle sauce and served on a brioche truffle bun. No doubt, the burger itself would command a pretty penny, but this truffle overload comes with a bottle of 1990 Chateau Petrus (and a second burger for a guest). The wine, not the burgers, push the price tag to a cool $5,000.

Another burger gimmick comes courtesy of the kitchen at the Palms. They'll pair a $6 Carl Jr.’s hamburger with a 24-year-old bottle of French Bordeaux. This ultimate combo meals costs $6,000.

In most cases, luxury hamburgers are opportunities for chefs and restaurant owners to prove their creative mettle. In Beverly Hills, Spago’s burger is a comparatively modest $22, but it’s made with Kobe beef, Vermont farmhouse cheddar and a garlic aioli. Fellow Beverly Hills restaurant Circa 55 offers another $22 burger topped, instead, with Portobello mushrooms. They may not be the most expensive hamburgers in the country, but they're among the best.

Located in a shopping mall overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Continental in Atlantic City, is home to America's priciest sliders, or mini-burgers. For $28, guests can purchase a six-pack of Kobe beef sliders topped with Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and caramelized onions.

Not content to let the West Coast take the lead, New York City-based steakhouse chain Olde Homestead got in the race. They recently decided that their original $41 20-ounce Kobe beef hamburger wasn’t enough, and introduced an $81 burger. It's made with 14 ounces of 100 percent “Grade Five” Kobe Wagyu beef—with a four-ounce medallion of Kobe sirloin tucked inside. That still doesn't compare to DB's Double Truffle burger, served with 20 grams of shaved black truffles—and a $150 price tag. (Believe it or not, there's an even more expensive burger, also served in New York. Click on the slideshow to see the world's only gold-dusted hamburger.)

What of our compatriots who live abroad? Do they suffer from hamburger withdrawal when barbecue season starts back home? Oh, cry not—the luxury burger knows no borders. In Jakarta, Indonesia, the local Four Seasons hotel offers a one million rupee ($108) hamburger topped with Asian pears, foie gras and Portobello mushroom. Hong Kong’s Steak House restaurant charges HK$490 ($63) for a deluxe 12-ounce burger topped with foie gras and gruyere cheese. Even Burger King’s British locations are getting in the act—as a publicity stunt, the chain recently announced a $170 burger at select London restaurants.

Whether they're stuffed with steak, or topped with rare truffles, luxury hamburgers are more than a publicity stunt for many of America's top chefs. They're year-round favorites for the customers who love them, no matter the hefty price tags.

hell ya.......i love BK!