$50,000 Dinner in the Sky; $5,000 burger; $850 for fifty grams of caviar; for every extravagant demand, there is someone willing to provide. Take a look at some of the most extravagant meals ever; learn who enjoys them, and who provides them.
While the term “extravagance” is, of course, completely relative, it can be fascinating to see just what is offered to those looking to go above and beyond the usual. It truly seems to be a case of “if you can dream it, you can live it” for those who have the means and the connections to get it done. Welcome to the world of luxurious and extravagant gastronomy.
Alain Passard is a Michelin three-star chef, and there’s a good reason for that. Passard is so particular about the vegetables that he serves at his Paris restaurant L’Arpege that he grows his own on a farm located 90 minutes outside of the city and has them freshly delivered by train each morning. Passard is also one of the well-known cooks who has taken his talents to the sky—literally. Passard has been a part of a moveable restaurant concept called Dinner in the Sky which takes willing diners high above landmarks by way of a giant crane sophisticatedly engineered by Germany.
Belgian creator of Dinner in the Sky, David Ghysels, won’t reveal just how much guests paid to enjoy the private dinner party high up in the sky cooked by Passard, however he did say that enjoying one of their custom floating meals over U.S. landmarks such as the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls can cost anywhere between $50,000 and $100,000. “People of means want to live extraordinary things,” he says and adds, “They want to be able to tell their friends that they have done something incredible and unique.” Ghysels founded Dinner in the Sky in order to provide an exclusive and dramatic venue showcasing some of the most dynamic and talented chefs in European kitchens, and admits that, among the very wealthy, “it certainly plays into a need and desire to play out their lives in a very public way.”
To date, Ghysels has orchestrated more than 500 aerial events; however he is not alone in being front and center in the industry of providing extremely luxurious meal options for those inquiring stomachs.
At Daniel Boulud’s high-end Michelin three-star Manhattan eatery, Daniel, guests can enjoy another extravagant dining experience, only this time, with their feet on the ground. Daniel offers and eight-course tasting menu for $205 per person, and diners can even include some champagne and caviar in the lounge beforehand where fifty grams of Boulud’s private-label Caspian Sea Golden Ossetra caviar goes for $860.
For those looking for a more hands-on dining experience and want a great burger, head to Hubert Keller’s Burger Bar where you may break the bank, but at least you’ll have a fantastic burger. One of Keller’s Fleur Burger’s goes for $5,000 and it contains Kobe beef, truffles, and foie gras, however most of the cost can be accounted for by the fact that each burger comes with the perfect compliment, a bottle of 1995 Chateau Petrus from Bordeaux, one of the most highly coveted wines among collectors.
Down in Florida, sunset dinners at Little Palm Island cost $7,800 for two; although that doesn’t even include the dinner, that’s just for the helicopter ride to get you to the dinner, arranged by Doug Turner, founder of the Millionaire Concierge website.
If you’d rather skip the helicopter ride and have a luxurious and delicious dinner right in your own home, resort chef Louis Pous will make a house call. The chef and his staff of two will fly anywhere in the country to prepare a private meal for $10,000 (for up to 10 people, plus travel costs.
To wrap up an evening of extravagant, and completely worth it, dining, stop by the Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel in Istanbul for a $1,000 Sultan’s Golden Cake. The cake is made with vanilla bean from French Polynesia, fruits soaked in top-shelf Jamaican rum, and instead of frosting, the cake is glazed with 24-karat edible gold.
Via: Forbes
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