Seems like a week doesn't pass before some local eatery or fast-food chain tries to bust our guts with a new monster-sized hamburger. But one Florida restaurant has decided to apply the super-size concept another way with a chopped-meat sandwich that costs $100.
A hundred bucks can buy you more than six dozen burgers at McDonald's, but the swanky Old Homestead Steakhouse in millionaire mecca Boca Raton will sell you one brawny beef sandwich for the same price.
Boca Raton Mayor Steven Abrams could barely speak between bites as he devoured the 20-ounce, $100 hamburger billed as the "beluga caviar of sandwiches."
"Heaven on a bun," restaurant owner Marc Sherry said.
The burger debuted this week at the restaurant in the Boca Raton Resort and Club, where a membership costs $40,000 plus $3,600 a year.
"We've never had a hamburger on our menu here, so we really wanted to go to the extreme," Sherry said, calling it "the most decadent burger in the world."
At about 5-1/2 inches across and 2-1/2 inches thick, the mound of meat includes beef from three continents — U.S. prime beef, Japanese Kobe and Argentine cattle.
The bill for one burger, with garnishing that includes organic greens, exotic mushrooms and tomatoes, comes to $124.50 including tax and an 18 percent tip.
What, no fries with that?
Not-so-bad ideas
- PetSmart Inc. thinks your dog or cat needs a vacation. The pet-products retailer said this week it is putting more emphasis on services such as "hotels" to cater to shoppers who overwhelmingly think of their pets as children.
The company plans to add 300 pet hotels — complete with separate rooms with televisions tuned to animal-themed programs — to its lineup. The company said service is a key to PetSmart’s growth strategy as the retailer tries to keep its stores in the minds of shoppers who can find pet food, clothing and other accessories everywhere from Wal-Mart to rival Petco Animal Supplies Inc.“We’ve proven that it’s good. We think we can prove that it’s fantastic,” Philip Francis, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer, said of the company’s service strategy.At the company’s PetsHotel locations, “pet parents” — as PetSmart refers to pet owners — can order private or group play sessions for their furry friend and can check in on Fido by calling the hotel’s Bone Booth.We hope he can enjoy yappy hour in the Bark-O-Lounge.
- Speaking of pampering your pooch, a Tennessee company is offering dog owners an "alternative" for pets that typically enjoy chewing on rawhide bones and dried pig ears. The new treats, called
We kid you not."The product is considered an innovative delicacy by many in the pet care industry," the company's press release says. "For others, however, the thought of feeding bull privates to their beloved animals is a tough idea to swallow.""It's a psychological barrier that some occasionally have," said Bullysticks owner Wayne Bosak. "But our sticks are 100 percent natural, healthy and easily digestible. They're low in fat and even help reduce tartar build-up." The snacks can also help prevent the dreaded "dog breath," according to the company's Web site.As if you're going to lean in and take a whiff to check.