The World’s Most Expensive Dessert and How to Get into the Guinness Book of World Records
posted by Daniel Solove
From Reuters comes this story about the world’s most expensive sundae:
A day after New York City came up with a $1,000 bagel, a local restaurateur unveiled a $25,000 chocolate sundae on Wednesday, setting a Guinness world record for the most expensive dessert.
Stephen Bruce, owner of Serendipity 3, partnered with luxury jeweler Euphoria New York to create the “Frozen Haute Chocolate,” a blend of 28 cocoas, including 14 of the most expensive and exotic from around the globe.
The dessert, spelled with two Rs, is infused with 5 grams (0.2 ounces) of edible 23-karat gold and served in a goblet lined with edible gold. At the base of the goblet is an 18-karat gold bracelet with 1 carat of white diamonds.
The sundae is topped with whipped cream covered with more gold and a side of La Madeline au Truffle from Knipschildt Chocolatier, which sells for $2,600 a pound.
It is eaten with a gold spoon decorated with white and chocolate-colored diamonds, which can also be taken home.
There are many perplexing things about this story. First, what fool would actually buy this sundae? Second, is this all it takes to get into the Guinness Book of World Records?
I would like to be in the Guinness Book too, so I’m going to do Serendipity 3 one better — I’m offering a sundae for $50,000. It consists of store-bought Edy’s ice cream (3 scoops — extra scoops will cost $10,000 more), whipped cream, and some Hershey’s chocolate sauce. And you can keep the spoon too. I’ll even throw in the bowl.
I really don’t understand why there’s any category for most-expensive anything. After all, anybody can set whatever price he or she wants, so it’s quite easy to claim the award for most-expensive.
By the way, I am also selling a million-dollar hamburger. I think that this is also the world’s most expensive. Wow, that’s two Guinness world records in just one day!
Photo Credit: Reuters
November 8, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Posted in: Humor, Weird
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Responses (15)
Belle Lettre - November 8, 2007 at 7:11 pm
This may be a stupid question, but what is the point of edible gold other than the wow factor?
It is likely tasteless in effect. And doesn’t it just pass through the body like most other metal minerals? (I am unclear on this, help me out science people.) So really—what’s the point of the consumption other than “wow, I just masticated, digested, and fully expect to expel $15,000 worth of gold.
Also: on the West Coast, where I was raised, Edy’s ice cream = Dreyer’s ice cream. The original factory is in California. It is good ice cream, but I won’t pay your premium for it.
Bruce Boyden - November 8, 2007 at 7:17 pm
“wow, I just masticated, digested, and fully expect to expel $15,000 worth of gold.”
Suddenly placer mining seems much less placer.
Frank - November 8, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Totally fits in with Robert Frank’s book “Richistan”….inequality is so extreme that people at the top are desperate for ways to throw away money. Bring back the potlatch!
Daniel J. Solove - November 8, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Well, Frank, I sure hope we have some wealthy readers of Concurring Opinions interested in trying my $50,000 dessert. Donald Trump, are you reading? My sundae only costs $50,000. . . .
Belle Lettre - November 8, 2007 at 9:11 pm
I think this debate surfaces every few years, when Victoria’s Secret relases ever more expensive custom bras. First it was the $1 million bra encrusted with diamonds! I think the last time I read something about it, they had gone to the $10 million dollar bra or something.
When I had TV, I think VH1 had a 2000s version of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” in which they chronicled the excess consumption of celebrities and royalty. I think I watched an episode in which they said some Saudi princesses bought such things, so perhaps there is a market for them.
Patrick S. O'Donnell - November 8, 2007 at 9:30 pm
The Seven Deadly Sins are alive and flourishing!
Patrick S. O'Donnell - November 8, 2007 at 9:30 pm
The Seven Deadly Sins are alive and flourishing!
Adam Kolber - November 8, 2007 at 10:31 pm
Perhaps they have some requirement that the world record price at least roughly reflect a legitimate market price. That would exclude Dan’s $50,000 scoop of Edy’s ice cream.
The problem is, Serendipity is really selling diamonds with some ice cream accents. So why not get the record by selling $5 worth of ice cream along with a half million dollar home? I suggest that the home be constructed entirely of gingerbread.
Thaddeus Pope - November 9, 2007 at 8:32 am
Adam, you are absolutely right. The high value of the dessert has little to do with its culinary quality. (So, I suspect. I’ll never know for sure.) But then this is but an extreme example of many offerings in the high-end restaurants.
Drawing a closer analogy, this reminds me of THE FRESHMAN (1990) with Matthew Broderick and Marlon Brando, where they sold tickets to eat endangered species, which held no promise of tasting any better than chicken.
Sam B. - November 9, 2007 at 10:10 am
For what it’s worth, in spite of being a popular tourist place, Serendipity 3’s desserts are, imho, not terribly good. They’re big–you get a ton of ice cream–but it’s normal ice cream. You pretty much pay to wait in an hour-and-a-half line, then deal with rude waiters. I can make you wait, provide a bunch of supermarket ice cream, and insult you for a lot less (or a lot more, if I’m trying to set a record).
Belle Lettre - November 9, 2007 at 10:51 am
I agree with Sam B.! Actually I think it doesn’t taste as good as Dreyer’s/Ed’s (esp. the ‘Homemade’ style). They use cocoa powder in their frozen hot chocolate, which tastes, imho, entirely too chalky.
Bruce Boyden - November 9, 2007 at 1:21 pm
I assume you are all laughing on the inside at my “placer” joke.
Belle Lettre - November 9, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Yes, on the inside, so hard it’s silent laughter.
It did take me a while to get ’round saying, like a gringa, “place-er” rather than “plass-er” and realize what you were saying. Then I went, “ha.”
Kaimi - November 16, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Dan,
The real question is, does your record-breaking sundae come with mice? Because apparently, Serendipity’s does. (See http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/16/if-you-give-a-mouse-a-25000-frrozen-haute-chocolate/ ).
Maybe that’s why they needed the money — to hire a new exterminator?
Daniel J. Solove - November 16, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Kaimi — These aren’t just any ordinary mice. They have gold fur and are dipped in chocolate. They sell for $1000 a piece.
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