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$134 for a Burger? The Burger War Goes International

Posted by Matt Jacobs, April 18, 2005 at 2:54 PM

According to an Austalian news service, the British restaurant Zuma is serving a $134 hamburger. I have yet to confirm if this is U.S. or Australian dollars, but it's still a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a ground beef sandwich.

A restaurant spokeswoman said: "Our wagyu beef comes from New Zealand, where the cows are reared on beer and massaged until they weigh three-quarters of a tonne, more than double the weight of an average cow."

Big whoop, I say. One person who won't be happy to hear this is restaurateur Daniel Boulud. In early 2003, we experienced the great burger wars with Boulud's burger finally winning out at $50. Trumping his own $29 burger and the Old Homestead's $41 Kobe beef burger, Boulud's sirloin burger includes regular truffles, braised short ribs, foie gras and fresh black truffles. Today, the burger goes for $59 or $99 for the double truffle version.

Boulud is not one to be bested, so we're bound to see some new concoction relatively soon. Don't be surprised if you can soon order a burger stuffed with caviar and wagyu beef from cattle massaged by Boulud's own hands.

Oh, and if anyone wants to sponsor a trip to London to try the most expensive burger, I would be willing to make the sacrifice and go.

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Tags: countries, London, Matty, Non-U.S., ruminations, U.K.