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Bad Economy Means Fewer People Want $10,000 Martinis
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 24, 2011
Modified Jul 24, 2011
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 24, 2011
Modified Jul 24, 2011
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Now that the $175 burger is dead, let's look at the other over-the-top extravagant dishes that are either dunzo or just hanging out as gimmicks.
According to the Post, the Times Square Westin Hotel's "$1,000 bagel with truffle cream-cheese shmear and goji-berry jelly with gold leaves" left once the economy went sour, and the Four Seasons also got rid of its $270 white-truffle baked potato. On the other hand, there's still a $1,000 pizza (which includes caviar and lobster) at Nino's Bellisimia—though only a few are sold a year, versus a few a week back in 2007—while the $1,000 frittata (again, with caviar and lobster) at Norma's is not selling like hotcakes, with only about one sold a month. And then there's the $10,000 martini at the Algonquin Hotel.
The $10,00 martini is actually a plain, old martini—but with a diamond ring in it, so the customer would be paying for a ring in what would ostensibly be a carefully planned wedding proposal, since the martini has to be ordered three days in advance. So far this year, only one has sold (at its height, six were sold in 2008). Screenwriter John Ridley who bought one in 2005, before selling the ring and donating the proceeds to charity, explained to the Post, "It was a lot of fun -- it was a hyperbolic New York thing to do." Know what's a lot of fun at the Algonquin that is not $10,000 worth of cocktail and bling? The Cat Fashion Show!
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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