Steak 954, a new steakhouse by renowned restaurateur Stephen Starr, opened yesterday at the new W Hotel in Fort Lauderdale. One of their infamous menu items is a $100 Cheesesteak (details below). I would never pay that much…but I’m sure some show-off has already purchased it. But it got me thinking, what other insanely expensive foods are out there….

The Cheesesteak:
The traditional Philly cheesesteak has gone extremely upscale at Steak 954, where the chopped steak and melted cheese standard includes goose liver and truffles, and costs $100.

Served with a small bottle of Perrier-Jouet champagne, this pricey cheesesteak is made of sliced Kobe beef, melted Taleggio cheese, shaved truffles, sauteed foie gras, caramelized onions and heirloom shaved tomatoes on a homemade roll brushed with truffle butter.

The Sundae:
The most expensive ice cream sundae in the world is called the “Grand Opulence” Sundae and was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Manhattan restaurant Serendipity 3 in 2004. They were later recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. Priced at $1,000 it became the most expensive ice cream sundae in the world.

Serendipity describes the Golden Opulence Sundae as follows: “5 scoops of the richest Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla and covered in 23K edible gold leaf, the sundae is drizzled with the world’s most expensive chocolate, Amedei Porceleana, and covered with chunks of rare Chuao chocolate, which is from cocoa beans harvested by the Caribbean Sea on Venezuela’s coast. The masterpiece is suffused with exotic candied fruits from Paris, gold dragets, truffles and Marzipan Cherries. It is topped with a tiny glass bowl of Grand Passion Caviar, an exclusive dessert caviar, made of salt-free American Golden caviar, known for its sparkling golden color. It’s sweetened and infused with fresh passion fruit, orange and Armagnac.”

The sundae is served in a baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18K gold spoon to partake in the indulgence. How many customers have been willing to spend the $1,000 that this sundae costs? The founders admit it’s an outrageous price tag, but they say it has “snob appeal”. It has been popular enough since its introduction that they still serve it today. If you want to try it yourself, be sure to call ahead, as it takes a few days to prepare!

The Pizza:
Chef Domenico Crolla’s “Pizza Royale 007″ is still the world’s most expensive pizza ever. The 12 inch pizza pie was densely packed with an assortment of some of the world’s most expensive food ingredients, such as lobster marinated in cognac, caviar soaked in champagne, sunblush tomato sauce, Scottish smoked salmon, venison medallions, prosciutto, and vintage balsamic vinegar. It was also topped with a significant amount of edible 24-carat gold flakes.

Chef Crolla originally claimed that the novelty luxury pizza was worth some $3,700, and he would auction it on eBay and donate the proceeds to The Fred Hollows Foundation. The auction ended November 19, 2006 with the highest bid by Italian lawyer Maurizio Morelli reaching £2,150 (approx. $4,200 in US dollars).