At the New York landmark restaurant Serendipity 3, ice cream is taken to a different level. Owner, Stephen Bruce, had made Serendipity 3 the home to some of the most decadently divine, richly flavored sundae concoctions in the world. They give a wild 21st century spin on this dessert classic. One of the most famous items on the menu is the frozen hot chocolate. Yes, frozen hot chocolate! This rich chocolate delight is made from 15 different types of chocolate blended together and frozen then topped with a big mound of whipped cream.
If you have your credit card handy, try the sumptuously lavish Golden Opulence Sundae, which holds the Guinness World Record as the most expensive ice cream in the world. This dessert costs a whopping $1,000 per sundae and reservations are required 48 hours in advance. The dessert originated as part of the 50th anniversary of the restaurant and about 10 a year are still sold today.
The sundae starts with 5 scoops of the richest Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla which gives the ice cream an incredible vanilla experience. The ice cream is coated with more edible 23k gold leaf and the gilded confection is artfully arranged in the crystal goblet. 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, incredibly delicious candied fruits from Paris, gold dragets (almonds coated in 23k gold), truffles and Marzipan Cherries. The sundae is topped with a tiny glass bowl of Grand Passion Caviar, an exclusive dessert caviar, made of salt-free American Golden caviar, sweetened and infused with fresh passion fruit, orange and Armagnac. Known for its sparkling golden color, the caviar is nestled right on top of the final scoop of ice cream.
The sundae is served in a Baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet lined with 23k edible gold and an 18k gold spoon as well as a petite mother of pearl spoon. It is then topped with an exquisite gilded sugar flower by Ron Ben-Israel which takes 8 hours to construct. A last dusting of pure gold flakes for a glittering final touch and voila: the Golden Opulence Sundae!
Sources: The Most Expensive Journal; blisstree
The
Optima Co.'s Blyton picnic tin comes witih all the accoutrements
for a two-person meal, including a handwoven-willow tray, insulated
enamel flask, earthenware mugs and plates, stainless-steel flatware,
salt and pepper shakers, and a cotton bag and napkins embroidered
with the work PICNIC in red. Inspired by picnics of old, the Blyton basket has loads of vintage styling and is perfect for a romantic date or a fun-filled family outing. Set costs $160
Sources: picnicfun; Elle Décor
Located
on a San Diego beachside, Hodad's offers some of the West Coast's
biggest hamburgers. According to Forbes Traveler, the most popular menu item, the double, weighs in
at well over half a pound and is piled with lettuce, tomato, onion,
pickle, mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup. Hodad's famously messy
burgers come wrapped in wax paper, which owner Mike Hardin
half-jokingly calls a "burger trough." Do as the locals do
and order a double bacon cheeseburger with fries and a shake. Lesser
appetites can order an "unburger"--all of the toppings,
none of the burger.
In
April 2009, CNN named Hodad's one of the "five tasty burger
joints worth visiting" and Hodad's has also been featured on the
Food Network, appearing on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
in August 2008 and on The Best Thing I Ever Ate - Bacon in June 2009.
"They
have a burger where they make a bacon patty that goes on top of the
burger that is just ridiculous," said Fieri. It's his belief that
all ingredients in a burger must co-exist and compliment one another
for a great experience.
Continue reading "Hodad's, Ocean Beach, CA - Best bacon cheeseburger as voted by Guy Fieri and CNN" »
Tired
of having your food stolen by sticky-fingered coworkers or roommates?
Bullies taking your kid's lunch? Well, worry no more . . . Anti-Theft
Lunch Bags designed by innovative designer Sherwood Forlee are
sandwich bags that have green splotches printed on both sides, making
your freshly prepared lunch look spoiled. Don't suffer the injustice
of having your sandwich stolen again! Protect your lunch with
Anti-Theft Lunch Bags. The
construction is food-safe reusable and recyclable LDPE.
$10 for 26,
thinkofthe.com
Rachael
Ray says: "Use a
hilarious Anti-Theft Lunch Bag to throw off any sneaky lunchtime
crooks. The exterior is marked with fake moldy splotches."
Antique Roadshow has television shows in both the U.S. and in England. In
the new season, which starts January 2010 on PBS, the first $1
million appraisal will be featured.
A
woman brought four pieces of carved Chinese Jade that she inherited
to a Roadshow event in Raleigh, North Carolina. The pieces of carved
jade and celadon dated from the Chien Lung Dynasty (1736-1795) and
included a large bowl crafted for the Emperor. Asian arts appraiser
James Callahan said that a mark on the bottom of the bowl indicated
it was created for an imperial order. The pieces were given a
conservative auction estimate of up to $1.07 million. This is far and
away the biggest appraisal in the show's 13-year run, the previous
record was a 1937 painting by Clyfford Still which was estimated at
around $500,000. The excitement generated by this appraisal will
doubtlessly send many people scrambling to the attic to revisit the
treasures they've inherited. A word of caution though, an appraisal
is no guarantee of a final sale price.
Sources:
aol.com; luxist.com
