If you were planning on heading out to Serendipity 3 in New York to sample their $25,000 chocolate dessert, you may want to put your plans on hold. It turns out the chic eatery has been shut down for the time being due to an infestation of mice and cockroaches. Mmm, yum!
Haven’t heard of the insanely expensive dessert? Well, it’s “a frozen, slushy mix of cocoas from 14 countries, milk and 5 grams of 24-carat gold topped with whip cream and shavings from a La Madeline au Truffle.” Only truffle shavings? you ask. Yes, that’s right, because that truffle sells for $2600 a pound! How do they make it? Cocoa beans from the very tops of the very tallest most inaccessible cocoa trees, picked by elderly capuchin monkeys, hand prepared and then blessed by the religious leaders of all major world religions? Sheesh.
The dessert also contains 0.2 ounces of edible 23-karat gold. I’m not seeing the benefits of eating gold, though. I mean, you’re only going to see it one more time, and that’s not exactly something I’d be looking forward to. Somehow I don’t think it’s something I’ll have to worry about, though.
In addition to the edible aspects, the dessert comes with a an 18-karat gold bracelet, diamonds, spoon, and goblet the diner can take home. Of course, knowing there are mice and roaches wandering around out back may turn off a few potential buyers…
You got me curious about that “la madeline au truffle” - had to wonder, did they mean a chocolate truffle, or the kind that comes out of the ground?
So I Googled, and came up with this link to the maker:
Knipschildt Chocolatier
It is, indeed, a chocolate truffle. AND a fungus - there’s a “rare French Perigord truffle” at the center of the confection.
Otherwise, I find an odd satisfaction at a place catering to those with more money than sense being shown to have figurative warts as bad - or worse - than the seediest dive.
November 16th, 2007 at 1:08 pmI have no desire to try a $25k dessert but I have wanted to try their frozen hot chocolate. I was thinking about going Thursday but stopped back at my hotel room to make some quick plans and turned on the TV and guess what they were talking about….
November 16th, 2007 at 9:47 pm*sigh*
I just can’t believe it…. a restaurant in Manhattan with roaches.
$25,000 for frozen chocolate mousse and jewelery when children go to bed hungry right in town? There is no food, much less chocolate, on earth worth that. It’s like the $2000 omelet (lobster, caviar and eggs - and butter, I’m sure), also available in NYC. What’s wrong with people? Gimme a dollar candy bar, a seat on a rock overlooking Mother Nature and my place at the steam table on Thanksgiving day at the shelter and I’m good to go…
November 17th, 2007 at 4:31 pmRidiculous! I’m sorry, but no food or dessert is worth that price tag. I don’t care how good it is. Serendipity 3 must be laughing all the way to the bank. And who wants to eat Gold anyway? I’d rather wear it. Next, they’ll be making Silver Sprinkles and Cubic Zirconia Magic Shell. (When I first moved to NYC, I got a job at this restaurant but decided not to take it. I was afraid I’d get fat around all that chocolate.)
Great website.
http://www.ithappenedinplainfield.com
November 18th, 2007 at 8:40 pmThat is what they get for letting Ratatouille(tm) make their desert for them!
November 19th, 2007 at 4:47 pm