[food] db burger royale

A few years ago, I had heard murmurs of an eatery in New York that claimed to have the world's most expensive hamburger. I had taken it for some sort of urban myth, or perhaps a one-time publicity stunt to draw crowds. It turns out that French chef Daniel Boulud has been offering a $29 DB burger (pictured above) since 2001, to commemorate the opening of DB Bistro Moderne on 55 W 44th Street in Manhattan. In January 2003, the DB burger royale was added to the menu; the addition of fresh black truffles to the normally-priced $29 DB burger jacked the price up to $69. The DB royale is served exclusively during black truffles season. "The burger patty consists of ground sirloin steak with a filling of boned short ribs braised in red wine, foie gras, preserved black truffles and a mirepoix (aromatic flavoring or seasoning) of root vegetables," Daniel explains. "The bun is made to a special recipe which includes Parmesan and poppy seeds and is spread with fresh horseradish, tomato confit, fresh tomato, red onion and lettuce. "But the extra special ingredients are the addition of fresh black Perigord truffles and truffle dressing." Sounds yummy, but I'm not sure if it's special enough to increase the price of a damn burger by $40...