The most expensive beef in the world is wagyu, or Kobe beef. It comes from cows that are not only genetically predisposed to intensely marbled meat that is very high in fat, but that get fed a special diet that is meant to improve that marbling beyond anything that other beef can achieve. To keep the meat from getting tough, it is said that some producers massage the muscles of their cows, rather than let the cows exercise themselves. With meat like this available and gaining rapidly in popularity, it is hardly a surprise, all of the world's most expensive steaks, as selected by Forbes Traveler, feature wagyu beef. Without further ado, these are the places to go - and how much you'll have to pay - for some of the best and most-expensive steaks in the world:
- "103" Wagyu rib eye at Craftsteak New York (private order item), $2,800 for 20 pounds
- Charbroiled Kobe Filet, Aragawa, Tokyo, $258 for 8-oz.
- Select Special Kobe Filet at the Kobe Renga-tei Steak Restaurant, Kobe, $246 for 160 grams (5.6-oz.)
- Australian Wagyu Striploin at the Al Muntaha restaurant, Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai, $169 300 gm
- Japanese Wagyu Rib Eye at Wolfgang Puck's CUT at the Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills , $160, eight-ounce filet
- "Wagyu no sumibiyaki" at Zuma, London, $132 (no size indicated)
- Sendai Sirloin at the Ekki Bar & Grill, Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi The Price: $129 for 150g
- Australian Wagyu Fillet Mignon at the Polo Club, Marriott Royal Aurora, Moscow, $101 for 12-oz.
- Smoked Salt American Kobe Rib Eye Cap Steak at BLT Prime, New York, $95 (no size indicated)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-04-2006 @ 5:38PM
mike said...
Chef Varley's "Triple Seared" Japanese Kobe in Las Vegas runs $33 an ounce, bringing the bill for an eight-ounce serving to $264.00. At Tokyo's Aragawa, you can expect to pay 30,000 Yen ($301) for a 250 gram (about eight ounces) charbroiled Kobe filet accompanied by mustard and pepper.
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11-04-2006 @ 6:19PM
Mike said...
It looks like Forbes didn't visit the Sazanka restarant in the Hotel Okura in Tokyo, their prices looke like they're up there with the expensive ones. But there you'll at least get real Japanese beef, not "kobe style" from the U.S.
I never had just a steak dinner there, but had a teppanyaki meal that included Kobe beef. The first time I was surprised when I saw the chef carefully trimming all the fat from the edges of the steaks, thinking it was going to be discarded. Instead it was chopped up and left on the edge of the edge of the griddle to slowly render while he cooked the rest of the meal. The result was small brown nuggets that had most of the fat rendered out and all the flavor left in. These were added to the fried rice. It was incredible.
Always loved it when execs from my company were visiting the Tokyo office since they usually stayed at the Okura. I'd usually be able to finagle an invite to have dinner with them when they ate at Sazanka.
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11-04-2006 @ 9:40PM
MarcioBR said...
why meat in america is sooooo expensive?? here in brazil a 2.5lbs filet mignon costs around US$13
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11-05-2006 @ 3:50AM
méwyn said...
MarcioBR:
This is various restaurants in the US and Japan, and meat always will vary in price based on quality. Here, I can get a 2.5 filet from a butcher for $13 USD, but it isn't going to be a very good quality cut of meat. All of these steaks are prime or beyond prime in USDA quality, which is the best of the best. Something that the average home chef anywhere will have a hard time getting their hands on.
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11-05-2006 @ 7:06AM
Sarah said...
Massaging the muscles of the cows? People, you are crazy! :) Though, I don't care, I'm a vegetarian.
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11-05-2006 @ 1:36PM
rowbeartoe said...
kobe or wagyu, difficult choice. you win either way. none the less i still prefer wild venison raised on corn and soybeans from the local farming community.
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11-05-2006 @ 10:53PM
cameltoe said...
rowbeartoe:
Kobe beef comes from the Wagyu cow.
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11-07-2006 @ 10:33AM
Villarreal said...
I'm surprised with the massages, but I heard that there's a slaughterhouse in China where they put classical music to the cows before they are killed, oh, and they also give them a kind of hot bath rinsing them with hot water.
I imagine that's for reducing the post-mortem effect, but I'm just speculating.
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11-16-2006 @ 5:00PM
Mazda Wagyu said...
cameltoe, not to be finicky but Kobe beef comes from Kobe, Japan. If the cows are not from Kobe, they are usually called 'Kobe Style' or Wagyu cattle. But yes, they are the same thing.
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