"Normas" news and stories

The economy might officially be in recovery mode, but most Americans are still spending with caution. Yet recession or no, there are still people with truckloads of money -- and plenty restaurants happy to indulge them. Think that $48 filet mignon at your local steakhouse is a wallet buster? That's just pennies compared Hubert Keller's $5,000 burger plate at his Las Vegas spot, Fleur. Yes, it's Kobe beef and comes with high-end wine, but let's get real -- is any meal worth that kind of cash? The Daily Meal has a list of 14 of the most expensive dishes in the world. Are any of them worth of raiding your savings account for? You decide.

See the full list of 14 Bank Breaking Dishes at The Daily Meal.

When I was studying French history, I basically remembered the last three French kings by keeping in mind their greatest catchphrases. Louis XIV, for example, was famous for stating "L'etat, c'est moi," or "I am the state," a perspective that he bore out by more or less treating the French treasury as his own personal piggy bank. His son, Louis XV, was author of the famous quote "Apres moi, le deluge," or "After me, the flood," a startlingly accurate assessment of the political situation in his time. Finally, Louis XVI, France's final king, was notable for saying "Damn, that thing sure looks sharp; I hope I don't lose my head!" History records, of course, that that is exactly what happened.

These steps have been beautifully borne out in New York's culinary scene over the course of the past year. In April, for example, restaurants were basically dueling over their ability to craft obscenely expensive dishes using huge amounts of truffles and other pricey ingredient. The Waverly Inn's famous truffle macaroni and cheese, Totally Baked's $55 truffle potato, and Frank Tujague's $1000 truffle and gold leaf bagel duked it out to see who could waste the most Tuscan fungus. Meanwhile, Nino's $1000 luxury pizza and Norma's $1000 Zillion dollar Frittata did more or less the same thing with caviar. Amazingly, the trend to waste high-end delicacies on low-end comfort food didn't stop at pizzas, potatoes, and cheesy mac; Daniel Boloud's DB Burger and Royale Burger ranged between $32 and $150. Their competition, the Wall Street Burger Shoppe's Richard Nouveau ran $175 and featured gold leaf.

Unfortunately, with the recent economic downturn, the market for insanely wasteful, ridiculously extravagant cuisine seems to be evaporating. Over the past few days, many Manhattan eateries have begun dropping their prices. Some, like Sheridan Square, are simply offering incentives, such as $50 coupons for dinner checks over $100. Others, like Ruby Foo's , Strip House, Icon, and LeCirque all started putting out lower-priced dishes.