Hamburger is one of those amazing foods that can taste great in all its forms -- not just molded into burgers, meatballs, and more, but also in both cheap and pricey incarnations, each offering its own set of benefits. But as much as I adore my cheap neighborhood burger or a big patty thrown on the barbecue, nothing comes close to the wonder of a simple wagyu burger.
While a nice steak might break the bank, wagyu isn't all that bad for a special dinner here or there. For example, you can get 12 8 oz. burgers for $85 through Allen Brothers. Yes, it's pricey for a burger, but it's no different than splurging on a nice cut of meat, or heck, having a mediocre dinner out. It's more worth it to make a wagyu burger and some sides than pay the same amount of money for regular ol' chain restaurant fare. It offers not only stellar flavor and texture, but also the comfort of beloved mainstay meals.
Wagyu is so intensely marbled with fat that it becomes a wonderfully tender and juicy burger that's much better in simplicity than fanciness. The key is to pick a few ingredients that won't overpower the meat, rather than the usual tomato, lettuce, onion, pickle, etc. For me, that perfect concoction is a little soy sauce in the pan while the burger cooks, some caramelized onions beefed up with a little soy as well, some fresh mozzarella cheese, and just a little mayo and mustard. The result has wonderful flavor and moistness, all pointing to the meat rather than being a distraction.
If you've been swayed by the wonders of wagyu, how do you serve yours?
I feel like there's a new "World's Most Expensive Burger" story every year. Made with Wagyu beef, topped with foie gras, buns studded with diamond dust (OK, not really), it's a gimmick that never fails to elicit gasps. The rank-and-file shake their heads in disapproval at the decadent rich - "a $50 hamburger, what's the world coming to?" while those with money to burn get to feel very ironic and high-low (the pinnacle of this attitude can be found at Las Vegas's Palms casino, where they'll serve you a $6 Carl's Jr. burger with a 24-year-old bottle of French Bordeaux for $6,000).
For a brief history of the trend, see this story on Forbes Traveler. There's a slideshow of haute burgers, from the six-pack of Kobe sliders at the Continental in Atlantic City to the $150 truffle-stuffed version at DB Bistro Moderne to the $5,000 burger n' 1990 Chateau Petrus combo at Fleur de Lys in Vegas.
Yeah, so maybe it's a little early in the day for burger porn, but these are classy little sliders as photographed by roboppy, who writes food blog The Girl Who Ate Everything. The burgers are a menu item at Bouchon Bakery in New York, and are made with tomato marmalade and topped with ricotta cheese. A Hamburger Today reports that Bouchon will be adding a new slider made with Wagyu beef, oven-roasted roma tomatoes and Taleggio cheese.
This is the First Annual Japanese Food Culture Week in New York City that is being coordinated by The Japanese External Trade Organization (Jetro), the Japan Society, Nikkei America, and other Japanese / American organizations and restaurants. I've been caught up in a whirlwind and this is the first I have been able to write about it. From Sunday March 4 - Saturday March 10, 2007 there is a week of special events, seminars, food shows, and Japanese restaurants with fantastic specials for the general public to enjoy. The events are being held to educate and expose the public, as well as restaurant owners, chefs, etc. to Japanese cuisine and its effects and interactions in the US. I will describe in detail some of the events I have had the good fortune to attend.
The other day I was talking about the latest Buzz on Beef, and mentioned "American style Kobe beef." Today I ran across Snake River Farms Gourmet Deli Line of products. Three of the four are called American Kobe Beef and I disagree with their labeling that it is "American Kobe" since there is no such thing. If it is called Kobe then it has to be from Japan, this is American Wagyu/Angus crossbreed.
The same goes for their using the term "Kurobuta" which is a Japanese term for pork descended from Berkshire hogs that hundreds of years ago were cross bred with Asian hogs, to produce a local strain of very marbled pork. If it isn't from Japan then you should call it Berkshire Pork which describes the breed. You may think I am nit picking but I believe in truth in advertising and that the consumer should know exactly what they are getting, and paying a fortune for.
That said, I have liked all the Snake River Farms products I have tried in the past, and I am eagerly looking forward to trying these products. The meat is highly marbled, incredibly tender, exquisitely delicious, and naturally produced without growth promoting hormones. They have four types of meats in their deli line as well as cured hams, pork ribs, pork loins, and raw meats available.
We are now getting more and better beef available in the US like grass fed, wet vs. dry aged, natural, organic, and certified humanely treated. There is more high quality Choice and Prime grades available than ever before, including some of the super high Japanese grades, like the famous and hard to get Kobe / Wagyu premium beef which comes in 12 quality grades. The finest US Prime, of which only 2% of US beef gets graded and most goes to restaurants, tops out equal to Japanese grades 4-6 .
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)
On the heels of a recent L.A. Times story about Thomas Keller's burger joint aspirations comes news of another high-end burger on the menu at the Old Homestead Steakhouse in Boca Raton, Fla. Dubbed the "beluga caviar of sandwiches," the $100 burger features a 20-ounce blend of American prime, Japanese Wagyu/Kobe and Argentinian beef. As if this weren't showy enough, the beef arrived in a black hummer for its debut yesterday. On a brighter note, $10 of each burger purchase goes to a local branch of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The other day I was talking about the latest 
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 
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