Those One Percent Burgers

 

Photo by Jef Poskanzer

Eater notices that BLT Steak over on I Street is currently featuring two burgers: One is called The 99% and includes a 6-ounce CAB burger patty melt and American cheese on Wonder Bread for only $9.99. The other is known as The 1% and contains an 8-ounce Kobe burger, braised Kobe short-rib (let’s assume this is Kobe-style stateside Wagyu and not direct from Japan), foie gras, gold leaf, and Grey Poupon at a cost of $58.

For the purposes of marketing, it’s pretty clever considering (as Eater points out) the establishment’s proximity to Occupy DC’s McPherson Square encampment, the White House, and K Street. And it is correct for BLT to describe The 99% as a patty melt as it comes with bread slices and not buns. But The 1% is not exactly new. Daniel Boulud’s $32 DB burger (foie gras, preserved black truffle, short ribs) has been around for a decade. (When adding fresh PĂ©rigord truffle shavings, the cost of the burger jumps to around $150.) The Homestead’s $41 Kobe burger came out a little later. And the Wall Street Burger Shoppe’s $175 monstrosity included foie gras, black truffle, and gold leaf. You can read more of the burger’s history here.

As an aside, BLT Steak is no longer co-owned by Laurent Tourondel. (The last time I had a steak there it was way undercooked.) In fact, I don’t think you’re even allowed to utter the chef’s name. As the New York Times wrote earlier this year, it’s a touchy subject.

(Hat tip to SB.)

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