12 Food Experiences That Will Explode Your Bank Account

Discover how the upper crust satisfies its hunger for distinctive fare.

12 Food Experiences That Will Explode Your Bank Account

Groceries can be expensive. Still, every so often we splurge on filet mignon or lobster tail.

Then there are those who take things to another level. People who seek expensive truffles that only dogs and pigs can find, or the more-expensive-than-gold saffron. Whoever indulges in the following over-the-top foods, beverages and dining adventures has curious taste buds and money to spare.

Read on to discover how the upper crust satisfies its hunger for distinctive fare and food experiences, and maybe put one or two of these items on your bucket list.

Donkey Cheese

Cost: $576 a pound

This donkey cheese, or pule, or, if you prefer, ass cheese, comes from Serbia.

Farmer Slobodan Simic, who claims he’s the only person in the world who has the recipe for donkey cheese, has just 20 of these animals that produce milk. Even though pule is a direct hit to the pocket book, eaters get exceptional health benefits. Donkey cheese is high in protein, calcium, and omega 3 fatty acids.

Sushi with Diamonds and Gold

Cost: $1,978

For all of you who thought sushi meant raw fish wrapped in seaweed, these five-piece nigiri rolls shoot that definition to smithereens.

According to Guinness World Records, the world’s most expensive sushi consists of premium Norwegian pink salmon and foie gras cloaked in 24-carat gold leaf topped with three Palawan pearls and 20 carats of African diamonds.

You’ll need to travel to the Philippines and search Manila for the creator of this dish, Angelito Araneta Jr. If you find him and his creation, please remove the gems before eating.

“The World’s Most Expensive Taco”

Cost: $25,000

This isn’t a typical Mexican combination-plate item that’s served with rice and beans.

Instead, if you dine at Grand Velas Los Cabos in Mexico, you can order the world’s most expensive taco. You’ll get a combination of langoustine, Kobe beef, Almas Beluga caviar, and black truffle brie cheese. The salsa includes dried Morita chili peppers, some really good tequila, and civet coffee.

In case you’ve forgotten, that’s coffee that comes from the poop of a cat-like animal called a civet.

Pizza Louis XIII

Cost: $12,000 (serves two)

No need to dress up and drive to a restaurant to enjoy this Italian delicacy because Renato Viola comes to your home and prepares this pizza. But only if you live in or are vacationing in Salerno, Italy.

He tops the pie with lobster, caviar, prawns, and seven kinds of cheese, and provides some extravagant beverages to wash it down. Those are champagne, followed by brandy and finished with Louis XIII cognac.

Now aren’t you glad you don’t need a designated driver?

Billion Dollar Popcorn

Cost: $2,500 for a 6.5-gallon tin

Berco’s Billion Dollar Popcorn is advertised on their website for $5 – per kernel.

For depleting your bank account, you get a concoction of organic sugar, butter from Vermont, Nielsen-Massey bourbon vanilla, and very expensive salt covered in 23-karat edible gold flake.

No word on where the popcorn kernels come from, which is only the key ingredient.

Strawberries Arnaud

Cost: $9.85 million

Ask for “Strawberries Arnaud” at Arnaud’s restaurant in New Orleans and you’ll pay a pretty price for this dessert. The edible portion – berries, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, and 24-karat gold flake – seems relatively plain. It’s the 10.06-carat royal blue diamond ring nuzzled up next to the sweet treat that ramps up the value.

It’s a proposal package. Just hope she doesn’t say “no” when you pop the question.

Beverly Hills 9OH2O Luxury Collection, Diamond Edition Water

Cost: $100,000 per bottle

Yes, that stuff that you get for free out of the tap in your kitchen. Only this water comes from the Sierra Nevada Mountains enhanced with minerals, potassium, and calcium for flavor and health benefits.

But the piéce de résistance must be the white gold cap encrusted with 250 black diamonds and 600 white diamonds. Cap and bottle were designed by jeweler Mario Padilla. Only nine bottles were made.

Imagine having one of those to take to “Pawn Stars” to sell.

Elida Geisha Coffees

Cost: $75 per cup

Klatch Coffee’s roastery in Rancho Cucamonga, California, bought 10 pounds of Elida Geisha 803 ($803) and five pounds of Elida Geisha 661 ($661) of the world’s most costly coffee beans at a recent auction.

The brewed coffee will sell for $75 per eight-ounce cup to certain ticket holders chosen by Klatch, or you can purchase 15-gram packages online for $125.

This is no regular cup of Joe. It’s more fruit-forward with notes of jasmine, bergamot, sweet berries, citrusy orange, and mango, depending on the blend.

Take that Starbucks.

Epic Cristal Dinner

Cost: $25,000 for 12

The Bourbon & Bones Chophouse in Scottsdale, Arizona, generously offers a portion of the proceeds from any Epic Cristal Dinner ordered to an area homeless charity. That should make you feel better about spending thousands for 12 32-ounce Tomahawk Ribeye steaks when you could buy a new car with those same dollars.

You do receive six courses and a limited-edition bottle of 2002 Vintage Cristal Jeroboam Champagne. With 12 people drinking from the same bottle, how many drops does one diner get?

Dinner in the Sky

Cost: $289-$500 per person

Be sure to use the restroom before you’re hoisted 180 feet into the air for this high-wire dining experience. If you need to excuse yourself from Dinner in the Sky mid-meal, you and the 26 others with you all must be lowered to the ground. Everyone will know about your small bladder or other digestive issue.

Twenty-two diners and five staff, including the chef who prepares meals on the platform, all contribute to the experience. This Brussels, Belgium-based franchise travels all over the world so watch for it in your town. Should you drop your fork, don’t try to pick it up. That’s a long way down.

Hurawalhi’s 5.8 Undersea Restaurant

Cost: $280 per person for a seven-course dinner

Ever wondered how zoo animals feel? You’ll sympathize with them while reef sharks, an occasional octopus, parrot fish, and mantis shrimp swim around you watching you eat at this popular dining spot in the Maldives.

Not only is this restaurant 19 feet (5.8 meters) below the water’s surface, but it’s made almost entirely of glass. German chef Bjoern van den Oever prepares unique meats and seafood for your dining pleasure, and sends these delicacies down to you via an elevator.

Disneyland’s 21 Royal

Cost: $15,000 for up to 12 guests

In Anaheim, California’s Magic Kingdom, enjoy a seven-course dinner at 21 Royal served on gold-plated dishes atop white linens.

Walt and Lillian Disney once envisioned the building that holds this private dining room as their secluded family haven but died before that happened. Now completed, anyone can rent it.

In true Disney fashion, as each of the seven-courses and wine pairings comes into view, a story evolves. Chef Andrew Sutton continually changes the menu. You may get buffalo tenderloin, spot prawns, Kobe pastrami, or some other delicacy.

It’s a small world after all for affluent epicureans. Mouse ears optional.