miercuri, 23 mai 2012

World’s Top Ten Most Expensive Foods

If you’re looking to expand your horizons into the world of excess culinary expense, then you could do worse than starting with a few items on the list below. We’ve collected some of the most outlandish, outrageous and, above all, the most expensive foods in the world.
World's Most Expensive Mushrooms
The matsutake, or mattake, mushroom is expensive because of its rarity. While its historical prevalence meant it was nearly synonymous with autumn in Japan, the introduction of an insect that kills the trees under which the mushroom grows has caused a dramatic decrease in the number of matsutake mushrooms. A method for farming the matsutake has yet to be developed, which means the lack of trees from which to harvest these mushrooms naturally is a serious problem for the species.
World’s most expensive bagel
This bagel, created by Executive Chef Frank Tujague for New York’s Westin Hotel, is topped with white truffle cream cheese and goji berry infused Riesling jelly with golden leaves. The bagel’s price is justified when you consider that white truffles happen to be the second most expensive food by weight, eclipsed only by caviar. The underground fungus grows only under specific oak trees in Alba, Italy. Their pheromone-like odor is considered to be an aphrodisiac and is the reason dogs and female pigs are used to hunt the precious truffle.
the Zillion Dollar Frittata
This absurdly expensive breakfast item consists of a mixture of eggs, lobster and 10 ounces of sevruga caviar (which costs the restaurant $65 per ounce). On the menu next to the expensive omelet there is a challenge that reads, “Norma dares you to expense this.”
World’s most expensive steaks
While Wagyu cattle are raised both in and outside Japan, the Kobe varietal which is raised specifically in the Hyogo prefecture is the most elite. Employing the most traditional production methods, Kobe beef comes from cows that are allegedly fed only beer and massaged by hand to ensure a tenderness and marbling beyond compare. These dishes can be out of range for the average restaurateur, carrying an unhealthy load of fat and a price tag to match. For your next after-work social, you might try taking your associates to New York City’s Craftsteak, where a full Wagyu rib eye was served up to a private party for $2800.
World's Most Expensive Curry
To celebrate the DVD release of Slumdog Millionaire, Bombay Brassiere packed this curry platter full of the most expensive ingredients they could find. Devon crab and white truffle and a half tomato filled with Beluga caviar and dressed with gold leaf are just the start of this lavish dish. A Scottish lobster, also coated with gold, four abalone and four shelled and hollowed quails’ eggs filled with even more caviar round out the dish.
pizza pie
The 12 inch pizza pie is densely packed with an assortment of some of the world’s most expensive food ingredients, such as lobster marinated in cognac, caviar soaked in champagne, sunblush tomato sauce, Scottish smoked salmon, venison medallions, prosciutto, and vintage balsamic vinegar. In addition to all these fine ingredients, it’s topped with a significant amount of edible 24-carat gold flakes.
In a country where watermelons are rare game, they can be a costly commodity. That’s how a 17-pound Japanese watermelon became the most expensive watermelon in the world. Densuke watermelons, a type of black watermelon grown only on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, are usually given as gifts due to their extraordinary rarity. There were only sixty-five of the fruits among the first harvest this season. They are harder and crisper than the watermelons we Americans are used to and, according to Tohma Agricultural Cooperative’s spokesman, they “have a different level of sweetness.”
World's Most Expensive Cantaloupes
Another type of expensive melon, the world’s most expensive cantaloupes are a pair of Yubari melons and were the first auction of the 2008 season. They had previously been judged the best pair and were purchased by the owner of a nearby seafood lunchbox and souvenir business. It had some competition—100 melons grown by farmers from Yubari were also judged.
Almas caviar comes from Iran making it extremely rare and extremely expensive. The only known outlet is the Caviar House & Prunier in London England’s Picadilly that sells a kilo of the expensive Almas caviar in a 24-karat gold tin for £16,000, or about $25,000. Coincidentally, it is also where you can find the most expensive meal in Britain. The Caviar House also sells a £800 tin for those on a smaller budget.
World’s most expensive truffle
Expensive truffles are notoriously pricey because they are difficult to cultivate. This makes them a true delicacy which some have called the king of all fungi. The Associate Press reported that a real estate investor and his wife from Hong Kong have paid €125,000 ($160,406 USD) for a gigantic Italian White Alba truffle which is reportedly the world’s most expensive ever. The most expensive truffle weighs in 1.51 kilograms (3.3 lbs).

 

sâmbătă, 19 mai 2012

Best female CHEF

    Elena Arzak
















ELENA ARZAK-2012
The Veuve Clicquot World’s Best Female Chef award celebrates the work of an exceptional female chef whose cooking excites the toughest of critics. The award is inspired by the life and achievements of Madame Clicquot, who nearly 200 years ago, set the standard for women in business. The winner reflects Madame Clicquot’s attributes of innovation, creativity and determination.


Elena is the fourth generation of the Arzak family to head up the restaurant since it opened in 1897. In the past five years, the restaurant has consistently ranked within the top 10 of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and was the first Basque restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars. A highly decorated family, Elena’s father Juan Mari Arzak was honoured with the esteemed Lifetime Achievement Award at last year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony.
Having learnt her craft at home, Elena expanded her horizons through extensive travel. She studied in Lucerne, Switzerland before moving through the great kitchens of Europe including Maison Troisgros, Bras and Pierre Gagnaire in France, Le Gavroche in London and El Bulli in Spain before returning to the family business.
Elena has won international respect for her constantly evolving, cutting edge, research-based approach to cooking and experimentation with flavours. Through her single-minded dedication to Arzak and its signature Basque cuisine, Elena oversees not only a thriving restaurant but by working in tandem with her famous father, Juan Mari, has ensured that it is recognised as one of the most influential restaurants in the world today.





joi, 17 mai 2012

THE WORLD`S STRANGEST HOTELS


The first thing every hotel developer considers before construction is "who is the guest, and why are they here," says Jake Bush, a hotel architect and developer at Braun & Steidl. Accommodations must be tailored to the needs of the traveler; an overnight business trip doesn't require the same amenities as a two-week luxury vacation. Similarly, to the more daring traveler, the flower-quilted double bed and lacquered furniture of a typical hotel room is just plain boring. For the intrepid, quirky and adventurous globetrotter, here are the world's 18 strangest hotels.

The Mirrorcube

Where: Harads, Sweden 

What It Is: A lightweight aluminum 4 x 4 x 4–meter box suspended around a tree trunk and covered in mirrors. Accommodates two people at a time, with a double bed, a small bathroom, a living room and a roof terrace. Access to the cabin is by a rope bridge connected to the next tree. 

Why It's Unique: Camouflaged within the tree canopy, the one-way mirrors provide a 360-degree view of the surroundings. To prevent birds from colliding with the reflective glass, an ultraviolet color visible only to birds is laminated onto the glass.






ICEHOTEL

Where: Jukkasjärvi, Sweden 

What It Is: ICEHOTEL is the world's largest hotel made from snow and ice. Guests can sleep in a bed made of snow and ice (like most of the other furniture), at temperatures around minus 5 degrees C. 

Why It's Unique: The entire building melts and gets reconstructed every year. Each November, a team of architects rebuilds the rooms, bar and chapel from several hundred tons of ice. If your ideal vacation consists of walking around in snow pants and fur, ICEHOTEL is worth a repeat visit—it is, after all, a different hotel every year.


Marmara Antalya

Where: Antalya, Turkey 

What It Is: 208 rooms overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the Taurus Mountains and city of Antalya. 

Why It's Unique: The world's first revolving hotel, the Marmara Antalya's spinning 24-room loft provides guests with a constantly changing view. Floating in a pool of 478 tons of water and aided by six electric motors, it turns a full 360 degrees on its foundation several times a day.







Dog Bark Park Inn

Where: Cottonwood, ID 

What It Is: A beagle-themed B&B that sleeps up to four guests at a time. Guests enter the body of the giant dog through a balcony. The dog's head houses a loft bedroom and an alcove within the muzzle, with a toilet disguised as a fire hydrant. 

Why It's Unique: The larger beagle, named Sweet Willy, is 30 feet tall, 34 feet long and 14 feet wide. It's made of wood (the owners are chain-saw artists) and painted stucco, with flaps of carpeting for ears.





Jules Underwater Lodge

Where: Key Largo, Fla. 

What It Is: A retired research laboratory and the world's first underwater hotel. It rests on stilts 5 feet off the floor of a tropical lagoon, surrounded by swarms of aquatic wildlife. 

Why It's Unique: To get inside, guests dive 21 feet under the sea and enter through the floor of the apartment. Compressed air keeps the water from rising up and flooding the rooms. A 3-hour scuba course is required for uncertified divers.





Tianzi Hotel

Where: Hebei Province, China 

What It Is: Built in 2000, this 10-story building depicts Fu, Lu and Shou—Chinese gods symbolizing good fortune, prosperity and longevity. 

Why It's Unique: The Tianzi Hotel is the largest image hotel in the world. Shou, on the left, is holding a peach that contains a suite. Enter the hotel through his right foot.





















Sandcastle Hotel

Where: Weymouth, UK 

What It Is: This seaside resort was made entirely from sand—about 1100 tons of it. A team of four sculptors worked seven 14-hour days to finish the hotel in late July of 2008. It held up until the next big rainstorm. 

Why It's Unique: For about 15 dollars per night, guests fell asleep under the stars and woke up to the tide lapping at the door. Not appropriate for people who disliked getting sand in their bathing suits, or who required indoor toilets.




Karostas Cietums

Where: Liepāja, Latvia 

What It Is: A former military prison built in 1905, Karostas housed revolutionaries, enemies of the people from Stalin's time, and more recently, the KGB. 

Why It's Unique: "A good hotel has got to be safe, clean, and have good staff," says Bush. Karostas breaks that fundamental rule of hospitality, inviting its guests to "live the part of a prisoner on a dismal night"—by sleeping on grungy prison bunks, eating prison food and taking abuse from prison guards.




Kokopelli's Cave Bed and Breakfast

Where: Farmingon, N.M. 

What It Is: This one-bedroom cave home was blasted out of a cliffside in 1980, with three holes drilled for ventilation and electricity. 

Why It's Unique: At 100 feet underground, access this bed and breakfast by shimmying down a steep cliff and ladder. Guests must sign a liability waiver in order to stay.






Godiva Chocolate Suite

Where: New York, New York 

What It Is: Godiva designed this suite entirely from chocolate—including the armchairs, the bed, the artwork, the lamps and the walls. The chocolate room was moved to the Bryant Park Hotel for Valentine's Day in 2008. 

Why It's Unique: Sweet as this suite sounds, this hotel room is more for eating than for sleeping.








Palacio de Sal

Where: Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia 

What It Is: A living room, a dining room, a bar and 15 bedrooms made entirely from salt. The hotel is built of salt blocks hauled from the vast surrounding salt plains, and held together by a cement-like mixture of salt and water. In fact, the only things that aren't made of salt in this hotel are the toilets and tin roof. 

Why It's Unique: The owners ask their guests not to lick the walls.






Kumbuk River

Where: Buttala, Sri Lanka What It Is: On 16 acres of wilderness along the Kumbukkan Oya River, visitors sleep in the belly of a giant elephant. 

Why It's Unique: This two-story eco-lodge is built from grass and twigs. Visitors can feel it swaying in the wind on gusty days.












Giraffe Manor

Where: Nairobi, Kenya 

What It Is: This elegant six-room hotel, modeled after a Scottish hunting lodge, wouldn't belong on our strangest-hotel list if it weren't for the giraffe poking its head through the window. 

Why It's Unique: The owners of Giraffe Manor are wild about giraffes. The manor has its own giraffe residents, who join guests through the open window at mealtimes to beg for food. The site also hosts a conservation center and elephant orphanage.






Hotelmóvil

Where: Anywhere with ample public parking 

What It Is: Hotelmóvil is a two-story trailer with 11 bedrooms. Drag it behind a truck and sleep up to 44 people in mobile luxury. 

Why It's Unique: Ever feel like packing your bags and leaving town? How about packing up your whole hotel?









Hotel Marqués de Riscal

Where: Rioja Alavesa, Spain 

What It Is: The Marqués offers 43 uniquely shaped rooms in two sections connected by a spectacular suspended footbridge. The whole building is raised above the site on columns, which allows the space underneath to be used as an entry plaza. 

Why It's Unique: The billowing titanium canopies that bedeck the hotel are functional as well as aesthetic. Located on a sunny hilltop, the colorful metal ribbons act as sustainable sunshades and temperature modulators.





Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren

Where: Stavoren, Netherlands 

What It Is: The De Vrouwe has remodeled wine caskets into four two-person rooms with standard amenities and an attached bathroom and sitting room. 

Why It's Unique: The 14,500-liter wooden caskets still smell like the Beaujolais wine they once stored. The rooms are small but airtight and strong.








Ryugyong Hotel

Where: Pyongyang, North Korea 

What It Is: Also known as the "Hotel of Doom," the Ryugyong once aspired to be the tallest hotel in the world. The 105-story, 3000-room project was abandoned in 1992 for economic reasons, but construction resumed in 2008. 

Why It's Unique: Instead of becoming the tallest hotel in the world, Ryugyong is deemed by many to be the most poorly designed building in the world. The most absurd thing about this hotel is contemplating who on earth would want to stay there, when, and if it is ever finished.















IKEA Sovhotell

Where: Stockholm, Sweden 

What It Is: For those who have shopped until they're about to drop, Sovhotell is conveniently located in the middle of this Stockholm shopping center. 

Why It's Unique: IKEA provides pillows, sleep masks and soothing music for weary customers to recharge. They offer single and double beds, and a bridal suite. Perhaps the company was sick of waking up customers who were "trying out" the mattresses.