It is common to see hamburger commercials at prices to get you in the door, but what about a special burger for US$499?
Well, at Ridiculous Burgers, in Jaco center (in front of the Red Cross) that’s the price for one of their special burgers. And although the price seems ‘ridiculous’, the burger joint says it has sold two so far in the year and three months they have been open for business.
What makes this hamburger, that costs the equivalent of 85 Big Macs, so expensive?
In addition to the bun and typical hamburger fixings, it includes two very particular and expensive ingredients: caviar and wagyu.
“A can of caviar costs ¢113,000 colones and there is only one distributor in the country, while the kilogram of wagyu costs ¢62,150 colones and I bought it from a man in San José. Of that amount I get four portions, hence the price of the hamburger is so high,” Maria Fernanda Alvarado, manager of the restaurant and one of the” moms “of the idea, told La Teja.
Maria Fernanda said that the idea of opening “Ridiculous burgers” was her landlord, Phill Jones, a New Zealander and between them, together with Costa Rican chef Ivo Vitra, they conceived the exotic hamburger.
Ok, we all (at least most us) know what caviar is, but what is Wagyu?
On Wikipedia, Wagyu (和牛 Wagyū, “Japanese cow”) is any of the four Japanese breeds of beef cattle. In several areas of Japan, wagyu beef is shipped carrying area names. Some examples are Matsusaka beef, Kobe beef, Yonezawa beef, Mishima beef, Ōmi beef, and Sanda beef.
In Japan, there are four breeds of wagyu: Japanese Black (黒毛和種 Kuroge Washu), Japanese Brown (赤毛和種 Akage Washu or Akaushi), Japanese Polled (無角和種 Mukaku Washu), and Japanese Shorthorn (日本短角和種 Nihon Tankaku Washu).
In Australia, the Australian Wagyu Association is the largest breed association outside Japan. Australian Wagyu cattle are grain fed for the last 300–500 days of production. Wagyu bred in Western Australia’s Margaret River region often have red wine added to their feed as well.
In the United States, Japanese Wagyu cattle are bred with Angus cattle. This crossbreed has been named American Style Kobe Beef.
In Canada, Wagyu cattle farming in Canada appeared after 1991 when the Canadian Wagyu Association was formed. Canadian Wagyu beef products are exported to the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Europe.
In Costa Rica, Wagyu is available from a guy in San Jose and in Jaco, on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific beach town, at the ‘World Famous in Costa Rica’ Ridiculous Burgers.
Haven’t got then US$500 yet? You can scale down to Salmon instead of caviar (and Wagyu) for US$399 or just the Wagyu for US$99
But not toworry, while you’re saving up for possibly being the third buyer of this special Caviar and and Wagyu burger or Salmon or just Wagyu, the burger joint offers up a whole lot of other burgers are less ridiculous prices.
Editor’s note. No special consideration was received or offered for this article, but one would be gladly accepted in exchange for nothing.
