The Real Reason These French Fries Cost $200

Whoever said "these are some really strange times" must be a genius, which is convenient since it's something each of us has likely said at some time or another during the pandemic and its tentative, sputtering aftermath. At what other time in history would you have heard – over the course of just 24 hours – that Chicago's finest Italian restaurant, the Michelin-starred Spiaggia, has closed its doors forever due to the realities of the post-pandemic restaurant industry (via Spiaggia), while New York City's Serendipity3, which reopened July 9 after its pandemic-related closure (via Serendipity Brands), has not only debuted a plate of $200 French fries but has also earned itself a Guinness World Record in the process (via Guinness World Records)? 

Setting aside, for the moment, all that "pesky" talk of food insecurity, which is still very much a thing by the way (via CNN), and concerns over food waste, which must inevitably come to mind when talking about skinless French fries, let alone skinless French fries dusted with 23 karat gold (well, to be fair, at least said gold dust is edible), the fact is that Serendipity3 is back, baby, and it's back with a vengeance. And by vengeance, we mean it's no longer content to rest on its existing Guinness World Records for most expensive dessert, sandwich, and milkshake. Now, they've taken on French fries, and they're owning it. Here's what you need to know, including the real reason an order of these French fries costs 200 bucks.

This month, Serendipity3, located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, earned the title for "the world's most expensive French fries," according to Guinness World Records, which stated that Serendipity's "Crème de la Crème Pomme Frites," featuring only the best of the best of ingredients, has "set the bar for the classic American dish" - at 200 American greenbacks (via Guinness World Records). So why on Earth are Serendipity's French fries so incredibly pricey? Join us as we count the ways.

Served on a Baccarat crystal Arabesque Plate, Serendipity's luxury fries are made only from the finest "Chipperbeck potatoes" sourced from upstate New York. Fried in "pure cage-free goose fat from France" and topped with "Guerande Truffle Salt, truffle oil, Crete Senesi Pecorino Tartufello cheese, shaved black summer truffles from Italy, truffle butter, ... and of course, 23k edible gold dust," they're served with a matching Baccarat bowl containing Mornay sauce made with "organic 100% grass fed cream from Jersey Cows" and "Gruyere Truffled Swiss Raclette that has been aged for 3 months." Somewhere in all of this, a very expensive Champagne vinegar by J. LeBlanc comes into play, the whole thing is meant to be washed down with Dom Perignon. 

In case you want to try it, please note that you'll be expected to let the restaurant know in advance (via UPI).