May 15, 2008 10:51 am US/Eastern
Philadelphia Restaurant Selling $100 Cheesesteak
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) ―
Sliced, sizzled and slathered with cheese ... the famous Philly cheesesteak serves as an iconic representation of our city and now, an expensive luxury.
That's because Chef James Locascio of Rittenhouse Square's Barclay Prime created Philadelphia's "haute" cheesesteak, an upscale version of the sandwich that includes butter poached lobster and shaved truffles.
Locascio said, "It's every ingredient you want to try in a lifetime in one."
Still, that kind of lavishness doesn't come cheap. For one cheesesteak, expect to pay $100. That's nearly 15 times more than the original.
Locascio said, "We made sure we had the best beef we could find, the best lobster and the right cheese."
To get top of the line ingredients, Locascio said it costs $17 per pound for cheese, $21 per pound for Kobe beef and $900 per pound for summer truffles.
So who buys the costly sandwich?
On average, five or six customers order it per night and many share it as an appetizer.
Locascio said, "It all adds up, a quarter of a million dollars a year in cheesesteaks is pretty good."
With other steak shops selling their sandwich for about seven dollars a pop, you might say that's really good.
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