Hard Rock Cafe’s 24K burger glitters but does not shine
Hard Rock Cafe wants you to eat like a rock star with its new 24- Karat Gold Leaf Steak Burger announced as part of a revamped menu celebrating the chain’s 48th anniversary.
It sure looks glamorous. The 8- ounce patty is covered with a layer of edible gold, and is served open- faced to show off its shine. But besides posting the eyecatcher on Instagram, it’s hard to figure out why anyone would want to order it.
For one, it’s expensive. At $ 24.95 it’s nearly $ 10 more expensive than Hard Rock’s other hamburger options ( although $ 1 of the proceeds of every sale goes to Action Against Hunger through the Hard Rock Heals Foundation).
Then there is the taste — it’s simply a bland burger. A layer of cheddar cheese, easily the most flavorful part of the sandwich, is sadly hidden by wilting leaf lettuce, which is topped with tomato slices and circles of red onion. The patty itself is cooked at a textbook medium rare, a sign of the consistency prerequisite for the global chains’ success, and then dressed in its golden Sunday best.
But the beauty is covered with a potato bun, the culinary equivalent of a beige trench coat. The shimmering, bubbling gold leaf is quite dazzling — until the burger is assembled. Put the top bun on and you can hardly tell it’s anything more than your average backyard hamburger, since gold leaf has no discernible flavor.
Gold leaf has been used in food for the wealthy for centuries, and is considered to be safe for consumption. In recent times, the use of gold leaf has exploded, with restaurants offering an opulent gold dish to cater to the luxurious. The roughly 6- square- inch gold leaf sheets Hard Rock Cafe uses come from a Florida edible precious metal producer, CornucAupia, whose plays on the atomic symbol for gold, Au.
Currently, a 25- pack of gold sheets, packaged with sheets of parchment paper for easy application, costs $ 45.97. This fluctuates depending on the cost of gold in the market. The last time Hard Rock placed an order it cost $ 2.95 per sheet, according to the Pittsburgh restaurant’s general manager, Kevin Fury.
CornucAupia says the gold sheets stick to any food surface and so are used for topping champagne, cooked carrots, cakes and salads.
So why did the Hard Rock decide to
hide it in the least visible place of all — a burger patty? It could have been used to cover the top bun or to wrap individual french fries or mixed into the housemade steak sauce that is served on the side.
There’s no denying it looks great on the plate. But you can’t help but feel disappointed that on lifting it to your mouth, you need to search the edges for a peek at the gold, which at the point is likely smothered in steak sauce.
Yes, the gold leaf burger may earn a few dozen Instagram likes, and yes, Hard Rock is a great place to sit back and listen to Styx once every few years.
But sadly, the most exciting part of the whole experience may come days later — after digestion — when the gold leaf has a chance of making a colorful exit.