New York’s $200 french fries offer ‘escape’ from reality

Chef Frederick Schoen-Kiewert serves The Creme de la Creme Pommes Frites, the world’s most expensive french fries, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, at Serendipity 3 restaurant New York City, New York, U.S., July 23, 2021. REUTERS

NEW YORK — Jerome Powell, this story’s for you.

The Federal Reserve chair, always on the look-out for signs of inflation, might want to drop by Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where a $200 plate of french fries stretches the definition of haute cuisine.

The restaurant Serendipity 3 already claims world records for the most expensive burger ($295) and ice cream sundae ($1,000), so if the question is, “You want fries with that?” its answer is a resounding yes.

Guinness World Records certified the feat. As of July 13, the fries are officially the most expensive on earth.

“Serendipity is really a happy place,” said Creative Director and Chef Joe Calderone. “People come here to celebrate, to really escape the reality of life sometimes.”

The Crème de la Crème Pomme Frites start out as Chipperbec potatoes. They are blanched – or scalded – in vinegar and champagne. Then they fry in pure goose fat, not oil, and not once but twice, so they are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Sprinkled with edible gold and seasoned with truffle salt and truffle oil, they are served on a crystal plate with an orchid, thin-sliced truffles, and a Mornay cheese dip. The sauce, too, is infused with truffles, a rare seasonal mushroom.

“Truffle is the main star here,” said Corporate Executive Chef Frederick Schoen-Kiewert.

Like many restaurants, Serendipity was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and Calderone and Schoen-Kiewert thought the fancy fries would be a good way to announce its return.

It’s working. There is an eight- to 10-week wait list for the fries.

“It’s been a rough year and a half for everyone, and we need to have some fun now,” said Calderone.