The Big Menu Mistake One Couple Made At Gordon Ramsay Steakhouse
When Jeffrey Paige examined the bill for the meal he and his girlfriend had enjoyed at Gordon Ramsay Steakhouse in Atlantic City, the prices on the receipt leapt out tremendously. Specifically, as LADbible reports, one price towered above the rest. Listed among the expected $13 to $25 range of dishes, the Kobe beef came in at $420. This made the whole meal worth $614.88.
The issue was that Paige failed to read the menu carefully enough. While 8 ounces of the other beef still would have lightened his wallet by over $50, the Kobe is priced at $35 per ounce. Paige read this as $35 in total. In other words, Paige experienced a shock of over $300 in unexpected costs.
However, Paige took the mistake in his stride, quite graciously stating, "The steak and the experience were unforgettable, and if I had to make this blunder at any restaurant in the world, I'm glad it was at Chef Ramsay's."
Why is Kobe beef so expensive?
Still, the discrepancy between the $35 for an ounce of Kobe and $54 for 8 ounces of filet may prompt some to wonder what drives the significantly higher price. Essentially, like many other highly priced foods, it comes down to the strict control of what counts as Kobe.
"Kobe beef is the only Wagyu brand in Japan where the Hyogo Prefecture gets involved in protecting the genetic integrity of the Tajima herd," Hisato Hamada, co-founder of the Wagyumafia group, told the South China Morning Post. This includes keeping tabs on the sperm of the Tajima cattle whose genetic material forms the basis of Kobe.
In addition, there are eight criteria that a meat must meet to be sold as Kobe. It must come from Tajima cattle. It must be a heifer or bullock. It must be raised by certified farmers in the Hyogo Prefecture. The yield grade must be A or B, with a quality grade of at least four out of five, and a marbling score of at least six out of 12. And, the cows must weigh between 595 pounds and 1,102 pounds, while bulls can weigh between 661 and 1,102 pounds. With such stipulations, the supply of Kobe is low, making even an ounce worth a whole meal of other foods.