How Much It Would Cost To Eat All Of Bobby Flay's Favorite Restaurant Dishes In One Day
One of the best-known and most successful celebrity chefs in the business, Bobby Flay is now practically a household name. The chef's culinary origin story dates back to when he was just 17 years old, when he dropped out of high school and began cooking at Joe Allen, a famous Broadway insider hangout, says Food Network. Chef Allen quickly noticed Flay's natural-born talent and potential in the kitchen, so he offered to pay his tuition at The French Culinary Institute. Young Flay was a head chef by the time he was 20, and the rest is history.
Today, the renowned TV personality has hosted 16 different shows on the Food Network and Cooking Channel, published 15 cookbooks, and earned a reported net worth of $30 million (via Insider). The New York native was also the first chef in history to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, beating Julia Child and Wolfgang Puck to the honor. Even Flay's cat Nacho is internet famous, with a whopping 238,000 Instagram followers.
Given his status as a culinary mastermind, it's unsurprising that Flay has high standards when it comes to food. And clearly, a multimillionaire can afford to have expensive taste! Here's how much it would cost to eat all of Flay's favorite restaurant meals in a day. You can decide for yourself whether or not each dish is worth the price tag.
Flay loves a cheeseburger just like the rest of us
Delicious dishes don't always need to be complicated or overly expensive. The first food that Flay cannot live without is a quintessential staple when it comes to American cuisine — that's right, it's a simple burger with American cheese, and the version at J.G. Melon in Manhattan is Flay's top pick. "I grew up eating this burger, and it actually inspired me to cook my burgers on the griddle. The patty gets a great crust on it that way," the "Beat Bobby Flay" host shared with Eater.
Moreover, this "perfect" sandwich inspired Flay to open Bobby's Burger Palace, he told The Hollywood Reporter. You can find out what makes this unfussy dish so special for yourself for $13 (via J.G. Melon). If you can't make it to New York, try the Flay's Burger Palace version of the cheeseburger at locations in Connecticut, Georgia, or Maryland (via Bobby's Burger Palace).
Flay knows his pasta
Who doesn't enjoy pasta? Flay has several carb-forward items on his list of favorite restaurant dishes, some slightly more expensive than others. Every once in a while, Flay enjoys meals at Spartina, a Cal-Italian eatery in Los Angeles, and Via Carota, an upscale Italian trattoria in New York City. Although it's no longer on Spartina's rotating menu, Flay loved to indulge in the restaurant's delectable ravioli with burrata cheese and sea urchin, which ran for $20, Yahoo reports.
At Via Carota, Flay orders for a crowd and recommends that newcomers try "every vegetable dish, a few pastas, and a crostino or two," per Tasting Table. If you heed his advice and request all 15 veggie dishes, three pastas, and two appetizers, your check will be around $400 before tax and tip, calculated using Via Carota's menu. Ouch. If you want to eat Italian like Bobby Flay, get ready to splash some cash — and lots of it.
The chef is no stranger to the steakhouse
Being basically culinary royalty, Flay unsurprisingly likes to treat himself to a feast fit for a king when the mood strikes. One luxurious meal that Flay has an affinity for is the Tournedos Maxwell entrée at Dudley's on Short in Lexington, Kentucky, Food Network shares. This elaborate concoction combines petite filets, lump crab, potato purée, and Béarnaise sauce in one indulgent $36 platter (via Dudley's on Short). Flay says it's "the perfect three-course meal in one single bite," which makes it sound worth every penny.
When it comes to upscale dining, there's another restaurant Flay can't live without: Wolfgang's Steakhouse in New York City. "When I want steak on a Sunday night, it's where I go. It feels like old New York," the Iron Chef told The Hollywood Reporter. The lunchtime Cajun-spiced ribeye steak, served with mashed potatoes and broccoli, will set you back $55 (via Wolfgang's Steakhouse). Is your wallet hurting yet?
Flay has a soft spot for New York City restaurants
As you may have noticed, many of Flay's favorite restaurants are in New York City, which makes sense — besides being a great place to eat, it's also the chef's hometown, according to Biography. And what's a trip to the Big Apple without a delicious slice of pizza? When Flay gets a hankering for 'za, he heads over to Roberta's in Brooklyn and orders the Bee Sting pizza, reveals The Hollywood Reporter. Topped with tomato, mozzarella, basil, soppressata, chili, and honey, this $22 pie is perfect for fans of sweet and spicy (via Roberta's).
If the James Beard Award-winning chef is in the mood for Chinese, though, he books a table at Buddakan, a pan-Asian restaurant in Chelsea Market (via The Hollywood Reporter). Meals there remind him of his childhood Sunday dinners, which often took place at Chinese restaurants. His favorite menu item? The extravagant Peking duck for two, which comes with cucumber, scallion, and hoisin sauce and costs $74 (per Buddakan).
Of course, Flay also approves of his own food
Flay proudly owns five restaurant concepts in addition to his burger chain, according to his website. These include Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic City, Mediterranean establishment Gato (temporarily closed) in New York City, and three Las Vegas restaurants: Mesa Grill, Shark (temporarily closed), and Amalfi, where he serves Southwestern fare, Spanish-style seafood, and coastal Italian cuisine, respectively.
While it might be hard to pick favorites across so many eateries, the Gato dish Flay is most proud of is the kale and wild mushroom paella, he shared with Tasting Table, calling the vegetarian bestseller "the underdog dish of the year." This delectable plate, complete with egg and crispy artichokes, goes for $34 (via Gato).
Now for the answer we've all been waiting for: How much does it cost to eat like Bobby Flay? Obviously, this list is too much to cover in one day, but if you spread things out, the star's favorite restaurant orders add up to a grand total of $654. Are these heavenly dishes worth the dent in your wallet?