After cows tested positive for foot-and-mouth disease last week in Japan, the country put a halt to exports of Wagyu, the famous cattle breed that's raised according to strict traditions and yields exceptional marbling, delicate texture, and high prices. With no end in sight, chefs are running out of their precious meat. "Everyone that buys from us has called up and said, 'How much do you have left, lock it up for me?' " George Faison, chief operating officer at De-Bragga & Spitler, a meat supplier in the Meatpacking District, tells the Wall Street Journal. "We only have 500 pounds left." Very troubling, Japan! How are Americans supposed to extravagantly blow hundreds of dollars on a steak (or $81 on a burger) now? more ›

Click on the images for details on Frites 'n' Meats, Le Caprice, and Piccola Cucina Focacceria. more ›

If you thought dropping $81 on a hamburger at The Old Homestead was enough to prove you’ve arrived, think again, hayseed – New York’s newest culinary status symbol, the “Richard Nouveau” burger at Wall Street Burger Shoppe, is going to cost you over twice that. They’re charging $175 for the experience, but money’s no object when it comes to showing the other hedge-funders you’ve completely lost touch with reality, right? more ›