Thought wretched excess went out with parachute pants in the 80s? Have we got a tour for you.Does America really need a thousand-dollar pizza?

Probably not, but we’ve got one anyway. Not to mention a thousand-dollar omelet. There’s even a thousand-dollar chocolate sundae.

The thought of this kind of wretched excess tends to turn our stomachs, but we have to admit that it also piques our interest.
 
A slice of the $1,000 pizza.

So we found a guide to this world of tasteless extremes: a 27-year-old, too-smart-for-his-age bon vivant named Jeremy Abelson. He’s the founder of an online newsletter, “Pocket Change,” which showcases the most expensive and outrageous consumption in New York and Los Angeles.

“To expose… the ludicrous elements of luxury, I think, is gratifying for audiences that don’t spend that much money,” Abelson said. “I think that people read the pages of ‘US Weekly’ with a little bit of disgust. They’re entertained, but they’re also disgusted a little bit.”

We asked him to show us the most disgusting spending New York City has to offer in an outrageous tour of the city — not just prohibitively expensive, but absurdly so. A tour that, if we were actually paying for it, would cost in excess of a million dollars for one day. (Note that People of the Web adheres to strict journalistic ethics: we don’t accept freebies.  We did not partake in any of the high ticket consumables presented in this piece.)
 
Jeremy Abelson is the founder of the online newsletter Pocket Change.

It all began over breakfast at Norma’s in Le Parker Meridien Hotel in midtown — home of the thousand-dollar omelet, although it actually goes by the name “zillion-dollar frittata.”

The omelet is a rich concoction of eggs, lobster, Yukon Gold potatoes and Iranian Sevruga caviar that goes for about $700 a pound. The hotel’s public relations department told us the thousand-dollar plate has been sold at least 10 times. They also sell a $100 version (with less caviar) at the rate of two a month.

After the omelet, we caught a regular old NYC taxi to our next stop — a taxi that someone had the audacity to puke in the night before — but that was the end of our slumming for the day. After that it was a parade of $200,000 Ferraris, $450,000 yachts, $20 million apartments on Columbus Circle with floor-to-ceiling views of the city in every direction and a consultation with matchmaker Janis Spindel, who says for half-a million dollars all you have to do is draw a picture of your dream woman and she will make her appear.

Call us cynical, but if you have $500,000 to spend on a matchmaker, you can probably make lots of dream women appear — as well as a few nightmares.

But the cars, the yachts and the high-end apartments aren’t what make us cluck our tongues in disapproving disbelief. It’s the small stuff — stuff like thousand-dollar omelets, pizzas and ice cream sundaes.
 
Janis Spindel will set you up with the person of your dreams. But it will cost you as much as $500,000.

Of course, the motivation behind the pricing is to get the press — like us — to write about it.

Then, if you top it with caviar, they will come, and pay for it.

Take Nino’s Bellissima Pizza, where a cool thousand can get you a 12-inch, thin-crusted pie layered with crème fraiche and topped with lobster tail and four different types of caviar. As with the omelet, it’s the fish eggs that turn a ten dollar pizza into a wallet-busting event. Nino’s owner, Nino Selimaj, said that after spreading $750 worth of caviar, he’s left with a measly $250 profit.

“Delicioso,” said Abelson as he sampled the work. “I think that was a $33 bite.”

We took Jeremy’s leftover slices out for some second opinions. 

A Domino’s delivery guy gave the pie the thumb’s down.  “Where’s the garbage?” he asked, after tasting the pizza.

But Anthony, a downtown vendor, said he thought it was worth every penny.

An alter ego
All of the items featured on Pocket Change are reviewed by Abelson’s fictional alter ego, a trust fund windbag named Richard Nouveau, who both promotes and lampoons the so-called “good life” by guiltlessly indulging in it.
 
The fictional character Richard Nouveau serves as the editorial voice of the Pocket Change site.

“He represents New York luxury to us,” says Abelson.

This fictional creation may reflect Abelson’s doubts about the value of what he is doing. His own mother has questioned whether this is the best use of his talents. After seeing one of his projects win widespread news coverage, she asked him why he wasn’t out saving Darfur instead.

So why isn’t he doing something more socially relevant?

“I think the nature of what we cover, being that we are covering blatant materialism, leads people to question my morality,” he said. “But on a personal level, I’m very involved and I am very charitable. But I hear what you’re saying. We have a very visible vehicle that we are using — although we’re mocking it — to broadcast materialism.”

Sweet finish
Blatant materialism or not, every million dollar day should have a few sweet notes. Ours was topped with, as you might have guessed, caviar  — this time, caviar infused with passion fruit and Armagnac. It’s the only dessert caviar in the world. 

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Golden Opulence Ice Cream Sundae, served by Manhattan restaurant Serendipity, is the most expensive sundae in the world.

Here’s why: according to the restaurant, the chocolate is made with chuao cacao beans from Venezuela, where they only harvest 400 kilos a year. The vanilla ice cream is infused with Madagascar vanilla. And the sundae is covered in real gold leaf.
 
Serendipity’s $1,000 sundae is served with gold spoons.

“Gold doesn’t have flavor,” said our waiter, “but it does have texture. It absolutely won’t hurt you. In fact, some people think ingesting gold is good for you.”

“I am one of those people who do think that ingesting gold is very good for you,” Abelson quipped.

Of course, you can’t eat a sundae like this with a plastic spoon.  It’s served in Baccarat crystal and eaten with a golden spoon. When you’re done, you get to walk out with the bowl but the spoon stays put.

Pocket Change intern Sara Bradshaw looked like she would burst into tears when she tasted the sundae.  “Wow. It’s so good.”

“I’m in love, I’m obsessed,” said Abelson.

An ice cream sundae that costs more than a plane ticket to London could be a fleeting romance.

By the end of the tour, we had tipped the scales at $1,234,713 for a day of extreme overindulgence. Although we didn’t actually shell out the cash, it does give you pause about just how much damage you can do with more money than brains.

Forget The Police, Justin Timberlake or Bruce Springsteen. The undisputed hottest concert ticket of the year is for 14-year-old pop star Miley Cyrus, star of the Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana” TV show.Fans are so desperate for seats to her 54-date tour, kicking off later this month, that venues have sold out in as little as four minutes and scalpers are getting four to five times the face value — creating a torrent of complaints from frustrated parents.

“We knew it was hot, but we had no idea it was this crazy,” said Debra Rathwell, senior vice president of AEG Live, which is handling her tour. “It’s like the Beatles.”

About 12,000 seats for the Memphis show were gone in 8 minutes. It took 15 minutes in Columbus, Ohio, and swift sellouts have been reported across the country — Nashville, Miami, Lexington, Ky. The Kansas City Council is investigating the matter.

One ticket for the show in Charlotte, N.C., sold for $2,565.

Miley, daughter of country music singer Billy Ray Cyrus, plays high school student Miley Stewart, who lives a secret double life as a famous pop star, Hannah Montana. Her show reaches 5 million viewers a week.

The sold-out “Best of Both Worlds Tour,” which begins Oct. 18, follows the release of her double album, “Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus,” which has already sold more than 1 million copies since its release in June. The first album, released late last year, sold more than 2 million copies.

Paige Nace, 35, hoped to take her daughter to see Miley at the Arena at Gwinnett Center outside of Atlanta. Nine-year-old Arianna had been begging to see her live ever since she started watching the show, Nace said.

“I think that’s it’s pretty cool she is coming here,” Arianna said. “I want to get up on stage and sing with her. Most likely every girl I know likes Hannah.”

But in 4 minutes, tickets to the November show were gone. Nace said tickets were being resold for inflated prices on Internet sites like Craigslist and eBay Inc.’s ticket-reselling subsidiary StubHub.

“All the ticket brokers and scalpers are trying to sell them for $100-200 a piece,” Nace said. “If they would have been face value, I would have gladly gotten them.”

The tour promoter capped prices at $65 and put a four-ticket maximum on each transaction. However, the average ticket for the Hannah Montana tour was being resold for $214. That beats the average resale price for Timberlake ($182), Beyonce ($193), or The Police ($209).

The Police tour has been StubHub’s best-selling tour in the company’s history, but Hannah Montana has sold 35 percent more tickets in the same amount of time, and is outselling The Police by 25 percent based on dollar volume.

Understandably that’s riling a lot of fans.

“It’s always been a problem and it getting worse and worse,” said Rathwell, who says her company is doing all it can to reduce scalping. But with every show selling out immediately, there are few options for parents.

“Hannah Montana has essentially exposed a lot of frustration the average, uninformed ticket buyer has,” said Sean Pate, a spokesman for the San Francisco-based StubHub. “There is so much demand that ticket sellers are pricing on the high side. It’s almost unreasonable.”

As technology changes and more venues start selling tickets online, scalpers are no longer those shady looking guys holding up tickets outside the arena. Most states have no restrictions on reselling tickets, even for a big profit.

Ray Waddell, Billboard’s touring writer, says scalpers use automated computer programs that buy tickets quickly or tie up ticket phone lines with repeated calls. “It’s really getting out of control,” Waddell said. “The industry is kind of fed up.”

Pate encourages Hannah Montana fans to sit tight and wait for prices to go down as the tour dates approach.

“The prices that you see now are not the prices that are going to hold,” Pate said. “Parents need to set a price that they are comfortable with and watch the market on a daily basis.”

Nace is refusing to deal with scalpers at all, but the situation has left both her and her daughter disappointed. “My mom is trying to do everything she can to take me,” Arianna said. “I’m still going to listen to the CDs.”

“I feel like they are ripping off children,” Nace said. “I’m sure there are parents out there would pay that much. But the rest of us shouldn’t be penalized for that.”

Ingredients

Bread slices, buttered 25
Chicken, boiled and shredded 3 breast pieces
Spring onions, finely chopped 3
Capsicums, finely chopped 1 large, remove seeds
Chilli garlic sauce 1 1/2 tbsp
Green chillies, finely chopped 4-5
Margarine 2 1/2 tbsp
 
Directions

Tomato Sauce:
Tomato 5 medium, pureed
Green chillies, coarsely ground 4
Garlic paste 1/2 tsp
Oregano 1/4 tsp
Ketchup 2 tbsp
Garlic pepper hot sauce 1 1/2 tbsp
Butter or cooking oil 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 180°C.

2) Chicken filling: In a saucepan, heat margarine and fry chicken on low heat for a few minutes. Then turn up the heat and add all vegetables and seasonings. Mix well stirring for a minute and set aside.

3) Tomato sauce: In a saucepan, heat margarine and fry garlic, green chillies and oregano together on low heat, then add all sauces and seasonings and cook on low heat for a few minutes. Add tomato puree, stir on high heat for four minutes. Cover the saucepan and simmer on low heat, till sauce becomes thick.

4) Pizza loaf: Grease a large baking tray. Spread slices of bread with chicken filling, and cover with tomato sauce. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and garnish with a few drops of hot garlic sauce. Set in the greased baking tray. Prepare all slices in this way.

5) Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or till the cheese melts and bread is a little crispy.

6) Serve hot with sweet and sour lasagne or pasta dishes.
 

Ingredients

For Ingredients Please Look Below, Thanks!
Directions

For the dough:
250 grams whole wheat flour
10 grams fresh yeast or 2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 level teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon oil
Warm water to make dough

For the tomato sauce:
500 grams red tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Pinch oregano (optional)
1 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste

For the topping:
8 small potatoes
2 capsicums cut into rings
100 grams grated cooking cheese
A few red chilies (coarsely powdered)
Salt to taste

Method:
1. For the dough, sieve the flour with the salt and sugar. Add the oil and mix well.

2. Make a well in the centre. Crumble the yeast in the centre.

3. Sprinkle 1/2 teacup of warm water over the yeast. Wait for 5 minutes.

4. Mix the yeast with the flour. Add enough water to make semi-soft dough.

5. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and leave for 45 minutes or until it doubles in size.

6. Knead the dough for 1 minute and divide into 10 portions.

7. Roll out the dough into circles.

8. Place the circles on a greased baking tray.

9. Leave the pizzas for 15 minutes.

10. For the tomato sauce, heat the oil and fry the onion and crushed garlic for 3 minutes.

11. Add the tomatoes, sugar, chili powder, oregano and salt and boil for 10 minutes.

12. Blend the mixture in a liquidizer.

13. for the topping, par-boil the potatoes in salted boiling water. Drain. Remove the skin. Cool.

14. Cut into thin slices.

15. To proceed, spread the sauce over each pizza circle.

16. Arrange the potato slices and capsicum rings on top.

17. Sprinkle the cheese, chili powder and salt on top.

18. Bake in a hot oven at 230 degree C (450 degree F) for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Tips:
Goodness Guide:
This healthy modified pizza packs in the goodness of whole wheat flour as well as potatoes.

The Italians would have called it a pizza you can’t refuse.

Ingredients

4 slices bread
4 slices cheese slices
1 - capsicum
8-10 - olives
1 cup chicken cooked
8 tablespoons Ketchup
- - black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons hot sauce
 
Directions

1. Toast bread in a toaster. Roughly chop the chicken. Cut the pepper into 1 inch sticks.

2. Cover each toast with thin layer of ketchup and hot sauce. Season with pepper and sprinkle with oregano.

3. Decorate each with chicken, bell pepper and olives.

4. Place cheese slice on the top of each pizza.???

5. Place pizzas in the microwave oven and cook until the cheese melts.

6. Serve hot with potato wedges.

Ingredients

1/2 cup capsicum
1 cup boiled boneless chicken
1 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup olives
8 oz mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Popover batter
2 tbsp oil
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 tbs oil
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1) This pizza has a twist to it –– it is upside down with the crust on top! Heat oil in a pan, add chicken and fry for five minutes.

2) Add capsicum and olives.

3) Add pizza sauce and simmer for a couple of minutes.

4) Pour into a transparent glass baking tray or dish, and top with mozzarella cheese.

5) Mix eggs, milk, oil and salt in a bowl.

6) Add flour and mix well.

7) Pour popover batter over the chicken mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Ingredients

1 tsp crushed red chillies
1 tbsp oil
1 cup tomatoes, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium capsicum, chopped
1 large green pepper, de-seeded and chopped
½ cup olives
1 cup broccoli/cauliflower florets
1 cup pizza sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese
2 thin pizza crusts
 
Directions

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2) In a large non-stick pan, heat oil and add crushed red chillies, onion, pepper and capsicum and sauté them for five minutes or until they begin to soften.

3) Toss in the broccoli or cauliflower florets and olives, and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat.

4) Place the pizza crusts on two non-stick baking trays and evenly sprinkle half the cheese.

5) Spread the pizza sauce over them and then arrange the sautéed vegetables and tomato slices on the crusts.

6) Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top and bake for 15 minutes or until the edges of the crust are golden brown.

7) Serve immediately or reheat in the microwave to serve.

Ingredients

Pizza base 1 large size
Chicken tikka, boneless small cubes 1/4 kg
Spring onion, finely chopped 2
Capsicum, finely chopped 1 large
Pizza cheese, grated 1 1/2 cup
Cheddar cheese, grated 1/2 cup
Chilli cheese, grated 1/2 cup
Butter as required
 
Directions

For Pizza Sauce:
Tomatoes 6 medium
Basil leaves 6 fresh, or 1/4 tsp dried
Green chillies 4
Garlic cloves 6
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Tomato ketchup 2 tbsp
Chilli garlic sauce 3 tbsp
Oregano 1/4 tsp
Butter 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Pizza sauce: Grind tomatoes, garlic, green chillies and basil leaves in a mixer grinder. In a saucepan, heat butter and fry oregano on low heat. Add tomato puree mixture, chilli sauce and ketchup. Mix well on high heat till it boils. Cover the pan and let it simmer on low heat, till tomato puree becomes thick and butter separates from the sauce. Remove from heat. In a separate bowl mix the cheese together and keep aside.

Apply a little butter to the pizza base, then spread pizza sauce, chicken, vegetables and finally spread the cheese mixture and finish with little butter on top. Bake in a preheated oven on high temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot with garlic bread.

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour (maida)
2 teaspoons (10 grams) fresh yeast, crumbled
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil or oil
1 teaspoon salt
Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a bowl and knead into soft dough using enough water until it is smooth and elastic.

2. Add the olive oil and knead again.

3. Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth and allow it to prove till it doubles in volume (approx. 15 to 20 minutes).

4. Press the dough lightly to remove the air.

5. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts.

6. Roll each portion into a circle of 250 mm. (10″) diameter and 6 mm. (1/4″) thickness.

7. Use as required.

Tips:
Fresh yeast can be easily purchased from your local bakery in small quantities.

You can also use half the quantity of dry yeast instead of fresh yeast for the above recipe and follow the instructions on the packet.

You can also use a ready pizza base for any pizza.

NOTE: This pizza base can be topped with your favorite toppings.
 

Ingredients

1 basic pizza base
6 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 & 1/2 cups cooking cheese or mozzarella cheese, sliced
6 to 8 black olives, deseeded (optional)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
butter or oil for greasing
 
 
 
Directions

1. Place one pizza base on a greased baking tray.

2. Arrange the tomato and cheese slices alternatively on the pizza base, overlapping over each other.

3. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and decorate with olives, if desired.

4. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes or till the base is evenly browned.

5. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make another pizza.

6. Serve hot with chili flakes.

Tips:

You can also sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of mixed dried herbs over each pizza at step 3 and bake as specified.