Most people look at chicken wings and think "these could do with a yummy buffalo sauce," or “these would taste better with ranch dressing." But Jonathan Cheban, fan of all things flashy, thought: “THESE NEED GOLD”
Whether others will agree with him enough to buy his new dish at a New York City restaurant is still yet to be seen.
The 44-year-old - who calls Kim Kardashian his BFF - unveiled a menu collaboration with The Ainsworth, showing off a platter of chicken wings covered in edible 24-karat gold.
“Introducing the FOODGŌD 24k Gold Buffalo wings,” Jonathan wrote on Instagram. 'The most expensive and insanely tasting 24k Gold Wings in the world exclusively available at The Ainsworth”.
The wings are covered with gold dust, brined for 24 hours, then cooked in a gold coconut butter honey chipotle sauce. They’re served with a side of blue cheese. Picture from Instagram
The wings are smothered in some sort of metallic gold sauce, and can be ordered three different ways from the restaurant's locations in Chelsea and the East Village. Here's how the food magic happens: wings are brined for 12 hours (one half-hour per karat), coated with a house-made dry rub, baked, flash-fried and then coated in a layer of gold dust.
Ten wings are $45, 20 wings are $90, and for $1,000 diners can order 50 wings with a bottle of Champagne Armand de Brignac.
Jonathan also posted a video of the wings, hyping them up.
“My camera's even trembling, these are so lit,' he says in the clip. 'These are unbelievable.”
But there's one more question to ask: Why?
Brian Mazza, president of Paige Hospitality (which owns The Ainsworth) tells Cheban in the clip, "We wanted to create something over-the-top that's never been done before, and you've never seen or tasted anything like it before." Consider that a mission accomplished.
For NYC visitors who want to get their Instagrammable wings fix and also experience some of NYC's hidden food gems beyond Manhattan, consider a side trip to The Ainsworth.