The original Serendipity 3 opened in Manhattan in 1954 and became a hotspot for New York's hipster crowd -- Marilyn Monroe was a regular, a young Andy Warhol used to pay his tab with pictures, so the story goes, and First Lady Jackie O apparently once tried to buy the recipe for that signature Frrrozen Hot Chocolate for an event she was throwing. (At the time co-founder Stephen Bruce refused to give her the secret, but the recipe can now be found in their Sweet Serendipity cookbook, although the composition of the crucial cocoa-powder mix remains proprietary.)
The Las Vegas venue was actually the fourth to open, we believe (the "3" in the name refers to the three founders), when it debuted in April, 2009 at Caesars Palace and includes on its menu the famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, which is actually technically a drink, rather than a dessert, has been a fixture on the menu since the early days, and currently costs $8.50.
That's the regular version, which is made using Serendipity's frozen hot chocolate mix that contains 14 of the world's rarest and most expensive cocoas from Africa and South America, milk, ice cubes, whipped cream, and shavings from the world's most expensive truffle, the La Madeline au Truffle ($2,500 a pound). You can purchase the mix at their venues or online at amazon.com.
We're guessing this is the chocolate concoction your friend is referring to, which sounds memorable enough for any self-respecting chocaholic, but is not to be confused with its big brother, the Frrrozen Haute Chocolate, which retails for $25,000. This monster was unveiled in 2004 when Serendipity celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with a sundae that's listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive dessert ever created.
From what we can tell, this is basically a majorly pimped-out version of the $8.50 variety, served in a baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18-carat gold and white diamond bracelet attached to the neck. The goblet is further laced with 23-carat edible gold, then topped with five more grams of 24-carat edible gold. The dessert is served with a $14,000 jewel-encrusted spoon which, along with the bracelet, is the customer's to keep.
A little out of your price range? You can compromise with the Golden Opulent Sundae, as enjoyed by the likes of Paris Hilton. This baby retails at a mere $1,000 and comprises five scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream, Madagascar vanilla covered in 23-carat edible gold leaf, drizzled with the world's most expensive chocolate, Amedei Porcelana, and covered with chunks of Chuao chocolate, which is from cocoa beans harvested on the coast of Venezuela.
It is suffused with exotic candied fruits from Paris, gold dragets, truffles, and marzipan cherries, and topped with a tiny glass bowl of Grand Passion Caviar, an exclusive dessert caviar made of salt-free American golden caviar, known for its sparkling color. It's further sweetened and infused with passion fruit, orange, and Armagnac. This sundae is also served in a baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18-carat gold spoon, plus a petite mother of pearl spoon, and is topped with a gilded sugar flower by Ron Ben-Israel. You must place your order 48 hours in advance.
