The NYC Restaurant Serving $35 Bread Customers Swear Is The Best They've Ever Had

Many restaurants experiment with upgrading simple, tried-and-true ingredients and meals into something more regal; with varying levels of success. This is often accomplished by throwing some caviar (which is primarily expensive due to its low supply, high demand, and long farming process) on top of a classic meal, but that's far from the only expensive modifier you'll find at your favorite bougie restaurant. In Midtown New York, Monkey Bar has become well-known for selling a $35 plate of bread that's made and topped with truffles, earning it the fitting name of Truffle Monkey Bread.

Monkey Bar has been a fixture of Manhattan since it opened back in 1936. While the restaurant has plenty of high-end pasta, steak, and seafood dishes on its menu, the Truffle Monkey Bread appetizer is what stands out to many new patrons at the establishment. While some are, unsurprisingly, put off by the exorbitant price — especially since the plate only comes with a large piece of bread and some truffle butter — the Truffle Monkey Bread has become legendary among foodies across the city. It's quickly becoming the reason why many choose to visit the restaurant in the first place.

The $35 price tag of Truffle Monkey Bread is hard to look past no matter how you slice it (or pull it apart, in this case). However, it does become slightly more understandable when looking at the ingredients included in the dish. Most notably, the restaurant's use of authentic Périgord truffles — one of the most sought-after and expensive truffles in the world — is a major reason why the bread is as expensive as it is. Considering many sellers price Périgord truffles at $100 per ounce and $1,500 per pound, the use of the ingredient in Monkey Bar's viral appetizer is certainly a pricey choice for everyone involved.

With that being said, however, the truffle is also integral to the dish's reputation as some of the best bread patrons have ever had. The high-end truffles are known for having an earthy, umami flavor, a profile which is complemented best by ingredients like butter and cheese; both of which make up the two other most prominent components in Truffle Monkey Bread. While many (including Martha Stewart) hate truffle oil due to its reputation as a scam ingredient that isn't made from real truffles, the same can't be said of truffle butter. The classic compound butter is a widely beloved and useful ingredient, and The Monkey Bar provides it for customers to use as a topping for the bread.