A Philadelphia pizza shop is about to start selling slices for $55 — each.
What makes this particular piece of pizza from Marina’s Pizza Co. in the Fishtown neighborhood so special is caviar, a gold plate and a mother-of-pearl spoon visitors get to keep (the plate stays at the restaurant).
“Debuting on Friday, May 22, Marina’s new ‘Caviar Pizza’ is a large white slice with a blend of imported Italian cheeses that’s served with a one-ounce jar of premium caviar from Caviar XS, on a gold plate, complete with a mother-of-pearl caviar spoon keepsake,” the restaurant announced in a news release.
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“Customers can opt to have Marina’s adorn the slice with caviar, or take the jar and serve themselves as they please,” the restaurant also said. “Slices cost $55 and will be available for a limited time only. Availability each day will be limited, and caviar slices are available for dine-in only.”
The post garnered nearly 400 likes in less than 24 hours and generally positive reactions.
“I’ll have 3, please,” wrote one Instagram user.
“I support this slice,” wrote another.
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“I’ll be there,” wrote someone else.
Yet another person wrote, “Coming this weekend!”
A slice of Margherita pizza on Marina’s menu goes for $5. An 18-inch pie with pepperoni costs $23.
Marina’s caviar pizza works, according to Philadelphia Inquirer writer Michael Klein.
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“Caviar wants fat, dairy, salt and something soft underneath it,” Klein wrote.
It brings “melted cheese, warm crust and creamy richness,” he continued. “The ice-cold osetra adds a gentle pop, a buttery finish and a clean salinity that cuts through the cheese instead of fighting it. Add a squirt of fresh lemon for another burst of flavor.”
Marina’s owner, Mason Lesser, a 25-year-old former professional surfer, told the Inquirer he wanted to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, the FIFA World Cup and the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game with an “over-the-top” menu item.
“Besides caviar seemingly being a really popular ingredient these days, I also recently met Gary Shusman, who sells the best caviar to many of Philly’s top chefs, and it was a great product. It made me think that I could use it at my shop,” Lesser told Fox News Digital.
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“I got a sample, started experimenting — and was blown away by the results.”
Marina’s website says it serves “New York-style pizza done right.”
Each pie at Marina’s begins with a 60-year-old Italian starter, undergoes a 48-hour fermentation and is baked in a classic Baker’s Pride oven, the news release said.
“It’s a taste explosion,” Lesser told Fox News Digital. “It’s definitely a lot of money to spend on pizza, but I think it would create a great food memory, and I think at the end of the day, people will love it.”
Marina’s new offering is reminiscent of Wolfgang Puck’s upscale smoked salmon pizza, Klein wrote.
Puck debuted his creation at his California restaurant, Spago, around 1983 “out of necessity,” Puck told Food and Travel Magazine.
“Joan Collins is a good customer of ours, and she ordered smoked salmon with brioche late one night, but we’d run out of brioche,” Puck said.
“So I said, ‘Let’s cook pizza instead.’ I tasted the salmon, and it was perfect: warm, crispy and soft at the same time. Now it’s so popular we can’t take it off the menu.”
