
Truffle
The truffle stands as gastronomy's most prized underground treasure. These aromatic fungi, found only in the wild beneath oak and hazel trees, cannot be cultivated—making them impossibly rare and expensive. White truffles from Alba, Italy, command prices exceeding $3,000 per pound during their brief October-December season, while black truffles from Périgord, France, offer a more earthy, robust flavor from November through March. What makes truffles extraordinary isn't just scarcity—it's their transformative power. A few shaved grams release an intoxicating aroma that's part garlic, part earth, part honey, part musk. Chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants source truffles through trusted hunters who scour forests with specially trained dogs, ensuring only the most aromatic specimens reach elite dining tables. The truffle's mystique extends beyond flavor. Each truffle is unique, its aroma varying by terroir, weather, and the tree beneath which it grew. This unpredictability makes truffle dishes a fleeting luxury—what you taste today can never be exactly replicated.
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Where to Experience Truffle
These restaurants feature exceptional preparations of Truffle, curated by our concierge team for discerning diners.

3 Michelin Stars
3 Michelin Stars
2 Michelin StarsThe Story of Truffle
The truffle stands as gastronomy's most prized underground treasure. These aromatic fungi, found only in the wild beneath oak and hazel trees, cannot be cultivated—making them impossibly rare and expensive. White truffles from Alba, Italy, command prices exceeding $3,000 per pound during their brief October-December season, while black truffles from Périgord, France, offer a more earthy, robust flavor from November through March. What makes truffles extraordinary isn't just scarcity—it's their transformative power. A few shaved grams release an intoxicating aroma that's part garlic, part earth, part honey, part musk. Chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants source truffles through trusted hunters who scour forests with specially trained dogs, ensuring only the most aromatic specimens reach elite dining tables. The truffle's mystique extends beyond flavor. Each truffle is unique, its aroma varying by terroir, weather, and the tree beneath which it grew. This unpredictability makes truffle dishes a fleeting luxury—what you taste today can never be exactly replicated.
Origin
Alba, Italy (White); Périgord, France (Black)
Peak Season
October - December (White), November - March (Black)
Chef Perspectives on Truffle
Hear from the chefs who have mastered this ingredient at their restaurants.
"A velvety soup featuring artichoke and black truffle served with a warm mushroom brioche."
Le Bernardin
Guy Savoy →"A luxurious soup mimicking shark’s fin using gelatinous mushrooms, served with Jinhua ham and black truffle."
Le Bernardin
Benu →"A single raviolo filled with liquefied black truffle that bursts with intense flavour upon biting."
Le Bernardin
Alinea →Seasonal Availability
Truffle is at its peak during October - December (White), November - March (Black).
Plan your dining experience during these months to enjoy this ingredient at its finest. Many of our partner restaurants offer special seasonal tasting menus featuring Truffle.
Restaurants Serving Seasonal Truffle
- Guy Savoy
- Benu
- Alinea
- n/naka
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The morel mushroom—with its distinctive honeycomb cap and nutty, earthy flavor—announces the arrival of spring in the culinary world. Unlike cultivated mushrooms, morels grow only in the wild, appearing briefly from April through June in forests across the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, and parts of France. Foragers guard their morel spots jealously, returning year after year to the same locations where these elusive fungi fruit. This scarcity, combined with morels' concentrated, almost meaty flavor, makes them one of the most expensive mushrooms in fine dining—often $40-60 per pound when in season. Chefs prize morels for their ability to absorb sauces while maintaining their distinctive texture and flavor. Whether sautéed in butter with wild ramps, folded into cream sauces, or paired with braised meats (as at Eleven Madison Park), morels add an earthy complexity that signals serious culinary craftsmanship.
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Abalone
Abalone, a large sea snail prized in Asian cuisine, represents perhaps the ocean's most labor-intensive luxury. Wild abalone, once abundant, is now so rare that most restaurants use farm-raised specimens from Japan or Australia. Even farmed abalone takes 3-5 years to reach market size, explaining prices that can exceed $100 per pound. The appeal of abalone isn't immediately obvious to Western palates. Its flavor is subtle—mildly briny with a hint of sweetness—and its texture, when properly prepared, is tender yet slightly chewy. Poorly cooked abalone becomes rubbery and nearly inedible; properly prepared, it's a revelation of oceanic flavor and textural contrast. At n/naka in Los Angeles, Chef Niki Nakayama treats abalone with the reverence it deserves in Japanese cuisine, often combining it with equally luxurious ingredients like truffle. These preparations showcase abalone's ability to absorb flavors while contributing its own unique brininess and texture.
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