So, on a late night, a group of friends and I stopped off at the Stafford 59 Diner for some drinks (yes, we can socialize as teetotalers). And I spied a huge poster advertising the newest addition to their menu: a Kobe burger. At a diner.
The waitress assured me that it was quite good, and proudly crowed that it came with fries (but all the sandwiches in this diner come with fries...not very good ones). What I got was an overcooked hockey puck that may have been an akaushi beef patty at one point. It was dry, gray, and carried no joy. To add insult to injury, it was a $10 sandwich. As a reference point, Mockingbird, one of the fanciest restaurants in town, offers a Kobe burger for $9.
Perhaps this trend of "Kobe" burgers has jumped the shark. After all, it takes a bit of skill (notably restraint) not to destroy an expensive ingredient.