In 2001, celebrity chef Daniel Boulud arguably kickstarted the luxury hamburger trend with a $27 burger stuffed with short ribs, foie gras and truffles at his DB Bistro Moderne in New York. These days, the same sandwich goes for $32, and comes with black truffle and vegetable mirepoix on a parmesan roll topped with lettuce, tomato, horseradish mayonnaise and tomato confit. But that's not even the most expensive burger on the menu. For $150, guests can experience the DB Burger Double Truffle, layered with a staggering 20 grams of shaved black truffles.

Every day is St. Patrick's Day at McGuire's Irish Pub, where the entire Panhandle comes to chow down on burgers and read through the pun-spun menu. The centerpiece of that menu is a $100 burger made from fresh-ground filet mignon and served with caviar, onions, beefsteak tomatoes and a grand magnum of Moet & Chandon White Star Champagne. Guests are also allowed to construct their own hamburgers—the menu offers up such unique inspirations as a hot fudge sundae burger, a peanut burger and a "terrible garbage burger."

Sometimes, ground beef is not enough. For $81, the Olde Homestead Steakhouse will stuff a 14-ounce Japanese Kobe Wagyu burger stuffed with four ounces of "barely seared sirloin medallion." The side of tater tots is accompanied by executive chef Oscar Martinez's sake-onion ketchup and miso and ginger aioli. According to co-owner Greg Sherry, they wanted to create "the most decadent food item of 2008."

Hubert Keller's second Las Vegas operation is a casual hamburger restaurant that offers a luxury burger that could give his nearby Fleur de Lys a run for the money. The Rossini burger is a $60 Kobe beef patty topped with sautéed foie gras, shaved truffles and Madeira sauce on an onion bun. The Rossini is almost the equal in decadence of Keller's Fleurburger 5000. Other luxury burgers include the $24 Surf & Turf burger topped with a grilled half lobster, there's even a turkey burger topped with foie gras and truffles.

Megu is one of New York's priciest Japanese restaurants—and that's saying something. Owner Hiro Nishida has created a remarkable hamburger-based lunch box for patrons at the Tribeca restaurant. For $30, one can sample a Kobe beef hamburger accompanied by a yuzu ceviche salad, soup and dessert. For $15 more, you can swap the burger for a Tajima beef ribeye steak, but where's the fun in that?

Located in a shopping mall overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Continental is home to America's priciest sliders, or mini-burgers. For $28, guests can purchase a six-pack of Kobe beef sliders topped with Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and caramelized onions. The Kobe beef sliders aren't the only high-end take on comfort food on the menu either; guests can also sample tuna tartare potato skins for $13, French onion soup dumplings for $8 and a heart-stopping "cheesesteak eggroll" for about $13.

Los Angeles has yet to embrace the triple-digit hamburger. However, Beverly Hills' Circa 55 understands how to make a fine luxury hamburger: Their $22 Kobe burger is one of the most expensive in SoCal and is topped with a slab of Humboldt Fog goat cheese and grilled Bermuda onions. Accompanied by Portobello mushrooms and fine French fries, it's available for lunch and dinner and is one of America's finest burgers, if not our most expensive.

The lunch-only $22 hamburger at Wolfgang Puck's legendary restaurant is one of America's most expensive lunchtime hamburgers—and a prime example of less being more. Topped with grilled onions, garlic aioli and Vermont farmhouse cheddar, it's a luxe take on the homestyle L.A. burger ethos pioneered by legendary restaurants like the Apple Pan and Tommy's Original. Chef Puck is himself a hamburger fan—in 2002, the New York Times recruited him to analyze the menu at, yes, McDonald's.

Back in 2006, the Maloof brothers (George, Gavin, Joe and Phil) took a break from running the Palms Casino to star in a series of commercials for hamburger chain Carl's Jr. In a stroke of co-branding genius, the Palms teamed up with Carl's Jr. to offer the $6,000 combo meal: a Carl's Jr. Six-Dollar Burger accompanied by French fries—and a $6000 bottle of Bordeaux. But it's the wine, not the burger, that makes this dish so expensive. Hence, it's not technically the country's "most expensive burger."

Another ultimate combo meal, the Fleurburger 5000 is prepared by the Las Vegas branch of Hubert Keller's beloved San Francisco restaurant (located in the Mandalay Bay casino/hotel complex). The Fleurburger 5000 is a Kobe beef patty topped with sautéed foie gras, black Perigord truffles and truffle sauce and served on a brioche truffle bun. The sandwich is accompanied by a bottle of 1990 vintage Chateau Petrus and Ichendorf Brunello stemware that the buyer keeps. Rumor is a second burger is included in the price—and that Fleur de Lys will mail a certificate of hamburger authenticity to your home.