Making a $16 burger $8

We plopped exhausted onto the hotel bar stools and ordered two glasses of a decent California Sauvignon Blanc at $11 each. I cringed knowing full well I could purchase the whole bottle for less at retail. As we sipped, starving after a long journey, we scanned the bar menu for something that would assuage our appetite but not blow the expense account. This was an expensive and beautiful four star hotel that we had procured for $64 on Hotwire.com. I tried not to look sticker shocked. I ask if the cheeseburger was big enough to share and the kindly bartender responded "oh yeah." She said she would have the chef split it and put it on separate plates. It arrived and was wonderful. More than enough food for two. We often split meals when traveling because we can't finish the large portions and have nowhere to store leftovers. Most nice hotel restaurants will accommodate this practice. On occasion they might charge a split fee or you will get a waiter who grumbles. I tip according to attitude.

I challenged myself to reproduce a similar burger at home. I used all high end ingredients and my cost was about $3.25. Guess what? We split this one too!