The New York Mets are selling a $40 steak and lobster sandwich—is it worth the money?

When it comes to ballpark bites, I’m as frugal as it gets.

Any trip to a baseball game starts at a deli so I can grab a sandwich to bring into the stadium. If I’m going to be paying a markup I’d rather buy a $15 beer than a $7 hot dog.

But when I was at the New York Mets home opener last month — with my chicken cutlet hero in hand — I saw something that stopped me in my tracks: One of the stands was advertising a gluttonous-looking sandwich piled high with steak and lobster.

It wasn’t the ingredients that caught my eye, though. It was the sandwich’s $40.55 price tag.

Listen, I’m well aware that Citi Field is known for its food. With a built-in Shake Shack and countless options for every type of cuisine you could want, it’s a great time to be a foodie in Flushing, Queens.

But $40 for a sandwich? Come on.

I reached out to the Mets about the high-priced Surf and Turf sandwich, and they were happy to invite me to the ballpark try it for myself and find out if it’s worth the money.

Paul Horowitz, Citi Field’s executive sous chef, acknowledged some customers might experience sticker shock when they first see the price of the sandwich, which features six ounces of Pat LaFrieda filet mignon and four ounces of lobster salad smothered in Monterey jack cheese, sautéed onions and beef au jus served on a toasted French baguette.

In his opinion, you get what you pay for.

“We do a lot of tastings in the offseason,” Horowitz tells CNBC Make It. “We won’t set cost to any item unless we’ve decided the portion is worth it.”

With the enormous sandwich sitting in front of me, I had to agree. In Midtown Manhattan where CNBC Make It’s offices are, a lobster roll will cost you close to $30. And that’s without the steak, cheese and onions.

“If you go to a stand or a fast casual restaurant you’ll get a quarter-pounder burger,” Horowitz says. “Here, you’re getting 10 ounces of protein.”

Eating the Surf and Turf, I realized I might not be as cheap as I thought. What rubs me the wrong way isn’t paying a lot, but instead feeling like I got ripped off. For a sandwich that I could easily split with a friend, it’s a good value.

Still, $40 is probably more than I’d want to spend on dinner at the game. And if I’m going to spend that much, I’ll probably get there with two beers and a corn dog instead.

But if I’m feeling fancy and have a big appetite, I’ll walk on over to the right field concourse and order the Surf and Turf knowing I’ll get my money’s worth.

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