McDonald's hosted a special meal for reporters and bloggers a few weeks ago in New York.

The event was part of a bigger initiative to get people to think of McDonald's as quality food, says the Associated Press' Candace Choi, who called it a "high-end affair."

Waiters dressed in black served a gourmet meal prepared by celebrity chefs using ingredients from the chain's menu.

"They said it's the same beef that's used to make McDonald's hamburgers, but obviously it resembled nothing like the beef patties you get at McDonald's," says Choi, who was there. "Some of the people at my table were joking, 'Well, I think they mean it's from the same cow.'"

She added that a lot of people said that was the best dish, but with the least resemblance to what you find at McDonald's.

"The beef was a hunk of beef, like a steak," she said.

This is not the first push by McDonald's to change it's greasy, fast food image. Wraps, healthy sides, egg whites are just some of the new healthy options at the fast food chain.

But, Choi said, healthy options like salads only make about 2 to 3 percent of U.S. sales.

"You can put it on the menu; you can get praise for doing so — whether or not people will order it when they're going to McDonald's, that's a whole different story," Choi said.