Le Bernardin. Credit: Francesco Tonelli
Caviar is that over-the-top indulgence that you either love or look to skip altogether. For those who crave this delicacy, you can partake in full-on spreads, delightful dollops and surprising combinations. But no matter how you like it, here are seven places that do caviar so well that you’ll be dreaming of the tiny jewels long after you’ve put your spoon down.
Le Bernardin
Renowned chef Eric Ripert has run the kitchen of this New York institution since 1994, and caviar has always been a staple on the menu. The same is true today for the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star restaurant, where you can choose from an ounce of royal osetra caviar or golden imperial while deciding what to pick off the French-inspired tasting menu.
There’s also the rich caviar tartare, a mixture of hamachi-osetra caviar, sea lettuce and a smoked dashi gelée all on top of chopped wagyu beef. You can get these dishes (save for the royal osetra) for lunch or dinner; just make sure to have a reservation well in advance.
Fiola Mare
Whether you are dining before a show at the Kennedy Center or just want a quality meal in the nation’s capital, Fabio and Maria Trabocchi’s coastal Italian restaurant is a great spot — especially if you’re craving caviar. After all, the menu offers four options, including Calvisius royal osetra, Kaviari golden osetra, Kaviari sevruga and Calvisius royal Siberian.
Each one-ounce portion gets served with warm, steamed “pizza” and whipped ricotta, making it not only tasty, but a unique way of enjoying the tasty morsels.
Vol. 39. Credit: David Szymanski
Vol. 39
Located in the lobby of Chicago’s Kimpton Gray Hotel, this classic library-style bar features contemporary bites by chef Brian Millman. Take a seat and enjoy the live jazz and elegant cocktail list while a gilded cart full of delicate fish eggs rolls up to your table.
Choose from half- and one-ounce servings of Sasanian classic osetra, hackleback domestic sturgeon, Sasanian imperial and Sasanian river beluga kaluga. Of course, if you want to try all three, the server can produce tasting portions of each.
Pair your selection with a side of freshly made potato chips and one of six martinis (or try a flight, if you’re feeling bold) for a lavish evening in the Windy City.
Gary Danko
Among the eatery’s stunning floral arrangements, white tablecloths, modern art and warming hues, this Four-Star San Francisco restaurant also allows you to indulge in all sorts of delicacies, including caviar.
Before diving into a prix fixe menu of California-meets-Mediterranean fare, choose between Black Sea or golden osetra, each served in one-ounce portions on a buckwheat blini. If you want to further the caviar adventure, order the glazed oyster appetizer, which comes topped with osetra caviar, leeks and lettuce cream.
Element 47. Credit: The Little Nell
Element 47
Staying at Five-Star The Little Nell affords you not only one of the chicest home bases in Aspen, but also easy access to its equally impressive restaurant.
Though you don’t have to be a hotel guest to enjoy the Five-Star establishment’s stunning spread of Siberian “vintage” or the osetra caviars — each comes with traditional accoutrements such as little round blini, crème fraîche, egg and chopped red onion — having a plush place to rest your head after a caviar- and champagne-fueled feast certainty doesn’t hurt.
Sit at the bar and order an ounce to go with a half bottle of Krug Grande Cuvée, perfect for toasting a successful day on the slopes.
Quality Eats. Credit: Liz Clayman
Quality Eats
Though the setting of chef-owner Craig Koketsu’s laid-back eatery on the Upper East Side doesn’t appear elegant, the menu is full of deliciously satisfying bites fit for a king.
This rings especially true if you go for brunch and order Eggs! Eggs! Eggs!, a dish featuring bagel chips, egg salad and two types of caviar: salmon roe and wasabi-laced flying fish roe. It’s a fun, high-end take on the classic Jewish bagel spread, making it a lovely reason to head to the east side of Manhattan. It’s also a great excuse to eat fish eggs for breakfast, and then more come dinnertime.
Bar Helix
In October 2017, sommelier Kendra Anderson opened the swank Bar Helix in downtown Denver and it’s been packed ever since. While the modern-art-like setting and creative cocktails bring in plenty of fun seekers, epicurean enthusiasts will marvel at the tasty and whimsical caviar spread the venue offers.
Choose from the Bump and Bubbles, a lump of osetra caviar served on your hand (if you desire) that comes with a glass of sparkling wine, or go for the Ballerific Caviar Service, a spread of 30 grams of San Gregorio de Polanco Siberian reserve caviar, a pile of Pringles potato chips, tater tots and a lemony crème frâiche.
Look out for late-night specials, when you can indulge in caviar service at a discounted price.
