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While Champagne and caviar comically conjure a kind of stuffy refinement studied in 90s mustard commercials and films where a precocious kid becomes a millionaire, bubbly and fish eggs came by their trope status honestly.
Both the tightly-controlled sparkling white wine from the Champagne region of France and salt-cured sturgeon roe are delicious to taste and get all pedantic about. Champagne and caviar are jolly, delightful and all around celebratory. They make you want to dial up the 45s and mingle under the mistletoe at a Leap Year Day pool party. But neither are anytime types of treats for most except maybe the aforementioned classes.
The Bar at Caviar Russe aims to zhuzh up New Yorkers’ going-out routine with its new Caviar Hour. Monday through Friday from 4:30pm to 6:30pm, a glass of Champagne or a vodka martini and a mother-of-pearl spoonful of osetra caviar (about 5-7 grams) is $19. It is a notable deal at a moment when a cocktail alone can creep around that price point and caviar supplements of similar quantity come with eyebrow-raising sums on already spendy menus.
A salmon club ($9), spicy rock shrimp cornet ($9) and sea trout crispy rice ($12) are also available. Caviar Russe’s dining room serves three and six-course tasting menus for $175 and $475 per person before drinks, tax and gratuity. Its “grand tasting menu” is $975. The restaurant has held a Michelin star since 2014.