As naturally occurring delicacies go, caviar has always been in a luxurious class by itself. Long considered a celebratory splurge due to its high demand and even higher price point, caviar was once only found at the finest of fine-dining restaurants.
Manually harvested from certain species of sturgeon fish, sturgeon roe is the only type of roe that can be called caviar. It’s been enjoyed as a culinary treat in America since the early 19th century, although the Russians and Europeans had been enjoying caviar’s salty pop long before that.
Today, beluga, sevruga, and osetra (or ossetra) are the most common types of caviar available, with beluga, a sturgeon found only in the Caspian Sea, being considered the finest quality caviar money can buy, and at $3,200 per pound, they call it “black gold” for a reason.
Over the last year, Kansas City has discovered caviar featured on restaurant menus in a new and notable way. The old-school caviar preparations also exist, including having it dabbled on top of another dish for a bit of sea-faring flavor or served in its protective tin with a mother-of-pearl spoon and the classic accompaniments, including blinis, crème fraiche, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and minced onions.
But a new generation is being introduced to caviar in fun presentations that take something highbrow—caviar—and pairing it with something more culinarily lowbrow—such as potato chips, battered and fried mozzarella cheese sticks, or even a chicken nugget. Chefs around the country are leaning into these high/low food pairings with buzzworthy results.
Then there is the TikTok trend that we are seeing in Kansas City restaurants right now known as the “caviar bump,” where a waiter will come and place a dollop of caviar on the crook of your hand between your thumb and first finger and guests are to slurp it up, usually followed by a sip of Champagne, which is the perfect foil for the salty fish eggs. Any way it comes, caviar is cool with younger consumers, served in more casual settings and new and interesting ways.
Kansas City hit peak “caviar craze” this summer when Betty Rae’s Ice Cream announced its own limited-edition ice cream collaboration that featured caviar, inspired by local community leader and IN Kansas City columnist Damian Lair. The “Paris of the Plains” features Betty Rae’s crème brûlée ice cream, rolled in crushed Guy’s kettle chips, and stuffed inside a crepe-style waffle cone, then drizzled with salted caramel. The pièce de resistance was a single kettle chip with a dollop of caviar sitting right on top of the cone. It was a creative collaboration that illustrates how caviar is becoming much more approachable and casual in nature.
What follows are some of the other ways Kansas City chefs are getting caviar to “pop” on their menus. Make your holiday reservations today and celebrate the season with caviar.
Ground Control
The chef Celina Tio is going back to her fine-dining roots with the opening of Ground Control, her 20-seat tasting room, created to highlight a wide variety of cocktails made from her new spirits label, Annx Spirits Co. It’s located in the newly remodeled lower level of the building where Tio also operates The Belfry and Gerard’s Pool Hall at 15th Street and Grand Boulevard. The current menu has a handful of dishes created by Tio, designed to complement the selection of cocktails. Her decadent $140 caviar plate features 30 grams of osetra malossol caviar served on ice in its tin alongside Russian blinis and traditional garnishes.
Corvino Supper Club
With their former tasting room now transformed into Songbird, Michael and Christina Corvino have created a casual new spot to visit inside their namesake Corvino Supper Club, giving guests drinking and dining options within the space. Sit on the Supper Club side to enjoy the most decadent of caviar treats. Choose from either one ounce or a half ounce of kaluga caviar served on a puck of their creamy cultured butter placed atop a crispy, toasted handmade English muffin. The ultimate breakfast sandwich is now available for dinner at Corvino Supper Club.
The Town Company inside Hotel Kansas City
From the moment the chefs Johnny and Helen Jo Leach opened The Town Company inside of the Hotel Kansas City, their house-made yeast dinner rolls served with cultured butter and roasted-carrot dip has been a red-hot hit and the perfect thing to order with your meal. Now, they’ve added the option to upgrade those best-in-class buns with some hackleback sturgeon caviar for $34 a half ounce and $65 for one ounce. Gilding the lily? I think so, but in this case, more is more.
Pierpont’s at Union Station
Ready to feel like you’re dining at J.P. Morgan’s dinner table? Slip into Pierpont’s—named after the man himself—located inside the historic Union Station, and order the royal osetra caviar. The roe from a Siberian sturgeon, at $90 for a half ounce, is served with crème fraiche and gluten-free crackers. Or try their hackleback switchtail sturgeon caviar at $35 for a half ounce. Ready to shoot for the moon? Pierpont’s Big Boy seafood tower offers ten ounces of hackleback sturgeon caviar, shrimp cocktail, snow crab legs, and razor clams in black-garlic mostarda with hibiscus mignonette for $220. ’ Tis the season to splurge.
Aqua Penny’s
After opening Bamboo Penny’s at the Park Place shopping center, Penny and Doug Mufuka decided to dive into some serious seafood with their second spot, Aqua Penny’s. Offering a wide variety of fish, seafood, and steak dishes, the menu also has an entire section dedicated to caviar. They have one ounce of hackleback caviar for $60 that’s harvested from the wild native American shovelnose sturgeon.
Also on the menu is California white sturgeon roe that’s farm-raised in northern California, known for its buttery taste and briny finish. Aqua Penny’s offers their own version of chef Thomas Keller’s famous starter at the French Laundry, cornets de caviar, two savory bite-sized cones filled with shallot, egg mousse, and crème fraiche topped with hackleback caviar and chives for $25.
Stock Hill
Stock Hill has always prided itself on creative seasonal takes on classic steakhouse dishes, featuring high-quality aged cuts of beef from the Midwest. The executive chef Jacob Hilbert takes similar care with the fish and seafood dishes, preparing them with the same level of creativity and quality. Guests can order a half ounce of osetra caviar that’s served with crème fraiche custard, dill, micro potato crisps, and fresh herbs. Osetra caviar can also be ordered served with raw oysters, prepared “ocean-style,” which comes topped with sea foam, caviar, citrus gel, and brined ocean cucumber.
Earl’s Premier
Earl’s PremierWhen you run Kansas City’s tiniest and mightiest seafood shack as Todd Schulte and Cory Dannehl do, you must design moments of celebration within your food and drink menu. On Earl Premier‘s raw bar menu, guests will discover a dish called “Champagne and a Dozen,” which costs $90 and features a split of Champagne and a dozen raw oysters served on the half shell. If you want to take that dish up a notch, you can also add a half ounce of caviar for an additional $30. It’s a party on a platter.
Farina
Michael and Nancy Smith made sure their modern Italian restaurant Farina also has a hopping oyster bar, one that gives guests views of bustling Southwest Boulevard in the Crossroads from the picture window behind it. Reservations are recommended if you would like to experience the two caviar dishes served from their oyster bar. You can order one ounce of osetra caviar with potato chips, crackers, and crème fraiche for $45, and they also serve a caviar sandwich that is simplicity itself—caviar and crème fraiche spread on thin wheat toast for $45.
Blanc Champagne Bar
Blanc Champagne BarThis is the only place in Kansas City where you can sample the TikTok “caviar bump” spooned tableside right onto your hand. At Blanc Champagne Bar, you’ll get 5 grams of osetra caviar spooned onto your hand along with a glass of Le Mesnil Blanc de Blanc Champagne for $45. Go for the “Baller Bump” for $100 and you’ll get ten grams with a glass of Veuve Clicquot “La Grande Dame” 2015. They’ll also serve it with house-made chips for $90, featuring one ounce of osetra caviar, crème fraîche, chives, house-made potato chips, and truffle seasoning. Bubbles and bumps, sounds like a wild night out.