Champagne wishes may remain but caviar dreams have become a reality for many New Yorkers.
After years of gold flakes and truffles, caviar is the latest popular pricey add-on.
A $50 mozzarella stick topped with caviar served at Chelsea Living Room is the latest buzzy concoction with the salty spread, and people are ordering it nonstop at the newly opened hotspot.
Once considered a delicacy, caviar has become a common addition to regular menu items in Manhattan, making an appearance on everything from $30 chicken nuggets at COQODAQ to $58 tater tots at Union Square Cafe.
An ounce of caviar costs around $100 on average, so Chelsea Living Room’s mozz stick is a way to make the delicacy more accessible.
“We want people to be able to try it and enjoy it, without breaking the bank,” owner Dylan Grace told The Post.
At the 14th Street eatery, the large luxe fried stick is made with six inches of smoky mozzarella sourced from Murray’s Cheese. It’s seasoned with flour, egg and crispy panko breadcrumbs, fried to golden and then topped with crème fraîche and Black Diamond Kaluga Caviar.
The smoky taste of the cheese blends well with the saltiness of the caviar, while the crispy breading crunches deliciously into the gooeyness of the melted cheese.
The Chelsea Living Room also adds caviar to their fish and chips sandwich ($59) and pasta with lemon butter ($98), but the mozzarella stick seems to be the star of the show.
It may not be the first or only mozzarella stick topped with caviar in the city (Carne Mare also serves a smaller version of the appetizer for $16), but it is certainly having its moment in the spotlight.
Grace claimed that nearly everyone who’s been seated at the lounge since it opened in March has ordered the unique appetizer — but it isn’t only to taste a bite.
“People nowadays are really just looking for that Instagram moment, when they go out to dine,” the restaurateur said. “People are always looking to showcase where they’re at or share their experiences with other people online. And I feel like it’s not just a dish, right? Like it’s almost a conversation piece.”
That sentiment is proven by looking at all the photos and videos of the appetizer tagged on the restaurant’s social media.
But don’t wait too long talking and snapping photos, the mozzarella stick should be consumed soon after being served — congealed cheese doesn’t make for a good cheese pull or the best bite.
The intriguing combinations and price points have made caviar more appetizing and accessible to those looking for a mash-up — or just a bump.
“Social media may be fueling the caviar craze,” Edgar Panchernikov, marketing manager of Caviar Russe, a Michelin-starred restaurant on Madison Avenue that specializes in caviar, previously told The Post of the online trend which has impacted the industry “with no signs of slowing down.”
The global caviar market has grown significantly in recent years and is estimated to grow by $473.9 million from 2024 to 2028, according to Technavio.
Whether it be New York elementary schoolers crunching down on the $48 Ossetra caviar cannolis at Soho Italian Sartiano’s or Broadway stars celebrating at the Pebble Bar Tony’s Late Night Party with Fini’s white pizza topped with Petrossian Caviar paired with Pernod Ricard cocktails, the salty spread is seemingly being enjoyed by everyone everywhere in every which way.
But traditionalists are not on board the crazy caviar train.
“Since caviar is a delicacy it is best enjoyed in its purest and traditional way,” executive chef Manjit Manohar of the Loews Regency New York Hotel declared to The Post.
While he has made caviar cocktails and hot dogs per special requests, the luxury Park Avenue hotel recently debuted caviar on their menu exclusively as a classic caviar service with traditional accompaniments (egg whites, egg yolks, capers, chives, crème fraiche, chopped shallots, blinis and lemon wedges) for $185.
Regardless of how you take it, “caviar is really having a moment,” Grace confirmed.
