CAVIAR AND CHAMPAGNE DREAMS COME TO LIFE AT OSETRA IN NAPLES
By KELLY MERRITT
Naples Daily News
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2011/nov/18/caviar-and-champagne-dreams-come-to-life-at-in/
Nov 18 2011
A few weeks ago, I heard the most beautiful words any food writer
could ever hope hear from an editor:
"Kelly, are you available to write about the new Champagne and caviar
bar that just opened in Naples?"
Osetra. Just saying it makes me want to jump in my car and raid my
IRA to go there.
Osetra is a specific type of caviar. It's also a new Fifth Avenue
restaurant in downtown Naples. In selecting the cuisine for Osetra,
owners Anthony Chinaglia and Milos Simovic have partnered with
Petrossian, a company that's been supplying caviar for nearly 100
years. Two Armenian brothers, Melkoum and Mouchegh Petrossian, first
introduced Paris to caviar in the 1920s. Since then, caviar has become
an international symbol of decadence that strikes an extra-special
chord with foodies everywhere.
Chinaglia and Simovic hope that Osetra will provoke patrons to see
caviar as not just a special occasion treat, but as part of many
dishes that zing the taste buds in the same way caviar does for those
who love it.
At Osetra, you can stay for 15 minutes for a glass of Champagne,
or party all night. The soundtrack matches the decor - sensual
and appropriate for a place that serves fine food until 2 a.m., a
rarity in Naples. The decor is equally alluring, masterfully crafted
by Danielle Masseria, who designed the space to be reflective of the
inside of an oyster shell with fixtures which resemble the tiny caviar
eggs served there.
In line with the current trend of Champagne bars that serve good food,
Chinaglia and Simovic are serving many different types of caviar and
in so doing, hope to educate patrons about it. They trained at the
Petrossian headquarters. For those customers with a more significant
pocketbook, Osetra presents daily caviar specials at market price
and a small boutique that features Petrossian products.
Osetra's Petrossian Special Reserve Osetra requires a 24-hour
pre-order and costs thousands of dollars. A caviar and Champagne
pairing of a 2004 Louis Roederer Crystal and one ounce of Osetra
President caviar is $640. Ninety dollars will get you 30 grams of
Tsar Imperial Transmontanus caviar.
But what is available for customers who can't afford caviar outright?
Chinaglia and Simovic have made sure there are far less expensive
options for those of us who don't keep that kind of cash lying around.
For starters, the caviar bites dish with grilled crostini, crème
fraîche and black caviar is just $17.
Most of the dishes at Osetra are for sharing, which makes many of them
quite reasonable for the quality of cuisine you find on your plate.
Osetra's mozzarella and prosciutto crostini is delicious and, at just
$14, is plenty large enough to share. The surf and turf, which features
the impossibly tender Sterling Silver center cut filet and Champagne
lobster tail, is $45. Add to that a glass of Champagne each and a 20
percent tip, and a party of two can get out the door for about $42
apiece. Not bad for a surf and turf, Champagne happy hour on the town.
The colossal crab meat martini with some of the freshest crab I've had
since I left the Northeast is just $19 and, again, great for sharing.
Salmon and I have a rocky relationship. I can recall vividly the last
10 times someone told me their salmon was amazing, only to find it
falling short of the most perfect salmon I've ever eaten, which was
on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington
state. However, since at Osetra I was spending $24 for the salmon
carpaccio, I felt obligated to try it for no other reason than to be
able to tell my readers whether or not it's worth the price.
It was worth every penny - totally off the charts. The dish is
fashioned from the Petrossian Tsar-cut North Atlantic salmon and at
Osetra, is served with red onion, fresh squeezed lemon juice (yes,
they serve the lemon juice already squeezed for you), capers and
extra virgin olive oil.
There are at least a dozen other dishes worth mentioning, including
one I never thought I'd like. My preference is usually for the savory,
but I take exception in the case of an Osetra dish that will change
every woman's drug of choice in the wake of breakups, bad hair days,
irate bosses, and whatever else ails them. Move over, plain chocolate.
Enter the almighty melted Nutella panini. This grilled, pressed treat
with warm, hazelnut-infused chocolate, strawberries and powdered
sugar is just $13.
Chinaglia and Simovic met playing soccer on the beach in Naples,
became friends and after traveling the world and slaving away in a
variety of family-owned and other restaurants, they opened Osetra. If
ever there was a doubt that the two friends, who speak five languages
between them, could push the culinary boundary of luxury dining in
Naples, Osetra puts it to rest (or, rather, slams it unto oblivion).
For a split second in a momentary lapse of reason, I thought twice
about writing this story. I know many folks - including me - can't
necessarily afford to order a tin of caviar or eat at Osetra every
day. But if sharing just one appetizer and glass of Champagne with
friends affords even a smidgen of the very best cuisine and cocktails
life has to offer, that's reason to celebrate.
From: Baghdasarian