Five-Star Elegance

Caviar, uni and other gourmet ingredients are becoming go-to indulgences

By Mike Kostyo, Trends Expert

“If I don’t buy a little treat (coffee, tea, boba, or a small snack) for myself every day I will literally die,” proclaims a user on X (formerly Twitter), a post that attracted more than 156,000 likes. On TikTok, it’s called “little treat culture,” where users show off the afternoon latte or weekend manicure that they indulge in to get through the day or week. There’s even a holiday dedicated to indulging oneself: Oct. 13 is Treat Yo’ Self Day, named after the “holiday” celebrated by two characters in the sitcom “Parks and Recreation.”

Value and prices may be top-of-mind themes this year, but that doesn’t mean consumers aren’t regularly looking for a little premium or gourmet option. Indeed, sometimes economic downturns drive consumers to treat themselves even more often as they deal with stress and trade down from expensive luxury experiences to more affordable ones. People may not be going on that pricey vacation, but they can treat themselves to an upgrade at their favorite restaurant.

According to food industry consultancy Menu Matters, 46% of consumers say they “deserve nice things,” and one in every 10 consumers says they absolutely hate compromising. So how do you give your customers the luxurious foods and flavors they crave in an accessible format? Consider some of these premium ingredients that are trending on menus today.

Caviar Dreams

In that same Menu Matters survey, consumers were asked which premium or gourmet foods they’ve always wanted to try. The top choices? Caviar and lobster, with caviar coming out on top for Gen Z specifically. Caviar is the new “it” ingredient, showing up in thousands of TikTok videos as younger users try it on comforting ingredients like Doritos and Pringles (the latter brand even released a special caviar tasting box). “Caviar is now everywhere, and on everything,” exclaims a headline from Food Republic. “Once a luxury reserved for posh dinners, fish roe has become the snack du jour across the country,” says food writer Jaya Saxena on Eater.com

For Chef Kathy Sidell of Saltie Girl Seafood Bar, which has locations in both Boston and Los Angeles, caviar is a go-to ingredient that takes classic menu items to the next level. She upgrades a mini lobster roll filled with warm butter-poached lobster by topping it with a healthy dollop of the brand’s own Saltie Girl Kaluga caviar. That caviar is also added to a burrata and caviar appetizer, simply served with extra virgin olive oil and grilled bread, to take the now-common burrata starter to the next level.

Chef Evan Hennessey is such a fan of caviar that he always features caviar ice cream at his two restaurants in Dover, N.H. At The Living Room he offers white chocolate and fennel ice cream with loganberry sweet and sour sauce and luxurious portions of Siberian caviar, all for an approachable $10. And at his Stages at One Washington concept, the ever-changing tasting menu has featured a seasonal caviar ice cream course since it was first introduced in 2019; brown butter miso ice cream with caviar and candied celery leaves was previously offered.

Caviar on ice cream showcases the type of “high/ low” menu item that makes this luxury ingredient more approachable for modern diners. That’s something the Velvet Taco chain understood when it invited customers to “enjoy the finer things in life” by offering a tobiko caviar-topped taco over filet meat, Peruvian potatoes, red wine reduction, a potato chip and herb crème fraiche as one of its Weekly Taco Features (WTFs).

Premium Proteins

Luxurious, often expensive proteins are a favorite gourmet option for most consumers. While people may be familiar with meats like filet mignon and lobster, a new generation of on-trend options are piquing consumers’ interest, from high-end regional Spanish hams to rich shavings of bottarga, the salted and cured fish roe. Consider uni, the edible part of the sea urchin that is quickly becoming a colorful, indulgent topping for a range of dishes. At The Banks Fish House, a seafood and steak concept in Boston, Chef Robert Sisca includes bright dollops of uni in his squid ink tortellini dish, which stand out against the deep black pasta alongside clams, new potatoes, taleggio cheese and crispy speck, all served in a rich onion brodo.

Lobes of uni top this Hokkaido scallop “tartar de vieira” at Miami’s LEKU Fish & Garden.

Caviar has become a go-to luxury ingredient featured in dishes like this mini caviar and lobster roll at Saltie Girl, with locations in Boston and L.A.

At LEKU Fish & Garden, a seasonal Basque restaurant connected to Miami’s Rubell Museum, perfectly placed lobes of uni top the tartar de vieira dish, which features salt-cured Hokkaido scallops, tobiko caviar, green apple and crispy onions. The team at LEKU is always looking for ways to offer up elegant offerings for guests. Head mixologist Nicholas Casanova created his over-the-top Iberian Harmony cocktail in partnership with Macallan, featuring Macallan Harmony infused with 5-Jotas Iberian ham combined with crème de cacao, Pedro Ximenez sherry and orange and mole bitters, plus it’s all served with an additional slice of the 5-Jotas ham and, to gild the lily, a foie gras acorn rolled in gold and porcini dust.

Truly Truffle

Of course, truffle is still a favorite option for customers looking to treat themselves. When the team at Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer was designing the menu for The Lookup, a rooftop bar in Midtown Manhattan with soaring views of the Empire State Building, they knew they wanted upscale options that were still approachable, particularly for the “Bubbles & Sights” happy hour featuring plenty of prosecco. Enter the truffle grilled cheese, which combines havarti and Swiss cheese, a sweet swipe of Mike’s Hot Honey, shaved parmesan and truffle aioli.

Chef Sisca of The Banks Fish House also oversees the menu at Boston’s Bistro du Midi, inspired by the casual bistros of France. While many diners have only tried truffle in oils and other truffle-infused products, Bistro du Midi gives them the chance to try fresh truffle in abundance, generously shaving it over tagliatelle with morel mushrooms, burrata, parmesan and lemon oil for the restaurant’s black truffle tagliatelle.

With Treat Yo’ Self Day coming up, ingredients like caviar, lobster, uni and truffle can give diners that indulgent opportunity they crave.

Mike Kostyo is a freelance writer covering food trends and the vice president of a food industry consulting firm based in Chicago. He has a master’s degree in gastronomy from Boston University as well as certificates in the in the culinary arts, baking arts, wine and artisan cheese production.

Click here for more stories from the Sept/Oct 2024 issue of National Culinary Review, published by the American Culinary Federation.