Location: 420 Amsterdam Avenue
Cuisine: Caviar /American
Best Dish: The crab cakes were delicious but the star of the caviar bar was the caviar pizza. This unique pie is as glorious to the eye as it is to the palate.
Overall: A relaxed casual way to enjoy premium beverages and opulent caviar. The right venue for an interesting date night with an adventurous foodie or a treat with good friends.
Caviar has enjoyed a long history as a luxury food. The word on its own conjures up images of opulent surroundings and expensive tastes. Our reverence for these salted fish eggs dates as far back as Aristotle and the 15th century. The salty treat was once a food reserved for only for consumption by the elite of European society. Despite Europe’s adoration and reverence, the pearls came to America as basic bar food. In fact, in the early 19th-century caviar was sold in bars and restaurants for nickles simply to inspire thirst and sell more beverages. These days caviar isn’t typical bar food but it also is much easier to find, as a result, it enjoys a unique place in the food spectrum that is both decadent and accessible. If you are in New York, you can enjoy an assortment of fine caviar at Olma Caviar Boutique and Lounge. The restaurant/lounge offers the best of both worlds, a hint of luxury in a relaxed casual setting. You may visit Olma Caviar Boutique and Lounge for an impressive date night or after work for a happy hour treat.
We sauntered into the venue on a Monday evening for a light meal and a sampling of the good life. Their menu offers several types of caviar served in an assortment of different styles. If you’ve never had caviar and want just a taste we recommend trying it on a hard-boiled egg. At Olma Caviar Boutique and Lounge, a dollop of caviar is placed on half of a hard-boiled egg white with a touch of creme fraiche. We enjoyed two versions of black caviar in this manner. The Bowfin and Hackleback are both American caviars sourced from Louisiana and Tennessee respectively. These black caviar have a milder flavor than the salmon which is reminiscent of flaky white-fish like cod or bass.
If eggs aren’t for you the caviar is also served as a small bite on top of mini blinis. For this treatment, we chose the delicate salmon caviar. The bright bold color is pleasing to the eye and the rich salty flavor bursts with every bite.
To compliment our first round of caviar, we chose a duo of cocktails. Olma has a full bar service with a fun selection of signature cocktails and familiar classics. We washed down our first course of caviar with a round of premium cocktails. We settled on the “Parma Sutra,” a sweet mixture of tequila, pomegranate liqueur, and agave nectar, and the classic french martini a tropical mix of vodka pineapple juice and Chambord.
While enjoying our drinks we also took a mini break from our caviar feast and dug into some delicious crab cakes. The crab meat was moist and buttery with a hint of sweetness.
For our last dish of caviar, we ordered the caviar pizza. Our expectation was a basic cheese pie sprinkled with delicate orbs of salmon caviar, what arrived at the table was an amazing platter of bright beautiful caviar on a crunchy thin crust. While blinis offer a soft pliable pancake-like consistency the pizza crust added some much-needed texture to the caviar. The construction of this unique pie is simple but elegant, the six-inch thin crust is topped with a thin layer of creme fraiche before being topped with 4oz of premium caviar.
In addition to caviar and crab cakes, Olma Caviar Boutique and Lounge also has familiar bar friendly foods such as sandwiches and sliders. We thoroughly enjoyed the prosciutto panini. This grilled sandwich consists of prosciutto, roasted peppers, provolone cheese and a generous helping of pesto.
Whether you are an experienced caviar enthusiast or a beginner Olma Caviar Boutique and Lounge offers the opportunity to dine as the royals once did. For beginners, we recommend trying any one of the assorted platters, consider it the start of your caviar education. The platters come with two or more types of caviar with an assortment of accouterments to mix and match. Olma also has dedicated knowledgeable staff who are friendly and available to assist with your order. Drop by and take advantage of the discounts offered during happy hour. Olma also has a newly-launched $15 Prix Fixe Brunch, with French Toast Sticks or Garden Salad, Bloody Mary or Mimosa, Latte or Cappuccino, a Black Caviar Open-Faced Sandwich or classics like Eggs Benedict, all together for only $15.
Olma Caviar Boutique and Lounge is located at 420 Amsterdam Avenue at West 80th Street, www.olmacaviar.