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Is this $95 latke the most expensive Chanukah treat in the world?
An extravagant latke with caviar will be served at New York’s Jewish-owned Caviar Russe this holiday season
December 4, 2023 15:13
By, Eliana Jordan
1 min read
An extravagant latke with caviar will be served at New York’s Jewish-owned Caviar Russe this holiday season
December 4, 2023 15:13ByEliana Jordan, Eliana Jordan
In celebration of Chanukah this year, an upscale Manhattan restaurant is serving a plate-sized potato latke for the mammoth sum of $95.
Luxury seafood restaurant and caviar distributor Caviar Russe, owned by Jewish refugees from the former Soviet Union, has never served a holiday-specific dish until now, putting the exorbitant, caviar-topped latke on the menu as a “one off” according to executive chef Edgar “Teddy” Panchernikov.
Panchernikov told the New York Jewish Week how the Michelin-starred restaurant, opened in 1997, has been leaning into the owners’ Jewish heritage. “Given the recent events, we want to support other Jews and Israel,” Panchernikov said.
Panchernikov, 32, is the son of Caviar Russe’s founders, who established a wholesale and online caviar business in addition to a caviar boutique and two restaurants. In an interview with Leaders Magazine, Panchernikov expressed his love for hosting clientele with an appreciation for the “finer things” from both the front of house and kitchen of his family restaurant.
“Hosting clients, seeing them happy and enjoying themselves, is one of the most enjoyable parts of my role within Caviar Russe,” Panchernikov said. “I get to interact daily with our customers and every time they come back, I want them saying ‘wow’ [and] topping their previous experience.”
And what could produce “wows” from the restaurant’s loyal clientele if not a gigantic latke adorned with osetra caviar, which retails for $100 an ounce?
The limited-time dish consists of grated Yukon gold potatoes mixed with salt, pepper, and chives, forgoing the traditional additive of an egg or flour to bind the potato together. It is then shaped and fried in clarified butter, topped with crème fraiche, a creamy egg yolk jam, and the requisite dollop of osetra caviar, one of the brand’s most popular varieties.
The latke, which must be ordered 24 hours in advance, is meant to be shared. Considering the price, some may wish to share the bill, too.
The restaurant donated its space and its high-end food for a fundraising event on Sunday, aptly titled “Caviar for a Cause”, to raise money for Israel’s Red Cross, Magen David Adom. “My Unorthodox Life” stars and internet influencers Julia Haart and her daughter, Batsheva, hosted the event, where tickets sold at $300 a piece.