beluga

Ebel Beluga Chocolate Watches

What about Beluga caviar? No, Ebel opts for the sweeter (less salty) Beluga with a new limited edition line of women's watches called the Beluga Chocolate. Coming in three colors the watches feature dials that resemble bricks of chocolate (are the watches also scented?) The names of the specific models? You guessed it "Dark (Black) Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, and White Chocolate."

The Beluga is actually an older watch line name that is being reintroduced after its debut in 1985. The watches are 37.5mm wide in 18k white gold that are decorated with 68 precious stones around the bezel and lugs. Based on the watches, the stones are either black, brown, or white diamonds (about 1.08 carats per watch).

The luxury watches contain Swiss ETA quartz movements, have AR coated sapphire crystals, and come with matching satin straps. Ebel even worked with chocolate maker Max Chocolatier to create special Beluga chocolates in honor of the collection. Not sure how man pieces will be in this limited edition or the price. Look for them soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: beluga, black, chocolate, ebel, milk, watch, watches, white

Caviarteria: The Finest Caviar from Around the World

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Caviarteria is a nominee for a Luxist Award in the Best Caviar Retailer category.

Humans have enjoyed caviar for thousands of years since the dawn of recorded history. Ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians and Greeks were among the first to harvest sturgeon roe; the English word caviar traces its roots to the Persian term meaning cake of power.

Perhaps these ancient purveyors would be shocked to learn that, after many years selling caviar through bricks-and-mortar U.S. outlets across the United States from Las Vegas to Miami, the vaunted purveyor Caviarteria has streamlined itself into a completely virtual operation. Fortunately for modern consumers, the new method is just as effective.

Still family-owned and operated, Caviarteria offers a wide range of Iranian caviar, including Sevruga, Osetra and Golden Imperial, in addition to roe from Russia, Bulgaria and the United States. Caviar ranges from Russian Sevruga to Bulgarian Osetra. Caviarteria also offers American Sturgeon caviar, salmon roe and trout roe. There's a selection of other delicacies, including foie gras, smoked salmon, salmon tenderloin "czar cut", smoked trout, gravlax, and smoked sturgeon. Furthermore, due to popular demand, Caviarteria is bringing back it's famous 3 layer smoked salmon and caviar cake.

Orders can be placed on their website at http://www.caviarteria.com/ or by calling (800) 4-CAVIAR or (212) 759-7410.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed in Gourmet Foods. Readers' Choice Awards for Food will be announced on November 30th.

Tags: awards-main, beluga, caviar, caviarteria, food-awards, luxist-awards

Caviar Russe: The Destination for America's Top Chefs

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Caviar Russe, which is nominated for a Luxist Award in the Best Caviar Retailer category, has been supplying America's top chefs and restaurants with fine Caspian Sea caviar for over fifteen years. Today, it reaches consumers through direct retail, national mail order sales and the Internet.

Caviar Russe specializes in roe from the Caspian Sea, including the bold, nutty Osetra; rich, intense Sevruga; and the finest American Caviars. To enrich the caviar experience, Caviar Russe offers accompaniments such as quail eggs, profiteroles and plugra butter, as well as mother-of-pearl plateware and utensils.

In 1996, the company opened a restaurant and retail boutique on New York's posh Madison Avenue as part of an effort to expand its brand. In addition to serving high-quality roe, the Caviar Russe Restaurant offers a vast selection of rare vintage champagnes and a comprehensive vodka list, while the adjoining retail boutique provides patrons with an opportunity to bring home a supply of their freshest favorites.

The company's online business offers a wide selection of caviar sold by the ounce and pound, in addition to smoked salmon, fois gras and game. It also has a selection of caviar pairings packed in insulated caviar gift bags complete with pearl caviar utensils, creme fraiche, and home made crepe blinis.

In an attempt to protect the Caspian Sea area that produces some of the worlds most famous caviar, Caviar Russe works with CITES (Convention for the International Trade of Endangered Species) to eliminate the black market trade of premium roe and to support aggressive reinvestment and preservation efforts in the Caspian region.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed in Gourmet Foods. Readers' Choice Awards for Food will be announced on November 30th.

Gallery: More from Caviar Russe

Tags: awards-main, beluga, caviar russe, CaviarRusse, cavier, food-awards, luxist-awards

Milan's Poor Get Caviar For Christmas

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Milan's poor citizens are getting a special treat this year, caviar for Christmas. Officials in Milan seized 88 pounds of contraband beluga caviar from smugglers recently Instead of destroying the haul worth over $550,000, they are donating it to the Red Cross, Franciscan monks, care homes and organizations which prepare Christmas food for the homeless and poor around Milan. The Daily Mail reports that the banned beluga caviar is being served in portions more generous than those in fancy restaurants. The caviar was found in the refrigerator of a private house and several people have been arrested in the case.

Tags: beluga, caviar, milan

Caviar Ban Lifted

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

2006 was the year of the caviar ban in the Caspian Sea. During that time we saw the rise of American caviar including the veneration of the paddlefish as the new future of caviar. We even compiled a list for how to survive without Caspian caviar. Now the UN has lifted the caviar ban, publishing quotas for five countries -- Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. A decision of beluga, the most expensive variety, has been delayed. The sturgeon is still in peril but the countries are allowed to sell 96 tons of caviar in 2007 which is just 15 percent below the 2005 level. It's great news for caviar junkies and for the countries bordering the Caspian Sea but it is most likely depressing news for the American and European caviar producers who have enjoyed the increased attention and business over the past year.

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Tags: ban, beluga, caspian sea, caviar, endangered, sturgeon

Caviar Ban Lifted in Iran

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Good news for caviar lovers. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has given Iran approval to export caviar from wild sturgeon again. Other Caspian Sea nations are still out of luck. CITES approved exports of up 44,370 kilograms (around 97,000 pounds) of caviar from Iran provided that the eggs cover from Persian caviar, the only species which is not in dire straits. Beluga sturgeon is still banned. Other Caspian Sea nations including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan failed to produce sustainable quota proposals before a meeting deadline and so they will likely remain under a ban for the rest of the year.

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Tags: beluga, caviar, cites, export, food, gourmet, iran, luxury, sturgeon, united nations

Luxist Guide To Beluga Caviar Alternatives

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

We've done a lot of coverage of the ban on caviar that comes from areas where the sturgeon is endangered. While caviar from Russia, Iran and other protected areas is still available, caviar lovers are beginning to cast their nets wider. Here we take a look at some of the more intriguing options from sturgeon, to paddlefish and even seaweed-based caviar substitutes.

Sterling Caviar: One of the best options coming out of California. At Sterling Caviar they raise the fish themselves, waiting patiently eight to ten years for the harvest. Their large farm has an inventory of thousands of sturgeon which are fed a high-protein, balanced diet and monitored for their health. Sterling comes in three versions, classic, royal and imperial, which is the best of the batch and costs $60 per ounce.

Tags: beluga, caviar, caviar alternatives, collins caviar, dining, food, gourmet, osetra, salmon caviar, sterling caviar, trout caviar

Continue reading “Luxist Guide To Beluga Caviar Alternatives”

Cavi-Art

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Since the ban of the beloved beluga, other caviars and caviar alternatives have been attracting more attention. Cavi-art has the appearance of caviar but there are no fish eggs involved. The caviar substitute, which is made from seaweed, is from Denmark and is fat-free, lower in sodium and inexpensive ($5.98 for 3.5 ounces). According to the Chicago Sun-Times, chefs have been using it as a garnish but like Soy Kaviar, it's not really a substitute for the real thing. Cavi-Art comes in black lumpfish, red lumpfish, yellow lumpfish and red salmon caviar flavors.

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Tags: beluga, caviar, fiine dining, food, new food products

Former Sewage Plant To Become Caviar Farm

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

As we have mentioned, caviar harvested from wild sturgeon has been banned. Those who wish to get into caviar production are starting to create caviar farms. But what sort of place is large enough to hold 400 Siberian sturgeon? How about an old sewage plant? Ananova reports that a former sewage plant near Zurich,Switzerland will be home to a new fish farm. The plant has been cleaned and the fish eggs won't be ready for harvesting for eight years by which time the stink should have faded.

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Tags: beluga, caviar, dining, food, russia, siberia, sturgeon

The Caviar Ban Goes Global

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

A few months ago the United States banned beluga caviar now the New Scientist reports that the worldwide trade in wild caviar has banned. The major caviar-producing countries were unable to prove to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) that their stocks of wild sturgeon are sustainable. The ban does not apply to farmed sturgeon. A 30% decline in wild sturgeon stocks in 2004 led to the ban which will affect Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro and Ukraine.The hope is that a ban on caviar will help save the endangered fish and stop illegal poaching. Countries that want to export sturgeon products have to show that their catch and export quotas don't put fish in peril. Importers are responsible for making sure their imports are legal and have to have registration systems for processing and repackaging caviar.

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Tags: beluga, caspian sea, caviar, endangered species, russia, sturgeon