Caviar Nouveau: The Choice Of Nations Leading Chefs

Some of the nations top restaurants are teaming up with the Caviar Emptor campaign beginning July 14 to celebrate Caviar Nouveau, great-tasting caviars from sturgeon, paddlefish and trout farmed in the United States as well as wild Alaska salmon. The promotion will highlight these delicious and eco-friendly caviars as a win-win situation for connoisseurs who are concerned about critically imperiled Caspian Sea sturgeon.

From Monday, July 14, to Sunday, July 20, chefs in restaurants across the nation will serve a daily special featuring these excellent new caviars. Participating restaurants include: rm and Eleven Madison Park in New York City, Water Grill in Los Angeles, Jardinihre in San Francisco, Restaurant Nora in Washington, DC, Azul in Miami and more.

Within the next few months, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be making a decision on whether to list beluga sturgeon  whose numbers have plummeted by 90 percent in the past 20 years  under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. If the fish is protected under the Act, all imports of beluga caviar would be banned.

Concerns about the overfishing and illegal trade that plagues Caspian caviars have prompted many American chefs to turn to high quality homegrown products. The chefs participating in Caviar Nouveau have taken beluga caviar off their menus and are leading the latest trend of the culinary world by exploring the fascinating diversity of farmed American caviars.

By choosing new, sustainable caviars, chefs and connoisseurs are sending a powerful message that they will not contribute to the extinction of the ancient beluga sturgeon, said Vikki Spruill, president of SeaWeb, one of three conservation groups of the Caviar Emptor campaign. Together, we urge the U.S. government to make the right decision by granting beluga sturgeon the protection of an endangered species listing.

Caviar Emptor launched in December 2000 as a partnership of SeaWeb, Natural Resources Defense Council and the Wildlife Conservation Society. In addition to petitioning the U.S. government to list beluga sturgeon as an endangered species, the campaign seeks a halt to international trade in beluga caviar and calls for greater international aid to protect and restore Caspian Sea sturgeon.

Overwhelming support for listing beluga sturgeon as an endangered species was submitted by nearly 200 renowned U.S. chefs and seafood purveyors when the Fish and Wildlife Service opened a public comment period last fall.

There are many new choices available now, why would anyone eat something that is so endangered? asks Chef Rick Moonen, who no longer serves beluga caviar in his restaurant rm in New York City. It is truly exciting to offer my customers Caviar Nouveau, which is incredibly delicious. Consumers need to know that the farmed sturgeon and paddlefish caviars in the U.S. have great textures and flavor.

Following is a list of restaurants and chefs participating in Caviar Nouveau promotion. Participating restaurants may change the date of their promotion. For updated information, call the restaurant or Sunny Wu of Caviar Emptor at 202-483-9570.

New York City:

Restaurant RM
Chef Rick Moonen
33 East 60th Street
New York, NY 10022
212-319-3800

Eleven Madison Park
Chef Kerry Heffernan
11 Madison Ave, NY 10010
212-889-0905

L'Absinthe
Chef Jean-Michel Bergougnoux
227 E. 67th St
New York, NY 10021
212-794-4950

Los Angeles:

Water Grill
Chef Michael Cimarusti
544 S. Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071
213-891-0900

San Francisco:

Jardinihre
Chef Traci Des Jardins
300 Grove Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-861-5555

Chicago:

North Pond
Chef Bruce Sherman
2610 N. Cannon Drive
Chicago, IL 60614
773-477-5845

Washington, DC:

Restaurant Nora
Chef Nora Pouillon
2132 Florida Avenue, NW
Washingt