Celebrating Caviar at Thomas Keller's Newest Napa Valley Restaurant - AFAR
"This new addition to Thomas Keller’s Yountville portfolio grew out of a 2021 pop-up and channels a make-every-day-a-celebration spirit to demystify caviar and make it more approachable. Founded by Keller with caviar expert Shaoching Bishop in 2017, the caviar company behind the lounge aims to support sustainable sturgeon farming and provide chefs and guests with high-quality caviar at more affordable prices, emphasizing traceability, CITES-compliant sourcing, and volume-driven consistency while acknowledging limits due to sturgeon scarcity. Bishop stresses long-term relationships with farms across Europe, Asia, and the Americas—highlighting practices such as releasing juveniles and using local krill feed to promote healthy wild populations and sustainability. San Francisco designer Ken Fulk furnished a relaxed, dark-yet-regal space with a biophilic terrace shaded by olive trees, jade-walled interiors, sleek settees, and overflowing ceramic planters. The menu spotlights small plates that center caviar—like French onion dip topped with caviar and kettle-fried potato chips—and educational caviar flights that showcase four sturgeon species (Ossetra; a kaluga–Amur hybrid; Siberian; and white sturgeon), each offering distinct flavor, texture, firmness, and color; staff encourage guests to engage, ask questions, and sample broadly to better appreciate the nuances of the product." - Jillian Dara
