Chef Shaun Hergatt To Open Caviar Bar Restaurant in Las Vegas – The Hollywood Reporter

Australian chef Shaun Hergatt knows how to make hits, be it in his newest Michelin star winner Vestry in SoHo, in his private restaurant on 432 Park Avenue – known as New York’s Billionaire’s Row – or as the culinary director of Surf Lodge in Montauk. NY.

Now Hergatt is bringing his talents and his mother-of-pearl spoon to the west with the Caviar Bar in Las Vegas Resorts World, which is due to open on December 3rd.

“Las Vegas has a certain amount of opulence and a bit of flash, too,” he says. “It is a place where people want to live out their dreams and longings for a few days and then return to their place of residence.”

The city’s indulgent personality goes well with caviar, Hergatt says.

In the restaurant and shopping district of the casino resort, which opened in June, is the Caviar Bar, explains Hergatt, a rented area of ​​1,200 square meters. Go through the massive doors and you will find a cozy restaurant with 105 seats. The seafood-based concept, apart from the servings of its namesake, will have lobster and fish from all over the world, with Hergatt also preparing grilled dishes. Seasonal cocktails complement the ingredients.

“I think I have the ability to give people an experience. If you come to a party and want to drink champagne or just want nice caviar, we have different taste profiles, textures and prices, ”explains Hergatt.

Caviar Bar will also be a vehicle for Hergatt’s caviar brand Caspy, with varieties such as Baerii, Kaluga, Golden Russian Osetra, and Sevruga used in his ornate culinary creations and available wholesale.

Kokkaido uni from Caviar Bar, flooded with hardened golden Osetra Caspy Caviar.
Courtesy Caviar Bar

Hergatt prides itself on being approachable and insists that caviar is there for everyone.

“In many cultures, it’s a way of life. If you go to many areas where caviar is available it is a millennial story. It became an elitist, opulent, expensive product based on supply and demand, ”he says. “It doesn’t have to break your bank account. It is something that you can eat on a regular basis. And to be honest, it’s just a delicious thing. There are so many different levels of quality. There are so many different taste profiles, there are different types of sturgeon and you can taste the nuances in the textures and colors. “

For those who don’t feel like fish eggs, organic salmon, tartare, Wagyu beef, an extensive selection of cheeses, ham and salami as well as rich desserts round off the menu, which can be presented à la carte or as a multi-course tasting.

“Whether you prefer a caviar-centric dish or just a nice piece of salmon, the restaurant provides an immersive social setting where people can meet, have a drink and mingle,” he says, adding, “The The art of cooking is to be super tasty food that people really enjoy. I love playing with the food and making sure it looks fun and exciting. “

At 20 years old in New York City, he has an extensive library of cocktail recipes and emphasizes that the wheel doesn’t have to be completely reinvented. “Can you change a martini? Yes you can. But I love a dirty martini on a great day. And when you have a great bartender who knows how to make the perfect dirty martini, it’s something you come back for, ”says Hergatt.

Chef Shaun Hergatt.
Courtesy Caviar Bar

On the wine front, an international selection awaits you with a focus on Burgundy and more than a dozen options by the glass.

And it wouldn’t be a caviar bar without Russian design influences. The room, designed by Roman Vnoukov, will have Belarusian crystal-adorned doors, fabric-covered walls and tables adorned with stingrays. On the ceiling you will find hand-blown crystal balls that look like caviar.

The Caviar Bar, open until 2 a.m., will serve guests with different goals throughout the night. “In the beginning, people come for a few drinks and try Iberian ham and a little caviar,” he says. The Caviar Bar welcomes the public late into the night for snacks, desserts and cocktails around midnight. “Have a few more drinks,” says Hergatt. “You don’t really want to go to a club because that’s just not your thing anymore.”

In a sign that the caviar craze could continue, American gourmet chef Thomas Keller and Shaoching Bishop launched Regiis Ova Caviar & Champagne, a new pop-up destination in Yountville, California earlier this year. His motto is to celebrate bubbles, classic dishes with a contemporary approach, and their caviar brand Regiis Ova.

Caviar bar.
Courtesy Caviar Bar