McDonald’s
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Chefs at upscale eateries have long loved serving luxury ingredients like truffles and caviar, but now a fast-food giant is getting into the craze for fancy fish eggs.
McDonald’s is hijacking the internet’s caviar nugget obsession and will soon be offering it straight from the source. The Golden Arches recently announced that it will release a limited run of free McNugget® Caviar kits – which will come with a 1-ounce tin of “premium Baerii Sturgeon caviar,” a $25 gift card, creme fraiche and a Mother of Pearl spoon – ahead of Valentine’s Day. The kits drop on Tuesday, February 10 at 11 a.m. ET exclusively online at McNuggetCaviar.com.
This promotion begs the question: Has the caviar trend officially gone too far?
Caviar used to be a weird flex reserved for the rich and famous. Typically eaten with creme fraiche and blinis, lowly sturgeon roe rose to elite status when Russian czars developed a taste for it. By the early 20th century, it was being paired with champagne and silver spoons in royal courts across Europe and Parisian salons like the famed Caviar Kaspia (which still exists today and has locations around the world, including a pop-up at the Snow Lodge in Aspen that’s open through March).
Then, a few years ago, something shifted. We moved from caviar with creme fraiche to caviar on…everything. With influencers and celebrities pushing the trend, caviar started appearing on chicken nuggets (like the $100 six-piece nugget caviar box at last year’s U.S. Open), potato chips, ice cream, pizza and even Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Rihanna herself shared a video about her caviar nugget obsession; but, let’s be honest, when you have a billion dollars, it makes sense to eat a caviar nugget. As for the rest of us plebeians, are we subtly (or, not so subtly) being encouraged to live beyond our means just for the ‘gram?
As the wealth gap in the United States continues to widen, it feels like our algorithms are fattening us up on a culture of excess and unattainable luxury we were never meant to afford. Nonetheless, the trend persists, and there’s no shortage of places around Denver that will put caviar on…anything.
Caviar Nugget at Edge Bar
McDonald’s isn’t the only place offering caviar nuggets. For $30, you can buy a single caviar nugget at Edge Bar at the Four Seasons. The housemade chicken nugget comes with Ossetra caviar and Rocky Mountain Ranch. After you down the “meal,” we suggest hanging out at the bar for a while and finding a sugar daddy to pick up the tab.
Caviar Dog Served in a Dinosaur at Yacht Club
Yacht Club is one of the best bars in Denver, and arguably one of the top watering holes in the entire country, but its $25 caviar dog leaves us asking, “why?” The frank comes “dressed to the 9s,” topped with caviar, creme fraiche, pickled shallot and tater chips, and is inexplicably presented in a dinosaur holder.
Caviar Tots Served in an Ashtray at Champagne Tiger
Champagne Tiger’s Sunday drag brunch is undeniably a good time, and this spot makes a mean mortadella melt, but it loses us at the caviar tots. The $53 dish (or, more accurately, ashtray) comes with five tater tots accompanied by creme fraiche and an 8-gram dollop of caviar – but you do also get to keep the ashtray it’s served in.
Caviar and Gold Flakes on Ice Cream at Origami Den
This buzzy new sushi speakeasy debuted under Sushi Hai in November, and it’s putting caviar on everything from chicken Karaage to vanilla ice cream. Not to yuck anyone’s yum, but isn’t ice cream yummy enough without caviar and gold flakes?
Caviar Pizza at Salt Water Social
The caviar pizza at Salt Water Social reads more like a flatbread than a proper pizza, dressed in lemon cream, chives and a dollop of caviar on each slice. Simply listed at “market price” on the menu, you might as well spring for the traditional caviar service (also “market price”) and eat it straight out of the tin.
Caviar on Latkes at Odell’s Bagel
During Hanukkah, Odell’s Bagel offered $95 caviar latke kits that would make your bubbe say, “Oy vey!” It comes with eight latkes, creme fraiche, housemade apple butter, chives and, of course, Kaluga caviar. We’ve also seen Odell’s bougie latkes at its nighttime kaiseki concept, the Counter, where they were topped with caviar and otoro. Whatever happened to sour cream and apple sauce?
Writer’s Note: This list is meant to be taken in good fun. While internet trends come and go, local restaurants are doing the real work. Please support them whenever you can, caviar nuggets and all.
