Celebrate the last days of 2019 with some luxury.
The Eat: All of the caviar. All of it.
The Place: The American Hotel in Sag Harbor.
The Story: Caviar may feel like a luxury item (ok, fine, it’s a luxury item), but this week of the year, the last, requires a little added luxury. New Year’s Eve is, after all, about abundance and culinary excess. I can think of no finer place to visit in the final moments before the calendar flips than Sag Harbor’s historic American Hotel.
The American Hotel has a long and legendary history. It opened in 1846, during the height of the whaling era, and its appointments reflect that history. Think wooden accents and a roaring fireplace and Tiffany’s lamps. Think tablecloths and tiny crystal vases of fresh flowers and a low-ceilinged bar that makes you wish for a snowstorm.
Read more: Snail Caviar Arrives on the East End
The Hotel is a great place to hang out, regardless of the season, but in late December, it’s particularly wonderful. The menu has always veered toward classic European cuisine, featuring foie gras and bone marrow and classically prepared duck. And, of course, caviar.
It isn’t just one caviar, though. That would be basic. The American Hotel offers five different iterations of its caviar service: plateau de fruits de mer with Royal Osetra caviar (28 grams), for $175; Royal Osetra white sturgeon caviar on its own (28 grams), for $95; hackleback caviar, for $70; paddlefish caviar, for $55; and a trio of salmon roe, rainbow trout caviar, and bowfin caviar, for $55. Pair these gorgeous specimens with any number of sparkling wine or real deal Champagne from the restaurant’s tome of a wine list and you have the makings of a very impressive entrée to 2020.
Raise a glass to 2019. You were fun while you lasted. Onward. To caviar, Champagne, and a bright and happy 2020.
