Bemka House of Caviar & Fine Foods

I ordered foie gras via their online store. Awful! Horrible! When I opened one package of the pre-​cut caviar, it fell apart. I wrote an email to complain about the quality of the foie gras. No response! Buyer beware. They go by Caviar Lover —
online. Didn’t know that this is the same business. If I did, I would have avoided this like a plague!

I would recommend a stop at the House of Fine Foods to absolutely anyone who loves gastronomic indulgences, especially if you love to cook at home. You just can’t find these types of ingredients at any old store. This place is the real deal.
The first time I walked into the Bemka building I felt like a kid in Candy Land. As you all know, I’m a complete foodie and love to explore new and unique flavors and especially exotic and rare ingredients. I’ve purchased from Bemka both as a wholesale customer, (back when I was working with the restaurant/​nightlife scene down in SOBE), and more recently as a retail customer now that I’ve moved North to the area. I used to order online when I lived South (Free local delivery is a plus!) I was ecstatic when I learned that anyone can walk in off the street and buy anything in the warehouse! I had always known them as an importer that supplied all my favorite restaurants, but now I know they can supply my kitchen, also!
The retail section of the store is located in the front of the building, along with the offices. When you walk in there is a pretty display of items and a large cooler with plenty of samples to browse, but absolutely anything in their catalogue will be packed to order while you wait, because their entire warehouse and processing facility is attached to the store. Major bonus! I was given the grand tour and was just amazed at the cleanliness of the place, the large and diverse inventory, and the knowledge of the staff. All of my questions were answered and they made it so much more than a shopping experience.
So now, getting down to the goodies; Of course I had to try the caviar. I know my caviar, having worked so closely with it «in the biz» for so many years. They have everything from sushi grade tobycos (which I’m definitely going to try for my next sushi party!) all the way up to Kaluga… as good as it gets! I decided on something in the middle range price-​wise, and went home with an amazing Russian Ossetra that was simply divine. I got to see them packing my jar from the original Kilo… it was really an experience.
I also bought a bag of sliced Foie Gras (Hudson Valley brand) and again, it was just perfect. I got some balsamic vinegar to dress it in and lightly seared it at home. It was just like the best preparations of foie you’d get at a fine steakhouse, but I got 16 pieces for not much more than you’d pay for two portions in a restaurant. Score again.
I am very surprised that the other person who reviewed this place was complaining about the truffles. I’m a truffle fanatic and I’ve always loved cooking with them at home, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s easy to mess them up. If she got a burgundy truffle (which everyone knows is a mild truffle) you have to apply gentle heat to them to bring out the full essence and oil is essential. I got both truffle olive oil and a really beautifully nice-​sized chunk of truffle and made an absolutely devastating truffle parmesan alfredo with it.
I also got some pine nuts that were far nicer and way more inexpensive than anything I’ve found in publix or even whole foods. They have all kinds of things I’d never have thought of, like fruit purees and imported oils, smoked fish, specialty meats, exotic mushrooms, pates and flavored honey and all kinds of other stuff that made me want to immediately start cooking and experimenting.
I’m definitely coming back regularly. The selection was great, the quality was really superb, the staff was friendly and knowledgeable, and even the warehouse was not only well appointed and stocked, but clean and organized. It was really cool to get a quick behind the scenes peek at this aspect of the fine foods industry. They also told me they do free local deliveries, but I think it’s fun to come in person and get the full experience!

I ordered caviar, a fois gras and a truffle for our family’s Christmas. The caviar and fois gras were wonderful but the Burgundy truffle was scentless and tasteless.
Their website describes it as «Widely used, burgundy truffles are known and appreciated around the world; the picking season goes from September to December. Burgundy is excellent when is fully ripe.»
When I called to complain that the truffle was scentless and tasteless, I was told that was because it was a summer truffle. I pointed out that their website does not describe it as a summer truffle and certainly says nothing about it being a «Milder» tasting truffle as I was told on the phone. I told the woman it was not a case of it being a milder taste, that it really had no taste.
While two of the products I ordered were excellent, I recommend that you not order from this company because of their poor customer service with the item that I took issue with. That «truffle» was $ 65 down the drain!