Red Square Caviar Bar: Just the facts, ma’am

It’s hard to believe that all these years after I originally ran an article about Red Square Caviar Bar on Rehoboth Avenue (in 2012), the same irresponsible innuendo thrives. This, in spite of the fact that the owner is a longtime local Rehoboth resident with two sports-loving sons, both of whom were Rehoboth lifeguards and excelled in area schools. Is Red Square an unusual restaurant? It sure is. It follows a very specific model that’s nothing like the usual crabcake/burger, pizza/corn dog beach fare (not that there’s anything wrong with that). So enough already: In the immortal words of the late, great radio commentator Paul Harvey, “And now, the rest of the story.”

Founder Tom Kopunek was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Pennsylvania. He moved to this area in 1984. As a research chemist, he was sent to work in Russia, where he met the strikingly attractive Victoria, a Russian-language professor at Kharkov State University. In 1991, Tom returned to the United States with Victoria. They married shortly thereafter and had two sons, Ruslan and Philip.

Back in ’97, Tom and Victoria opened a PostNet franchise in Midway Shopping Center, providing business services to local residents. But Victoria had a dream. She missed the ritual of leisurely late-evening dining so prevalent in her home country, where special occasions commanded the finest of everything served in opulent surroundings. And thus, in 2001, Red Square was born.

Sadly, during the summer of 2013, Tom passed away quite unexpectedly. Regulars remember him as being happiest behind the bar, offering tastes of his premium vodkas to appreciative guests. During an early interview, he told me, “We do something a little different. We’re not competing with anybody. And enough people appreciate what we do to keep us there to enjoy this dining tradition along with them.” Even with the passage of time, Tom’s hospitality is still missed.

In the tradition of Manhattan’s Russian Tea Room and Russia House in the Washington, D.C. area, Red Square stocks well over 400 different vodkas. Russian cuisine is accompanied by imported black caviar. There are no TVs, no Buffalo wings, no Keno and certainly no NFL specials. Russian music plays softly in the background. I asked Victoria why they made such an investment in a casual beach town. She said, “We did it here because we love the beach. And those who like what we do – many of whom are from Washington, D.C. – are our faithful customers.” One of the reasons the restaurant appears uninhabited when most people are strolling The Avenue is that the caviar/vodka crowd is generally a late one. The Russia House used to be open until 3 a.m. on weekends!

In 2002, the Kopuneks had opened JavaByte in Midway Shopping Center, providing live mailing and high-speed internet services to many of our J-1 (work-exchange visa) students. “It was everything a café was supposed to be, but without the alcohol,” said Tom. In 2007, they folded the PostNet shipping/printing services into JavaByte. Victoria earned her real estate license in ’07, and she still sells properties up and down the Delaware coast for NextHome Tomorrow Realty.

She continues to be amused by most – not all – of the silly rumors that fly around town. People who walk by, whisper excitedly that it’s a front for the “Russian mob,” and who-knows-what is moving in and out of the back door. Victoria laughs: “People say we’re in the mob. I tell them we are a very friendly mob. Oh, and we don’t even have a back door!” Tom admitted to me long ago that, on sunlit days, the glass façade on the south-side Rehoboth Avenue location can make Red Square look a bit dark and mysterious in late afternoon. But as evening falls, Victoria’s hand-picked Swarovski crystal chandeliers cast a soft glow over the crimson booths and silver serving pieces. And loyal regulars agree: Tom’s generous spirit still presides over the ornate bar.

If you like quality caviar, a mellow atmosphere and unusual vodkas, give Red Square Caviar Bar a try. It’s open Thursday through Saturday year-round from 6 p.m. to around 10 … or later if the caviar is flowing.

Bob Yesbek writes and talks beach eats nonstop. He can be reached at byesbek@capegazette.com.