Students Again

Today, I dined at Restaurant Eliseevsky. This was my first encounter with Russian cuisine. This was definitely an enlightening and positive experience.

As I arrived in the parking lot where the restaurant was located I was not very impressed. The restaurant was hidden in the middle of the plaza. Once I finally noticed the restaurant it looked like a tiny rundown space in a plaza which is not very appealing when going out to eat. Once we went inside our outlook improved. The décor seemed to be authentic Russian,  not that I have experience spotting Russian décor. However, from my laymen perspective I could assume it was authentic considering I was in a Russian restaurant and it definitely was  not representative of an American establishment. The décor consisted of wooden tables which were similar to picnic tables. The tables were set for service complete with oil-burning  lanterns and wooden condiment holders. The walls of the restaurant were decorated in such a way as to give the impression that you are dining inside a log cabin. Every two or three  feet there were fake windows with window treatments. As you look through the fake windows, scenic pictures were painted.

After I was seated I was greeted by a waitress dressed in Russian dress and speaking with a Russian accent. She took the drink order. When she came back she had a service tray with  a rye-type bread basket and butter plate. On her tray she also had two shot glasses, one with a clear liquid and one with a reddish colored liquid inside. At first I didn’t pay much  attention, assuming it was going to be used to make some sort of oil based dip for our bread similar to an Italian restaurant. However, I was not in an Italian restaurant, the shot glasses  were filled with flavored vodka. The clear one was horseradish flavored and the reddish one was raspberry flavored. The waitress proudly stated that the shots were free and the  flavored vodka was made in the restaurant. So, I did the shots and was ready for dinner. For an appetizer I ordered Potato Vareniki. Potato Vareniki were little half moon shaped  steamed dough filled with potato. The appetizer consisted of about six of these little potato filled things topped with sour cream and chopped herbs. The appetizer was served in a little clay pot. This dish was very similar to potato pirogi. For the entrees, I ordered Skoblyanka and the Sturgeon Kabob. The Sturgeon Kebob was served very plainly. It looked like fish on a skewer on a plate with rice,  vegetables, and a single mussel. Regardless of appearance it tasted excellent. The Skoblyanka dish consisted of sliced Sturgeon topped with a reddish colored cream sauce and potatoes  with mushrooms. It was served in a little cast iron skillet which was with interesting. This dish also tasted excellent.

Although I am not very well acquainted with Russian culture or cuisine, I think the food and ambiance was probably quite representative of traditional Russian fare. I learned that Sturgeon  was more useful to Russian cuisine than the production of caviar, a shot of vodka before a meal is not uncommon, dark rye-type bread is common (probably due to cold climates making  wheat production difficult), and Russian décor is rather rustic in appearance. At the end of this experience it was clear that Restaurant Eliseevsky is definitely worth another visit.