Russian Tea Time

I never thought Russian food was all that diverse or vegetarian (fishetarian) friendly, but today was the second time we've tried the Russian Tea Time restaurant and left very satisfied. (To be fair, the cuisine of this particular restaurant ranges from classic czarist fare to the Uzbek hinterland which does a yummy vegetarian stew.) The first time we went there, we got the vegetarian platter for two and couldn't eat all of the food that was brought owing to the quantity, not the quality of the offerings: close to a dozen different vibrant salads and stews. Interesting combinations of spices transformed beets several savory ways, as well as white beans and kasha. All of these make for warm and comforting flavors, especially on a cold winter's night.

This evening we ventured into other parts of the menu with a fabulous pumpkin vareniky with smoldering underpinnings of cinnamon and cumin. This is something I want to figure out and make at home. It tasted a much more delicate than the usually heavy, synonymous perogi. It was hard to decide among the vege options for the main course so I ended up with the salmon crepes. Again, the smoked salmon hit the spot as well as the egg salad and other crepe components, and the portion was more generous than I needed, but somehow, with my stomach still in Xmas mode, I managed to clean my plate (though after another attempt I'm still not a roe fan). Also, the humble bread basket needs to be mentioned as this is an entire loaf of inky rye full of nuts that could be a meal in itself. The dessert we shared was an apricot and plum strudel which was also enriched with walnuts. Dense, a bit like a baklava, only no phyllo or layers of honey, instead it was encased in a robe of sugar dusted pastry and topped with a crosshatch of raspberry syrup. A perfect follow-up to the Nutcracker performance and a little Xmas spirit that doesn't know when to quit.