Romania - Eastern Europe - page 499

chicken breast, wrapped in bacon and prepared with smoked plum, cinnamon, red
wine, and a secret brown sauce, and finished with green basil, will be available.
Str. Episcopiei 3. & 021/313-4900. Main courses L24 ($8.60/£4.60). MC, V. Daily noon-1am.
Burebista Vanatoresc ROMANIAN This is pure unadulterated Romanian
cuisine, but animal-lovers (and vegetarians) should steer clear of this medieval-themed
meat temple with decor straight out of a natural history museum. Animal trophies and
stuffed birds peer down from the walls as you feast on dishes straight from the hunt:
specialties include bear paws and civet. Some more palatable items include spicy,
crispy pork ribs, filet of wild boar in red-wine sauce, roasted wild pheasant with cur-
rant sauce, and flame-grilled beef filet with a red-wine and brandy sauce. While there
are promises of musical performances most evenings, it's not unlikely that you'll be lis-
tening to awful Western pop songs; be warned also that service can get extremely surly
and sluggish.
Str. Batistei 14. & 021/211-8929. www.restaurantburebista.ro. Main courses L10-L70 ($3.60-$26/£1.90-£13);
bear paws L450 ($162/£86) each. MC, V. Daily 11am-midnight.

Charme ITALIAN/ECLECTIC New, favored hangout of Bucharest's entrepre-
neurial brat-pack, this pleasant restaurant centers on a long, lovely bar counter, and
offers relaxed dining in a bright space in the Lipscani District. A self-consciously con-
temporary atmosphere (most of the seating is on sofas or awkward, modish swivel
chairs) is enhanced by good lounge music, and tall, friendly waiters in Dunhill-spon-
sored uniforms. Dishes are simple, wholesome and tasty: take your pick of grilled
lamb, osso buco, grilled swordfish, calamari with spicy ricotta cheese, lamb chops with
black beer sauce, pasta with porcini mushrooms, or beef filet with a choice of mustard
sauce, a rich Gorgonzola sauce, or fresh asparagus. Most of what's on the menu is
under 10 ($13), and your table will be supplied with fresh bread and olives to nib-

ble on. It may be flavor of the month (it only opened mid-2006), but the location
lends it great charm; grab a seat on the small wooden terrace and you'll easily spend
an afternoon watching pedestrians come and go.
Smardan 12. & 021/3111-1619. Main courses L12-L45 ($4.30-$16/£2.30-£8.60). Cover L2.50 (90¢/50p). MC, V.
Daily 9am-11pm; lounge and bar until late.
Il Gattopardo Blu ITALIAN/ROMANIAN The setting is the thing here, inside
the mournfully atmospheric Casa Scriitorilor (HQ of the Writers' Union), a perfectly
crumbling pile that's ripe for restoration (and certainly worth exploring before or after
your meal). Once inside the monument, look through the cobwebs for the little red
sign on a mezzanine-level door; it reads “restaurant 12-24,” and behind the door is the
“Blue Leopard” restaurant (named for Visconti's famous film The Leopard ). A lovely
place for a relaxed lunch in summer, when you should head straight for the leafy ter-
race garden. Grilled sturgeon and trout are popular, as is the escallop of beef, but to
be honest you're not here for the food, but to imbibe in a naive romantic fantasy, with
birds twittering in the trees above, while canned Romanian love songs are belted out
by operatic voices.
Calea Victoriei 115. & 021/319-6595. Main courses L11-L58 ($3.95-$21/£2.10-£11). MC, V. Sun-Fri noon-midnight.
La Mandragora FRENCH FUSION Decadent decor and smart ideas
about food have inspired a classy, edgy ambience at this lovely new restaurant that
opened in a renovated house in June 2006. Lilac-colored walls, a glittering bar, and

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