Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of town. The restaurant takes its name from one of Anton Chekhov's plays. The menu
of Russian favorites is accessible and safe, with highlights including cold sorrel soup
(zelyoniye shchi),
wild mushrooms, and buckwheat kasha.
16 Pyatnitskaya (entrance in courtyard).
&
095/951-0586.
Main courses $5-$15 (£3-£8). MC, V. Daily
8:30am-midnight. Metro: Novokuznetskaya.
INEXPENSIVE
Russkye Raki (Russian Crayfish)
RUSSIAN To a Russian, the crayfish is a
summertime staple as crucial to the national cuisine as caviar, and much more acces-
sible. Bright red, just-boiled crayfish are the main draw, with variations such as boiled
in beer, spiced, or doused in cream sauce.
11/4 Maroseika, building 1.
&
095/921-8545.
Main courses $3-$8 (£2-£4). No credit cards. Daily 11am-11pm.
Metro: Kitai-Gorod.
Moments
Banya Bliss
It's not on most tourist itineraries, but if you can squeeze it in, there's no
better way to shed city grime and immerse yourself in Russian culture than
to visit a banya. Something between a steam bath and a sauna, the banya
has been an important cleansing and resting ritual for centuries. Traditional
banyas are huts built alongside rural houses, where families take turns
steaming themselves clean, then plunge into a tub of cool water or a nearby
stream, or roll in the snow to cool off. In Moscow, banya culture ranges
from elite spa-type facilities with expensive body masks and luxurious pedi-
cures (for both sexes) to more proletarian facilities used by residents of com-
munal apartments tired of waiting in line for the shower at home. Thought
to cure many ills, the banya is a great rainy-day activity for tourists, too, if
you pick one with a bit of history. In the women's halls, bathers treat the
steam water with eucalyptus oil and coat their skin with honey, coffee
grounds, or whatever other remedy they learned from grandma. In the
men's halls, business deals are often made over copious beer and snacks. In
both halls you're likely to see bathers beating each other (gently) with birch
branches; the practice is believed to enhance the cleansing process.
Sandunovskiye Banyi,
an ornate and cheerful 19th-century bathhouse, is a
favorite with “new Russians” and Moscow-based expatriates. They have two
levels of service for each gender. A 2-hour deluxe-level session costs $22 (£11);
a 2-hour standard-level session costs $14 (£7). The differences between the
deluxe and standard sessions are minimal; a “deluxe” session basically trans-
lates into more elegant furnishings and a larger steam room. Sheets, towels,
and slippers can be rented for $1 to $4 (£80-£3.35), or you can bring your
own. The deluxe level is offered Tuesday through Sunday from 8am to 10pm;
the standard level is offered Wednesday through Monday from 8am to 10pm.
You'll find the baths at 14 Neglinnaya St., buildings 3 to 7; the entrance is on
Zvonarsky Pereulok (
&
095/925-4631;
www.sanduny.ru).
S lyokhim parom,
as the Russians say, or “Good steam to you.”
