Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
127
windmill. Its three dining halls are decked out as a farmyard with a stream and live pheas-
ants, a country attic, and a blacksmith's workshop. From a culinary standpoint, the best
thing about the restaurant is the half portions offered for many of its dishes, allowing you
to eat lightly or sample several of its traditional Russian specialties. Fish features promi-
nently, but the veal dishes are just as successful. Try one of the homemade liqueurs—a
small 50-gram glass is enough to sample the flavor without losing your lucidity.
24 Sadovaya-Spasskaya.
&
495/625-8890.
Main courses 700-1,200 rubles. AE, MC, V. Daily noon-mid-
night. Metro: Krasniye Vorota.
Rakhat-Lukum
CENTRAL ASIAN This is an accessible way to sample central Asian
cuisine without risking the desert heat or the digestive indignities that often accompany
travel in that part of the world. The name translates as “rest for the throat” in the Turkic
tongues spoken in most of the “-stans” of former Soviet Central Asia. The grilled meats
live up to the region's reputation, as does the
plov,
lamb chunks cooked in seasoned rice.
The
samsas,
the Uzbek version of samosas, are an excellent starter choice. Even better, try
the all-you-can-eat buffet bar (called
Vostochny Bazar
) and sample the food you're curious
about (there's even dried horse meat). “Rakhat-Lukum” often refers to a pistachio-based
dessert common in central Asia. It's an acquired taste, but if you're feeling brave, it's a
pleasant way to round off your meal. Otherwise, try some Bukharan tea or a hookah with
flavored water as an after-dinner treat.
9 Bolshaya Dmitrovka, building 1.
&
495/692-6151.
Main courses 300-600 rubles; business lunch 180
rubles. MC, V. Daily noon-midnight. Metro: Teatralnaya.
Taras Bulba-Korchma
UKRAINIAN The decorators went a bit overboard on
the Ukrainian country kitsch, but the food is hearty, reliable and free of pretense, and the
atmosphere is cheery. You can recognize the restaurant by the doormen, who are extrava-
gantly decked out as Cossacks all seasons of the year. The name comes from a story by
Nikolai Gogol, a tragic and epic tale of an aging 18th-century warrior (Bulba) who sets
off with his sons to join a Cossack band fighting for Ukrainian independence. The menu
has plenty of meat and potatoes, but also several soups based on beets, cabbage, or forest
greens. Ukrainian cooking makes heavy use of garlic, so if you're not a fan, let your server
know. If you do like garlic, try the
pampushki,
garlic-infused buttery rolls. This restaurant
is popular among busy, middle-class Russians looking for a taste of the countryside.
The most central location at 30/7 Petrovka; a dozen others around town.
&
495/694-6082.
www.taras
bulba.ru/en/index.php. Main courses 400-600 rubles. MC, V. Sun-Thurs noon-11pm; Fri-Sat noon-2am.
Metro: Pushkinskaya.
White Sun of the Desert
(Beloye Solntse Pustyni) CENTRAL ASIAN White
Sun of the Desert, named after a cult Soviet film about central Asia, features cuisine from
Uzbekistan and its neighbors, including a few dishes with an Arabian or Chinese flavor.
The lunch buffet is a staggering smorgasbord of fresh, marinated, and dried fruits and
vegetables; grilled lamb; delicately spiced ground-meat kebabs; and flaky pies. The menu
offers several versions of the central Asian favorite
plov,
a lamb-based rice pilaf. The staff
is costumed in technicolored turbans and wide-legged pants, a theatricalized version of
traditional Uzbek desert garb. Hookahs and belly dancing are offered after 8pm. It's one
of a series of kitschy yet elite themed restaurants around town.
29/14 Neglinnaya St.
&
495/625-2596.
www.bsp-rest.ru. Reservations recommended for dinner. Main
courses 1,000-1,500 rubles. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Sat 11am-midnight. Metro: Chekhovskaya or Tsvetnoi
Bulvar.
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