Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
244
a good cold-weather choice, steaming and heaped with the sauce of your choice (Russians
prefer sour cream, or
smetana
). One of its easily reached locations is listed below.
186 Moskovsky Prospekt.
&
812/327-9755.
Full meal 40-160 rubles. No credit cards. Daily 10am-10pm.
Metro: Park Pobedy.
Idiot
VEGETARIAN This bohemian basement on the foggy banks of Moika Canal,
named after one of Dostoyevsky's novels, attracts a fair share of brooding, philosophical
types of all nationalities. It bills itself as a vegetarian restaurant, and there is indeed no
meat on the menu, but most people come here to warm up with a glass of mulled wine
or the complimentary welcome shot of vodka, or to chill out with a book and a cool
drink in the back room. The food is homey and satisfying, especially anything with the
wild mushrooms that Russians are so expert at preparing, as well as the miniature pies
(pirozhki)
stuffed with cabbage, apricots, or potatoes. Idiot is a great place to stop while
wandering the Moika, since there's nowhere else to eat nearby.
82 Moika Canal.
&
812/315-1675.
Main courses 200-800 rubles. MC, V. Daily 11am-midnight. Metro:
Sennaya Ploshchad or Nevsky Prospekt.
7
VASILEVSKY ISLAND &
THE PETROGRAD SIDE
EXPENSIVE
Flying Dutchman
(Letuchy Gollandets) INTERNATIONAL The most eccentric of
the overpriced ship-restaurants along the north shore of the Neva, the Flying Dutchman
has a 24-hour fitness center among its amenities so you can burn off your dinner, and a
beauty salon to clean you up afterward. The top-floor restaurant, the dance club down-
stairs, and the gym have floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Peter and Paul Fortress
or of the river and the Hermitage on the opposite bank. This is a good place for a big party
or a special night out, but it's not very subtle or intimate. Though there's no official dress
code, hosts may snub you in favor of better-dressed customers. Cuisine is all over the world
map, from caviar on ice to duck à l'orange and the ubiquitous sushi. Quality is overall good,
but mostly you're paying for location and atmosphere, not the food.
5 Mitnenskaya Naberezhnaya.
&
812/336-3737.
Reservations recommended weekends. Main courses
1,000-3,000 rubles. AE, MC, V. Different halls have different opening hrs., roughly 10am till the last guest
leaves. Metro: Gorkovskaya.
13
Restoran
RUSSIAN/SEAFOOD This excellent restaurant achieves elegance in
cuisine and decor through simplicity, a rare thing in this city of elaborate imperial tastes.
The chefs focus on reinterpreting Russian classics with an emphasis on fish from the
Baltic and nearby rivers. The unvarnished wood and the stone vaulted arches make the
place feel medieval, but the food's presentation and preparation are fully modern. A table
of homemade liqueurs made from cranberry, ginger, juniper, or garlic is the first thing
you pass; farther along is a tea table with a samovar and homemade jams; and deeper
inside is a salad bar focusing on marinated vegetables and pickled fish. The appetizers are
extensive and can be combined to make a full meal. Otherwise, try the pike quenelles or
the tender rabbit with braised vegetables. The staff is accommodating but not overbear-
ing, and though they welcome tour groups, the restaurant doesn't feel at all touristy.
