Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
245
Impressions
On the tray were herb-brandy, different kinds of vodka, pickled mushrooms, rye-
cakes made with buttermilk, honey in the comb, still mead and sparkling mead,
apples, plain nuts and roasted nuts, and nuts in honey . . . preserves made with honey
and with sugar, a ham and a fowl that had just been roasted to a turn.
-Leo Tolstoy,
War and Peace
2 Tamozhenny Pereulok.
&
812/327-8979.
Reservations recommended on weekends. Main courses
400-3,000 rubles. MC, V. Daily noon-midnight. Metro: Vasileostrovskaya.
Russkaya Rybalka
(Russian Fishing Expedition) RUSSIAN For a more
hands-on dining experience, head to this island escape and catch your own meal. This
restaurant harvests local fish that customers can reel in themselves, and its chefs then
clean and prepare it to order. Catfish, eel, carp, crayfish, sterlet, and even sturgeon are
among the offerings, but the choice depends on the season. Ducks and swans populate
the ponds, too, but are not on the menu. Among the dozens of homemade sauces, the
garlic-almond cream sauce is the standout. You can sit on the sunny terrace or rent out
little heated wooden huts that seat six to eight and have your food brought to you
there—huts cost 1,800 rubles for 1 hour, 2,300 rubles for 2 hours or more. The restau-
rant is welcoming and offers a generous children's play area. In a taxi or car, it's just 10
or 15 minutes from the city center, but on public transport you have to walk a good 15
minutes from the nearest metro.
Krestovsky Island, 11 Yuzhnaya Doroga.
&
812/323-9813.
www.russian-fishing.ru. Reservations recom-
mended, especially in summer. Fish sold by weight; main courses 500-2,000 rubles. AE, MC, V. Daily
noon-midnight. Fishing ponds heated in winter but selection is better Apr-Oct. Metro: Krestovsky
Ostrov, then taxi (ask the driver for Russkaya Rybalka) or 15 min. on foot.
13
Staraya Tamozhnya
(Old Customs House) FRENCH/RUSSIAN This top-
notch restaurant is as ornate as its neighbor Restoran (above) is austere. Scarlet and gold
plates are carefully set upon gold-embroidered table linens, furniture is artfully carved and
polished, and even the flowery menu is constantly redesigned. The restaurant celebrates
French culinary traditions the way Russian aristocracy of the 18th and 19th centuries did.
Today it's popular with well-to-do Russian and foreign executives and visitors on a splurge.
The menu is updated according to seasonal availability. A special truffle menu comes out
in January, and the
pot-au-feu
with lobster pops up a few times a year. Keep an eye out for
the pheasant with pine nuts and endive. The French cheeses and three-chocolate fondue are
always divine. The wine cellar corner is cozy, and a light jazz ensemble plays most evenings.
In a nod to its Russian location, the restaurant hosts vodka-tasting sessions.
1 Tamozhenny Pereulok.
&
812/327-8980.
Reservations required for dinner. Main courses 1,000-4,000
rubles. Piano performances 2-5pm, jazz performances at 7pm. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 1pm-midnight.
Metro: Vasileostrovskaya.
MODERATE
Akademiya
EUROPEAN Though it can't seem to decide whether it's mass-mar-
ket or elitist, Akademiya's food is consistently good. The place is not as stylish as the other
restaurants on this corner (see Restoran and Staraya Tamozhnya, above), but it's less
