Sunday, October 07, 2007
We Were Only Going to Dinner at the Mall…
The first day of the Moscow Air Show went well, and after our more than hour-long police escorted ride back to the hotel, we were all ready to take showers and head out to dinner. Brian suggested heading to the nearby mall for a quick bite so we could return to the hotel early enough for a good night’s rest before the remaining five days of the air show.
When the colonel and I met him downstairs, Brian said his friend Erkin, whom he had met several months ago while studying at the Marshall Center, was going to meet him and that we were welcome to join them for dinner. We couldn’t refuse dinner with a Muscovite, so we gladly agreed to forgo dinner at the mall. It also meant that the only camera between the three of us was Brian’s cell phone camera (hence the quality of these photos).
The first indication that it would be an interesting evening was when we hailed two gypsy cabs to take us to the restaurant. Apparently, if the hotel concierge had called a cab, it would have cost 1,000 Rubles (roughly $40) each. If we hailed our own legitimate cab, it would have brought the cost down to 600 Rubles. Gypsy cabs only cost 200 Rubles ($8) each, and you truly get what you pay for. I climbed into the back of a burgundy Lada with lion-print faux fur covering the seat, and sat beside Erkin’s colleague Adelina, another Marshall Center graduate.
Our cab ride was definitely hair-raising. When I searched for my seatbelt, Adelina motioned that I shouldn’t bother with it, but I dug between the seat cushion and found the buckle, hoping that I wouldn’t offend her by insisting on being buckled...and was very glad that I did! I felt like I was reliving my day on the Dover Downs speedway, wide-eyed, white-knuckled and with what seemed like a large portion of Moscow’s 13 million inhabitants on the road with me. Oh, and I wasn’t in charge this time. That was probably a good thing since there is no direct route between any two points in the city -- I would have been absolutely lost and turned around had I tried to get there on my own. Our route took us on and off major and minor roads, cutting across as many as seven lanes of traffic, around twists and turns, and past casinos, bars, the Red Square and even the former KGB headquarters before we came to a stop at what appeared to be a dead end street. Erkin and Adelina climbed out of the cabs, and we followed suit, glad to have our feet firmly planted back on solid ground.
We walked toward a corner building, down a flight of stairs at the entrance (see the photo above), and waited while Erkin rang the buzzer three times. A moment later, the door opened and an imposing man in business pants and a button-up shirt checked Erkin’s membership card before allowing us to enter. I felt like I was stepping back in time and entering a 1920’s speakeasy! Instead, it was Petrovich Restaurant.
Erkin explained that the decorations in this restaurant were reminiscent of the Soviet-era. The place was similar to a Soviet flat, and each room had a different theme. Think of a Soviet-themed Applebee’s with appropriate eclectic memorabilia adorning the walls. We sat in the largest room, complete with brick archways intersecting the room and a two-person band playing (mostly) American music. There are several old cameras hanging on the wall behind the colonel and me in the photo at right. Below you can see artistic busts of famous Russians adorning the wall above Erkin and Adelina.
We started with drinks, “traditional Russian drinks,” as Erkin repeatedly told us. We each had two shot glasses of klukvennaya nastoika, which was -- as best as I can describe it -- a strawberry-flavored, vodka-like liquor. Good, but strong! Erkin explained that after drinking that, we were to follow it with a “traditional Russian soda” -- kvas. Kvas wasn’t carbonated, and looked more like strong ice tea. We couldn’t quite figure out what was in it, but it had a slight grape flavor, almost like it was not-quite-fermented wine. It was really good. I later found out that kvas is a fermented rye bread water that’s mildly alcoholic. One reference I found to the drink claimed that it tastes a little like ginger beer, but since I don’t like beer, I wouldn’t know (maybe I should try ginger beer one of these days). Russians must think it’s cool and refreshing since I saw water-buffalo tanks (or rather, Kvas-buffalo tanks) throughout the city and at the air show with lines of people ready for doses. If you look closely a the photo to the left, you can see a glass of kvas in front of the lit candle, and a tall shot glass of klukvennaya nastoika beside that. There's also the expected shot glass of vodka beside the large plastic water bottle.
When it was time to order, we were at Erkin and Adelina’s mercy since the menus didn't have a single English word, but they didn’t disappoint... again selecting a variety of “traditional Russian” fare. Appetizers included a type of salmon and a beet-based soup with cabbage and onions (see the photos above). Both were very delicious. For our main course, we sampled pork and chicken dishes, both of which were also very good. Erkin seemed determined to make sure we had an ample sample of “traditional Russian food,” and we all enjoyed everything. Brian and the colonel both had a few extra shots of vodka, but I managed to limit my alcohol to the two shots of klukvennaya nastoika and miniscule sips of vodka during toasts.
Dinner was wonderful, and, before we left, Erkin and Adelina gave us a nickel tour through the rest of the restaurant. The restaurant’s namesake, Petrovich, was a cartoon-like character (think “Where’s Waldo” meets the “Simpsons”) who seemed to travel the world. There were photos of him on Mount Rushmore, as an Egyptian sphinx and visiting other notable locales. There were also many other artistic busts adorning the walls...including one of Princess Diana (definitely not a Russian, but it goes to show you how well-liked she was around the world).
The night previous, I had tried going to see the Russian Ballet’s performance of the Nutcracker with some of the B-52 crew at the air show, but we went to the wrong location and missed the show (we were all very disappointed!). In our attempt to make the ballet on time, though, we had gone to a fast-food place in the nearby mall for hamburgers and fries before setting out on our trek. I have never had such horrible food in my life! It was so awful, none of us could finish our meals (I barely finished half of my kid-size burger). So, this evening’s fare at Petrovich’s was a true treat!! I suppose that’s the secret to sampling local cuisine...go with a local who won’t steer you wrong! Thanks Erkin!
When the colonel and I met him downstairs, Brian said his friend Erkin, whom he had met several months ago while studying at the Marshall Center, was going to meet him and that we were welcome to join them for dinner. We couldn’t refuse dinner with a Muscovite, so we gladly agreed to forgo dinner at the mall. It also meant that the only camera between the three of us was Brian’s cell phone camera (hence the quality of these photos).
The first indication that it would be an interesting evening was when we hailed two gypsy cabs to take us to the restaurant. Apparently, if the hotel concierge had called a cab, it would have cost 1,000 Rubles (roughly $40) each. If we hailed our own legitimate cab, it would have brought the cost down to 600 Rubles. Gypsy cabs only cost 200 Rubles ($8) each, and you truly get what you pay for. I climbed into the back of a burgundy Lada with lion-print faux fur covering the seat, and sat beside Erkin’s colleague Adelina, another Marshall Center graduate.Our cab ride was definitely hair-raising. When I searched for my seatbelt, Adelina motioned that I shouldn’t bother with it, but I dug between the seat cushion and found the buckle, hoping that I wouldn’t offend her by insisting on being buckled...and was very glad that I did! I felt like I was reliving my day on the Dover Downs speedway, wide-eyed, white-knuckled and with what seemed like a large portion of Moscow’s 13 million inhabitants on the road with me. Oh, and I wasn’t in charge this time. That was probably a good thing since there is no direct route between any two points in the city -- I would have been absolutely lost and turned around had I tried to get there on my own. Our route took us on and off major and minor roads, cutting across as many as seven lanes of traffic, around twists and turns, and past casinos, bars, the Red Square and even the former KGB headquarters before we came to a stop at what appeared to be a dead end street. Erkin and Adelina climbed out of the cabs, and we followed suit, glad to have our feet firmly planted back on solid ground.
We walked toward a corner building, down a flight of stairs at the entrance (see the photo above), and waited while Erkin rang the buzzer three times. A moment later, the door opened and an imposing man in business pants and a button-up shirt checked Erkin’s membership card before allowing us to enter. I felt like I was stepping back in time and entering a 1920’s speakeasy! Instead, it was Petrovich Restaurant.
Erkin explained that the decorations in this restaurant were reminiscent of the Soviet-era. The place was similar to a Soviet flat, and each room had a different theme. Think of a Soviet-themed Applebee’s with appropriate eclectic memorabilia adorning the walls. We sat in the largest room, complete with brick archways intersecting the room and a two-person band playing (mostly) American music. There are several old cameras hanging on the wall behind the colonel and me in the photo at right. Below you can see artistic busts of famous Russians adorning the wall above Erkin and Adelina.
We started with drinks, “traditional Russian drinks,” as Erkin repeatedly told us. We each had two shot glasses of klukvennaya nastoika, which was -- as best as I can describe it -- a strawberry-flavored, vodka-like liquor. Good, but strong! Erkin explained that after drinking that, we were to follow it with a “traditional Russian soda” -- kvas. Kvas wasn’t carbonated, and looked more like strong ice tea. We couldn’t quite figure out what was in it, but it had a slight grape flavor, almost like it was not-quite-fermented wine. It was really good. I later found out that kvas is a fermented rye bread water that’s mildly alcoholic. One reference I found to the drink claimed that it tastes a little like ginger beer, but since I don’t like beer, I wouldn’t know (maybe I should try ginger beer one of these days). Russians must think it’s cool and refreshing since I saw water-buffalo tanks (or rather, Kvas-buffalo tanks) throughout the city and at the air show with lines of people ready for doses. If you look closely a the photo to the left, you can see a glass of kvas in front of the lit candle, and a tall shot glass of klukvennaya nastoika beside that. There's also the expected shot glass of vodka beside the large plastic water bottle.
When it was time to order, we were at Erkin and Adelina’s mercy since the menus didn't have a single English word, but they didn’t disappoint... again selecting a variety of “traditional Russian” fare. Appetizers included a type of salmon and a beet-based soup with cabbage and onions (see the photos above). Both were very delicious. For our main course, we sampled pork and chicken dishes, both of which were also very good. Erkin seemed determined to make sure we had an ample sample of “traditional Russian food,” and we all enjoyed everything. Brian and the colonel both had a few extra shots of vodka, but I managed to limit my alcohol to the two shots of klukvennaya nastoika and miniscule sips of vodka during toasts.
Dinner was wonderful, and, before we left, Erkin and Adelina gave us a nickel tour through the rest of the restaurant. The restaurant’s namesake, Petrovich, was a cartoon-like character (think “Where’s Waldo” meets the “Simpsons”) who seemed to travel the world. There were photos of him on Mount Rushmore, as an Egyptian sphinx and visiting other notable locales. There were also many other artistic busts adorning the walls...including one of Princess Diana (definitely not a Russian, but it goes to show you how well-liked she was around the world).The night previous, I had tried going to see the Russian Ballet’s performance of the Nutcracker with some of the B-52 crew at the air show, but we went to the wrong location and missed the show (we were all very disappointed!). In our attempt to make the ballet on time, though, we had gone to a fast-food place in the nearby mall for hamburgers and fries before setting out on our trek. I have never had such horrible food in my life! It was so awful, none of us could finish our meals (I barely finished half of my kid-size burger). So, this evening’s fare at Petrovich’s was a true treat!! I suppose that’s the secret to sampling local cuisine...go with a local who won’t steer you wrong! Thanks Erkin!
