Vignettes: Eating Out in Russia

La Cuisine Russe

Our #1 son has always had a knack for finding very good eating places for the best price. We make fun of his “greasy spoons,” but we always trust his culinary judgment. Hence, we ate at some places that might not have passed muster for presentation, but the food was remarkably good, and reasonably priced. I’m sure that it would take some time - of which my #5 daughter-in-law had when she lived in Russia for 4 years - to discover the best of Russian cuisine. Honestly, JJ & I didn’t have that luxury. Our cursory impressions leave much to desire, & I worry that we cannot be entirely fair. 

Best Dishes 

Fish was well-prepared with a light cream sauce. JJ & I think that because Russians live in an essentially cold climate their soups can be excellent & quite different from western soups. I was out to have a really good Borsch, discover the secret & I wasn’t disappointed. Another soup, Solyanska is hearty and tangy. It can be made from a fish or beef base. I didn’t discover its secret. (I’ll have to ask my DL.) The blinis or crêpes are wonderful, whether sweet or savory. Russians & tourists eat a lot of them. Desserts, especially cream desserts and pastries are fine. We discovered the “Mac Cafe” attached to the McDonalds that exactly replicates the stateside version. The Mac Cafe has wonderful coffee and equally wonderful pastries of great variety. We had the impression that these pastries were Russian specialties. We certainly wouldn’t find them in the US. MacDo, as the French call it, seems to adapt to the tastes of the countries where it locates. 

Service

Generally speaking, the service was professional and good. We never quite understood whether to offer a tip or not. The prices were so high, it would seem that the tip was included. In most countries of western Europe the tip is included in the bill. 

Upscale restaurants provide a variety of ambiance, chef specialties, and stylish service. Despite the high prices, they are never empty. They stay open quite late. Restaurants wouldn’t stay in business without a bar and a variety of mixed drinks.  Again maybe it’s the cold weather, Russians are heavy consumers of hard alcohol, more so than western Europeans or even Americans. 

Extra difficulties

Russians who run hotels and restaurants deal with added costs of doing business unrelated to their areas of hospitality. The taxes, licenses, and various extortions force their prices upward. In the case of restaurants the produce is limited to imports & they are very expensive. Hotels have extra and unnecessary costs. We couldn’t understand how a medium priced hotel room with breakfast could cost four times the price in the US or France. We were told it’s all about these costs, so unfair, that must be factored in.