memoirs of a palate

FROM RUSSIA WITH VODKA




Last night our friends Dan and Steve-o came into the city and we ended up at our favorite Russian joint, Anyway Cafe. I had intended to cook for everyone, but due to working late and a whole host of other frustrations, I didn't. So we had some wine and went to the place with the best vodka in the East Village.

Here's how it went down:

Meena and Alec shared the:

- Smoked Trout Roulade with Horseradish Cream & Salmon Caviar

Dan and Steve shared the:

- Wild Mushroom Ikra with Potato Pancakes & Sour Cream

Alec had the:

- Russian Peasant-Style Beef in Red Wine Sauce

Meena and Dan had the:

- Chicken Stroganoff with Mashed Potatoes

Steve had the:

- Salmon Filet on Sauteed Spinach with Romanoff Caviar Dressing

Here's the thing about Anyway ... the food isn't AMAZING. Everything I had last night was fantastic, but there are some pitfalls in that menu. Steve's was a touch overcooked for my taste, but i think he enjoyed it. Meena and Dan's were pretty yummy although I'm not so sure they loved it. Our trout roulade was perfect and it always is. The potato pancake was really hard, but I liked the ikra. I'm not sure if anyone else did.

In addition to the food, we had the VUDKA. I had a shot of the chili pepper. Meena had raspberry. I can't remember what dan had. Dan and Steve had crazy Eastern Bloc beers. Latvia. Our wonderful waitress also brought us a sample of their new blueberry vodka (twice) and it was really good for a fruity vodka.

Anyway, I love it. Great place. It's so cozy and the prices are reasonable. We'll cook tonight. Fear not.