No trip to Eastern Europe for me this summer, but between work and other vacation plans, I’m going to be away for most of July. So now’s the perfect time to try…

When I concluded my Moscow Rules series with a post on the Russian gastrocafé, I mentioned the goose burger at Pirogi Vino i Gus, and lamented that it was prepared with typical…

As I mentioned in my last post, if you want to fully appreciate the complexity of the plant and berry blend that is Karelian balsam, you should drink it on its own,…

Throughout Europe and perhaps even more so in Eastern Europe, various herbal liquors have long been invented and consumed for their medicinal properties. Chartreuse, whose recipe originates from a mysterious 17th century…

Aaaah, the pleasures of visiting a distillery! The idyllic setting in the rugged countryside, the yeasty aroma of fermenting grain, the majestic copper stills, the boozy smell in the warehouse, sampling tasty…

My Moscow restaurant series is over for the time being, but before summer arrives and we switch to cuisines more evocative of warmer climates, I’d like to give you a glimpse of…

Restaurants Pirogi Vino i Gus and Russian Pub, which I just reviewed, both feature “Stroganoff Pie” on their menus. In a sense, the combination is to be expected: pies and classic Russian…

In May 1988, Mikhail Gorbachev introduces the Law on Cooperatives, a new policy that allows for the creation of limited cooperative businesses within the Soviet Union. The term “cooperative” in this context…

In my previous post on Soviet Nostalgia and Varenichnaya №1, one of the dishes I tried was forshmak, a sort of herring pâté that was common in the USSR. It’s not just…

Soviet nostalgia is nothing new – it probably started on December 26, 1991, if not earlier. And it’s somewhat understandable, too. Back in the USSR, there was a feeling of guaranteed stability,…