I have heard crazy things about this restaurant (such as, dont visit if you are not Russian). That only compels me to go even more, so here is my review:
First thing I noticed upon walking in is that this place looks like the ethnographic museum in Krakow. However, this is a Russian restaurant so I'm sure that comparison will not be taken lightly.
I walked in with my extremely Polish boyfriend and one of our friends. It was dim and they were setting up a stage underneath a huge Russian flag.
The hostess asks us in barely intelligible English:
"Do you have reservation?"
(No I dont)
"Ok then sit here"
A pretty blonde lady comes to us; she was dressed in a quasi-traditional red dress, which I think is sexy in the targi sztuki ludowej way. She asks us what we want to order; I stick to the barszcz (or borscht) and my boyfriend asks for the pierogi. They ask him "how many do you want?" It turns out they cost $2.00 a piece! (I can make about 100 by spending under $10.00 but ok)
Before they bring us our order, we get complimentary shots of their homemade vodka. If you are female, thank god your chromosomes made you such because they give women the raspberry flavor, while the men receive horseradish flavor. My boyfriend said the aftertaste was much worse than the actual shot but what can you do.
The pierogi were nothing like the kind I have had before; pierogi I've eaten my entire life are more like potstickers, while these looked like miniature calzones (however they were pretty good). The borscht came with a big pastry puff on top which the waitress sawed off for me (thank you). If you are a fan of borscht, I recommend theirs, although it is a bit garlicky (I try to avoid garlic as much as possible). The waitress brought me a yellow carnation because it was Women's Day in Russia (thank you again) I felt pretty hot to trot because I was out with two very tall and handsome men AND I received a flower (even if it is a carnation so what)
There were two televisions, blasting some Russian music festival (the outfits these artists were wearing are indescribably awesome, it reminded me of The Bangles) so I felt this was as authentic of an experience as one could receive in Las Vegas. I think I would go again, probably with my Russian girl friend (just to ease the stares a little bit).
I want to warn those who are unfamiliar with Russian food that it may seem kind of bland or boring at times. This may be true but I was raised eating this way so I have no control over my inclinations for borscht, pierogi, golabki and sauerkraut salad.
Final note: If you go by the bathrooms you will see many pictures of hard-bodied Eastern European men with their shirts off (yes!)...It was uncomfortably sexual!
To break it down: 1 star for the free vodka shot, 1 star for the satellite Russian TV, 1 star for the half-naked men on the wall and 1 star for the borscht :)