During one of my 3am runs to the 24 hour Starbucks on Trop/Decatur I noticed this restaurant and always wanted to come back and try it.
I was able to talk a old high school buddy into coming here with me. The experience for me would be to try something as close to a Russian authentic meal as possible or at least more authentic than FPSRussia (Youtube his videos).
We came here on a Tuesday at around 5pm and the place wasn't crowded yet, score 1-0 for Kevin versus dinner rush. The restaurant was clean and the staff was friendly. I asked for a menu to pre-plan while waiting for my buddy to arrive and I looked for the most Russian looking names on the menu. I couldn't help but notice the wooden walls, almost as if I ran into a Russian home or cabin because of a winter storm and was welcomed by some friendly family to stay warm or until the storm passes.
Where is the Russian beers?? Score 0-1 Kevin vs Zangief the Russian wrestler from Street fighter that drinks while he bodyslams you in the game.
So we shared a Tverskaya shrimp as an appetizer and it was good. Portions small but it's an appetizer, the spice and oil mixed really well together with the shrimp. I was hoping it would dethrone my other favorite shrimp appetizer (Shrimp Guadalajara from and Guad restaraunt) but it didn't. 3/5. btw, Anything and eerrrthing pink 5/5.
My entree was the Sashlik, pork w/onions and other veggies. My friend had a chicken dish that came with fruits. My impression from just these two dishes alone is that they put a lot of care and thought into their dishes. I don't know if these two dishes represent the deep Russian food culture but the love is there. No ingredient is ignored if it requires one. If your restaurant was in a casino and you didn't have a particular fruit or veggie then you could always run to the next kitchen to see if they have it. If your establishment is a stand alone then you have only yourself to rely on. My pork was cooked perfectly, there was a bit too much sides for me but the sauce that came with the pork was Russian like. 4/5. The meals were pricey for what they were and could go down a notch, but I am glad to support any non-commercial restaurant.