Russian Family Restaurant
Yum. We went out for an authentic Russian meal last night at a new restaurant that recently opened in Redwood City. I think my husband was a little worried that he wasn't going to enjoy his meal, since he wasn't a huge fan of the borscht and pelmeni. We had to drag my daughter kicking and screaming and my son fell asleep in the car on the drive, so I didn't have high hopes for a peaceful meal with well-behaved kids. I am happy to report that my husband and I were both wrong!! He's actually wrong quite often but it's pretty rare for me :)
We dined at Russian Family Restaurant, which is, exactly as the name implies, owned by a Russian family. The wife cooks and the husband is the waiter. I'm not sure if the other employee was a daughter but that would be sweet, wouldn't it? Anyway, it was a beautiful evening, so we sat at an outside table where the kids wouldn't be too loud. Then came the hard part, deciding what to order!
There were 5 different soups and 7 appetizers, but since the dinner came with complimentary salads and rye bread, we skipped to the entrees. I had the Chahokhbily iz kuritsy, which was Georgian- style stewed chicken in a tomato based sauce. It was better than I expected!! It was almost Middle-Eastern tasting with lots of different spices, not spicy but sooooo flavorful! The chicken could be cut with a spoon. Delicious, and since it was served with just a few potatoes and a piece of flatbread that I gave to my daughter, I felt like I stayed on my diet pretty well.
The kids shared Babushkiny Zrazy. According to the menu, this translates into Grandma's patties. It was basically mashed potato with ground meat in the middle, shaped into a patty and pan-fried then topped with a fresh mushroom sauce. I expected it to be pretty plain, but everyone (except my daughter who was still in a funk) agreed that it was super tasty. The kids also had a beef piroshki that was super fluffy and fresh- yum.
Steve had Shashlyk is baraniny. Aren't these fun to try to pronounce? His was kebabs of lamb. He said it was good and my son seemed to enjoy it as well- I was too full to even try any and I forgot to take a picture too. But I think you all know what a kebab looks like, right?
They also had 8 different European beers on tap and like 10 different types of Vodka- so we might have to come back another time without the kids :)
All in all it was a very enjoyable meal and we all had a great night out! Even my daughter who eventually came around :)
Have a great Easter tomorrow!! I hope the Easter Bunny is good to you :)