The owners of the deli are Milana and Vica Shparber, a charming mother and daughter duo who do all the cooking and serving in the restaurant. Since we were a party of three people, we decided (thanks to Vica's recommendation) to split a variety of Russian dishes between us. Best. Decision. Ever.
We started with chicken noodle soup, since none of us were fond enough of beets to try the borsch. (Maybe next time!) As we finished our soup, Vica brought us a large plate with halupki (stuffed cabbage) and haluski (cabbage and noodles). After that, we received a plate filled with homemade pelmeni and pierogies. These pierogies were so much lighter and better tasting than any others I've ever had. Macaroni salad and blinis with sour cream were the final parts of our feast.
This is comfort food at its best. I had a bit of everything and everything was so delicious. If I had to pick a favorite thing it would probably be the pierogies. The dough was so thin and light. It let the taste of the filling come through very well. I liked the small differences between these Russian dishes and the versions of them that my Slovak mother prepared when I was younger. It's wonderful to have something that's familiar, but unique in its own way.
I'm looking forward to going back again. Maybe one night I'll even go to one of the Thursday night four-course Russian/Ukrainian dinners that I keep reading about at Black Forest Deli's Facebook page. It sounds like fun!
These Russian dishes you enumerated all looked very delicious. Sharing these dishes with your friends must be fun. Anyway, I agree with your point about having something that's familiar, yet unique in its own way. It reminded me of my own childhood, and the kinds of food that made my childhood memorable. :)
ReplyDeleteHamish Liddell