Tavë Kosi and Qofte Të Fërguara, Albania’s National Dishes
I’m finally starting to act upon my New Year’s resolution of blogging more national dish recipes! Earlier this month it was Liberland, now it’s Albania’s turn. And you even get two dishes for the price...
View ArticleRed Alert: Balkan Dining in Buffalo
Red Alert! Random Eastern European dishes are invading our streets and restaurants! Should you duck and cover, or welcome the enemy? This post departs from my typical Red Alerts in the sense that...
View ArticleRestaurant Review: Gurra Café
A note about my restaurant reviews: New York City counts many Eastern European restaurants scattered across the five boroughs, most of them ignored by restaurant critics and diners alike. I intend to...
View ArticleBlueberry-Chocolate Roll, Apple Sorbet, and Buckwheat Crème Anglaise
It all started with Irina Chadeyeva’s Vypechka po GOSTu, a compilation of Soviet era baking hits, from the Kiev cake to the kartoshka (each of which I’ve encountered here and here, respectively)....
View ArticleTajik Adventures, Part 1: Survival Guide
Get ready for a series of travel stories from all over Central Asia, starting with Tajikistan! One could argue that this is really “Part 2″, as I’ve already recounted my lunch in a colorful Dushanbe...
View ArticleGurian Khachapuri, the Unsung Georgian Cheese Bread
When I blogged about the cheese debauchery that’s the Mingrelian khachapuri, some may have thought (hoped?) that I was finally putting the khachapuri topic to rest, having now covered the most popular...
View ArticleRestaurant Review: Uma’s
A note about my restaurant reviews: New York City counts many Eastern European restaurants scattered across the five boroughs, most of them ignored by restaurant critics and diners alike. I intend to...
View ArticleFood Perestroika Turned Five, and Starting Throwback Thursdays
Food Perestroika turned five and I didn’t even celebrate! Well, that’s not really true. This blog’s anniversary also coincides with all the birthdays in my little family, plus Halloween, so I have in...
View ArticleBeshbarmak, Kazakhstan’s National Dish
Here’s a dish that fits with my current Central Asian travel story series and also helps me keep my New Year’s resolution: beshbarmak, Kazakhstan’s National Dish. Kazakh cuisine borrows heavily from...
View ArticleKazakh Adventures, Part 1: Beshbarmak
We’ll get back to Tajikistan soon enough, but as a follow-up to my previous post, I think it might be interesting to look at beshbarmak in its natural habitat just to compare what I’m making with the...
View ArticleKefir, the Probiotic Miracle from the Caucasus
Over the past decade or so, kefir, a kind of cultured milk sometimes described as a “tangy milk smoothie,” has gained popularity and conquered the shelves of American supermarkets. “Probiotic,” the...
View ArticleRestaurant Review: Kapowski’s
A note about my restaurant reviews: New York City counts many Eastern European restaurants scattered across the five boroughs, most of them ignored by restaurant critics and diners alike. I intend to...
View ArticleShubat, Central Asian Fermented Camel’s Milk
If you read my recent post and were inspired to start making your own real kefir, don’t put your kefir grains in the freezer just yet—I’ve got another recipe for you! Well, don’t set your expectations...
View ArticleRussian Pasta-Caviar Duo, Moscow-New York
It all begins about 20 years ago in Moscow. There aren’t that many noteworthy restaurants in the Russian capital yet. I don’t know if Pizzeria San Marco, on the Arbat, really counts as noteworthy (it...
View ArticleHappy Holidays 2015!
Dear readers, Happy holidays! I’m getting ready for a ten-day family trip to Quebec, where I intend to find out just how one can enjoy winter activities in places that have barely seen their first...
View ArticleThe Best and Worst Restaurants of 2015
Only six full-on restaurant reviews this year, just like in 2014. Sigh… Will I live long enough to review all the Eastern European joints in NYC? Though some of them sadly closed shortly after their...
View ArticleTajik Adventures, Part 2: Khujand, Where Lenin Is Bad
Once upon a time, there was a country named Soviet Union. It was known, among other things, for its adoration of the great Vladimir Ilyich Lenin; its peculiar conception of art, known as socialist...
View ArticleKazakh Boiled Sheep’s Head
When I published my beshbarmak recipe, I promised that I would soon write another post about its indispensable complement on any successful Kazakh festive dinner table: a boiled sheep’s head, to be...
View ArticleRed Alert: Le Hatley in the Eastern Townships, Quebec
Red Alert! Random Eastern European dishes are invading our streets and restaurants! Should you duck and cover, or welcome the enemy? Quebec is particularly well-suited for Red Alerts. First, the...
View ArticleBuckwheat Blini with Trout and Chanterelles, Cabbage Sauce and Honey-Glazed...
Steelhead season on the Salmon River was rather slow this year. A little bit like deer season, come to think of it, a consequence of two consecutive cold winters. Considering that I grouped my hunting...
View Article