We finally got through western Europe and are now headed East. Russia House Restaurant in Herndon is owned by a Russian family and has been there for a couple of decades. The decor is very sumptuous seventies elegant style.
We had to have some Vodka and the owner picked for Julian the special vodka that you can't get in state stores. It was actually quite smooth. He and his sister were kind of having a contest to see who could pour the biggest shot without spilling out of the glass. So of course we got a bit more than we wanted.
The appetizer plate had most of the traditional dishes caviar, eggplant caviar, beets, pate, celeriac, mushrooms, potato salad, pickled herring. It was all tasty, if you like mayonnaise. It was what I expected; lots of root veggies, hearty food.
The owner explained to us that Russian peasant
food is cabbage, beets, potatoes and the like but the upper class style is more French influenced because the czars brought in French chefs. I had Lososina Alexander which was salmon in a creamy sauce. Their twist on Beef Stroganoff is that they make it with filet mignon. We were also 
surprised that it wasn't served on noodles. I guess noodles is the Americanization of it. Kulebiaka Po Baranini is a family recipe for a kind of lamb filled pastry. 
Ground lamb is laced with cinnamon among the other spices and wrapped in a puff pastry; served on a bed of rice. Our last dish was another speciality Duck with Sour Cherries We expected it to be sweet but it wasn't. Fried onions balance the sweetness and even the layer of fat that is on it is yummy.
We had to have some Vodka and the owner picked for Julian the special vodka that you can't get in state stores. It was actually quite smooth. He and his sister were kind of having a contest to see who could pour the biggest shot without spilling out of the glass. So of course we got a bit more than we wanted.
The appetizer plate had most of the traditional dishes caviar, eggplant caviar, beets, pate, celeriac, mushrooms, potato salad, pickled herring. It was all tasty, if you like mayonnaise. It was what I expected; lots of root veggies, hearty food.The owner explained to us that Russian peasant
food is cabbage, beets, potatoes and the like but the upper class style is more French influenced because the czars brought in French chefs. I had Lososina Alexander which was salmon in a creamy sauce. Their twist on Beef Stroganoff is that they make it with filet mignon. We were also 
surprised that it wasn't served on noodles. I guess noodles is the Americanization of it. Kulebiaka Po Baranini is a family recipe for a kind of lamb filled pastry. 
Ground lamb is laced with cinnamon among the other spices and wrapped in a puff pastry; served on a bed of rice. Our last dish was another speciality Duck with Sour Cherries We expected it to be sweet but it wasn't. Fried onions balance the sweetness and even the layer of fat that is on it is yummy.This was a delicous blast from the past.
Th
is is the kind of food I remember going to a "fancy" restaurant with my parents as a kid. The restaurant feels elegant and is a lot of fun. Of course we couldn't pass up blinis and Russian tea for dessert.
Th
is is the kind of food I remember going to a "fancy" restaurant with my parents as a kid. The restaurant feels elegant and is a lot of fun. Of course we couldn't pass up blinis and Russian tea for dessert.
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