Archive for 'Russian'

Uzbeki Bread and Meat from Suzani Art Cafe

I am always on the hunt for new Russian and Eastern European restaurants in Northeast Philly. Though you might not guess it from the name, Suzani Art Cafe serves Uzbeki food. Inside,  it is quite cozy with ample pillows provided in the booths. You can chew meat off the bone while snuggling and drinking whatever booze pairing you decided to bring. What is better than that?

Read more »

A Georgian Calzone from Uncle’s Backyard

Did you know you can find Georgian food in Philly? And not Georgia as in: peaches, biscuits, pecans, Bubba Sparxxx, where my beautiful younger sister goes to grad school – Georgia as in: borders Russia, a much longer plane ride. Dyadin Dvor, aka “Uncle’s Backyard,” in Northeast Philly fits in multiple categories of reasons I’d check out a restaurant based on appearance alone: an unpronounceable name, another name that makes you slightly uncomfortable, and a bizarre exterior that makes no sense in context (context being a strip mall that includes a furrier).
This confused, magical feeling that we were entering a special place endured as we took in the interior, complete with faux windows, plastic vines, and Lincoln log like tables and chairs.  My mouth’s anticipation continued to climb when I saw khachapuri on the first page of the menu, realizing I had stumbled in to a Georgian restaurant.

Read more »

Top Lunches of 2014

A pre New Year round up of my favorites bites is a fun excuse to look back on each year of dining. It is also incentive to get down and hold the plank position until the ball drops.  Here are my 2014 eating highlights:

During my first overseas trip of the  year, I ate my way through Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai!

Soon after, I started giving Chinatown Food Tours! (if you still owe someone a belated Holiday gift, its not a bad idea!)

I wrote a few fun articles for Zagat, including one on shopping at “ethnic” markets.

On an outing to Graffiti Pier in Port Richmond, I put together a Polish picnic that you can replicate.

For my birthday, we celebrated with beer and a Puerto Rican Pork feast.

I coordinated a food truck festival for 15,000 people in Mt. Airy.

On a solo vacation in Mexico City, I ate a ton of street meat.

I was really proud of my Federal Donuts costume this Halloween.

Way more, after the jump…

Read more »

A Borsch and A Steam: Mastering the Southampton Russian Bathhouse

For a truly unique adventure that combines relaxation and ethnic food, consider a drive north and east of the city to the Southampton Russian Bathhouse. During the week, the space is open from 11am until 11:30pm (closed Mondays). Admission is $35 which allows you access to the different sauna and steam rooms, tanning bed, Swiss showers, a cold plunge bath, a pool, and a jacuzzi.  The balcony restaurant will serve you lunch or dinner without needing to pay the entrance fee, however we ate poolside and were able to leave our snacks at our table to nibble at in between sauna sessions.

Read more »

Check Me Out

This week, I worked on a few articles for Zagat Philly. Have a look!

  • A Sochi themed idea for lunch (with some more pictures and details from my visit here)
  • A guide to grocery shopping at Philly’s international super markets

A Meaty Moldivian Meal in North EAST Philly

Not to be a brat, but it is not often that I come across a cuisine that I am completely unfamiliar with. So while browsing for restaurants in NE Philly (one of my favorite hobbies), I was excited to find there exists a restaurant that serves traditional Moldivian food. For the sake of being practical and straight forward, it’s called Moldova Restaurant. Inside, the decor is festively kitschy.  Service came with a smile, though our waiter did not speak enough English to recommend any dishes for us. We were on our own.

Read more »

Meat and Pickle-Flecked Potato Salad & other Bukharian Concoctions at Shish Kabab Palace

Neither the name nor the look of the storefront of Shish Kabob Palace is particularly enticing. This restaurant, located in a strip mall, certainly does not conjure up the image of a “palace”. You can’t judge a palace by its cover I guess; the sizable menu did a way better job at reeling me in than the meat stick decal on the door.

This palace serves Bukharian and Russian food. Bukharia is a region of Uzbekistan. From my other dining experiences with the cuisine of  Russian/former USSR countries I knew this meant  I could expect funky cold salads, dumplings in various forms, soups, and skewered meats.

Read more »