For the past 80 years, many of New York's defining cultural moments have taken place at the Russian Tea Room. Ever since members of the Russian Imperial Ballet founded the restaurant during Prohibition in 1926 as refuge for Russians escaping the civil war of the period, it has been a second home for boldface names and the intellectual elite-an exclusive enclave where actors, writers, politicians, and businessmen planned their next deals and feted their friends' latest Carnegie Hall performances. The RTR Funding Group, Inc., reopened the Russian Tea Room's doors in November of 2006, retaining the best of its history, authenticity, and architecture while offering culinary masterworks, and a menu of 40 vodkas that includes varieties new to the U.S.The Russian Tea Room is world-renowned for fine cuisine and spectacular décor, and open seven days a week-including now for breakfast-and is a perfect destination for diners with refined palates, whether it be for dinner or a large private party.
The restaurant interior still sparkles and glitters. Classic dishes such as chicken Kiev and beef Stroganoff are still available, and their signature cocktail, the Moscow Mule (a mixture of vodka and ginger beer), remains on the menu, the new menu is inspired by classical and contemporary Russian fare. When it comes to the caviar menu, you can go as high-end as you like, with options of Caspian Sea osietra and sevruga (beluga is banned from import in the U.S. because of shortages), European, or West Coast caviar. The prices for the Iranian begin at $180 for 30 grams, for the European $250, and the West Coast $100; red caviar from salmon and trout is also offered at $25.
Entrées run from tea-smoked sturgeon to seared rib eye with red-wine sauce. Other options include: juicy anise-scented roast tenderloin of pork with sour cherries in red wine with pearl onions; braised pork stuffed into little cabbage rolls called golubtzi, with a form of Russian cream of wheat called manka; and a cocoa-dusted seared loin of venison comes with wintry butternut squash, braised Brussels sprouts, seared porcini, and truffle-scented dumplings. As for the aforementioned classics, the Tea Room uses braised short ribs, cooked in red wine, and served with fresh noodles with wild mushrooms and a truffle essence, for the Beef Stroganoff, which results in a glorious update of the old standard, and the chicken Kiev recipe includes foie gras, truffled whipped potatoes, and braised Brussels sprouts. The 250-bottle-strong wine list has received high praise, and the innovative desserts include blintzes and buttermilk pannacotta.
Located at 150 W. 57th St. btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves., or, as they like to say, "6 minutes and 23 seconds from Lincoln Center and slightly to the left of Carnegie Hall." Open daily for lunch and dinner, breakfast on weekdays staring at 7:30am, and Sat. & Sun. brunch. A pre- and post-theatre menu is also available. For reservations, call 212-581-7100; www.russiantearoomnyc.com.
