New York City, December 2016 – One of my favorite restaurants in the Big Apple is The Russian Tea Room. Around the corner from Carnegie Hall, it is “the second home for boldface names and the intellectual elite” since 1927 when the members of the Russian Imperial Ballet founded the restaurant. Ninety years later, The Russian Tea Room still has that mystical appeal.

 

Mr. King and I admire the magnificent modernist Russian décor in red, green and gold. The ambience is unmistakably intimate.

We also come here for their Traditional Tea Room Red Borscht – pickled red beets, seasonal vegetables and dill in a short rib and bacon broth served with a braised beef pirozhok and sour cream ($20). It is rich and hearty – the best borscht ever.

Mr. King loves the pirozhok (pirozhki) – fried buns with braised beef stuffing. These small sized snacks are a bit addictive. Although the borscht comes with one pirozhok, Mr. King always orders 2 extras to satisfy his craving.

For the main course, I usually order the rib eye steak with large cut herb frites ($48). Portion is very generous, and the steak is always juicy.

Meanwhile, Mr. King usually selects a fish; on our last visit, he got this beautiful char with some winter vegetables.

There is also no shortage of choices for desserts at The Russian Team Room. We like the Chocolate Mi-Cult – a chocolate cake with a molten center, cherry ice cream and a Grand Marnier cherry sauce ($18).

We have dined at The Russian Team Room a number of times, and we always look forward to our next visit. A beautiful old New York restaurant and such a gem in the Big City!

The Russian Tea Room – 150 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019

All photos were taken by Mrs. King.