Holy (Mos)cow.

A few weeks ago I went with some friends to Russia House in Dupont Circle. Martha had read my blog post about beets and insisted that we go and sample their borscht (and wildly popular vodka martinis), so we did.

When you step into a restaurant and lounge called "Russia House," you may have an idea of what you think it's going to be like. I've never been to Russia, but from all the stereotypes I've seen in movies and on TV, I think they nailed the (stereotypical) atmosphere: first of all, I think every person on staff was blonde and spoke with a heavy Russian accent. The entire establishment is a fabulous, multi-story house full of heavy, dark wood paneling and massive, upholstered chairs and leather banquettes. Gilded mirrors, heavy wall hangings, plush carpets (I wobbled a bit in my high heels) -- it definitely set the scene. (Apologies in advance for the image quality, as the restaurant was, as I said, quite dark.)

We started off our meal with a round of martinis. Being a gin drinker myself, I've never particularly cared for the vodka version, but these were delicious. Our waitress strongly recommended the mango martini with real fruit (mango, pineapple, and raspberry). It was almost too pretty to drink (but of course we did). It was refreshing, and not cloyingly sweet as fruity drinks can be. Of course, the fruit almost completely masked the vodka taste, so we were quite tipsy by the time our appetizers arrived.

For starters, we ordered pelminis (pillows of veal and pork, drizzled with a marsala cream sauce and sautéed forest mushrooms) and borscht (of course). The pelminis were so rich, I was practically full on the first one of them -- but absolutely delicious. The borscht had a rich, beefy flavor to the broth (from shredded oxtail and brisket) and was full of shredded slices of a gorgeously colorful red beet, topped with a dollop of sour cream. The different textures played together perfectly, with still-slightly-crisp-yet-tender beet, and the fall-apart-in-your-mouth-juicy oxtail and brisket. I had no idea what to expect, but it exceeded all my expectations.

By the time my main course arrived, I was already full, but the pan-seared duck breast smelled so good, it wasn't hard to keep eating. There was the most interesting spice crust on the breast -- I couldn't even call out anything in particular except perhaps caraway? Though the breast was a little dry, the flavor was spectacular. It was served with tiny pierogis stuffed with cabbage and salt pork (quite different than the polish versions I'd had before, both in size/shape and flavor), along with a delicate confit parsnip and carrot galette, layered with what couldn't be anything but pure butter and deliciousness.

Just as we were finishing up our meal, the Friday evening crowd was arriving for the vodka tasting (a.k.a. throwing back shots), so the restaurant was quite the "happening" place by the time we paid our check and teetered out the door (being completely stuffed didn't much help with the high heels on plush carpet). All in all, my first experience with borscht (and Russian food, period) was excellent.