I have lived in NYC for over 10 years now and I have never been to the Russian Tea Room until I noticed their Restuarant Week Menu.  So I said why not?  The first thing you will notice is their gold door & red sign on the outside. Walking in was like walking into the Kremlin, the heart of Russia. There were vintage pieces of artwork and also pops of dark green colors & red colors with gold trim around the borders of the walls. The decor had my heart filled with excitement. Visually just gorgeous! For the first course, I tried their Tea Room Salad topped with Red and golden beets tossed in mixed greens with blue cheese, pecans, and a sherry vinaigrette. Very refreshing & light.  Also, a Goat Cheese & Wild Mushroom Blinchiki Crêpe filled with mixed mushrooms, goat cheese, melted onions, and lingonberries.

The second course was a Boeuf à la Stroganoff, red wine braised beef short ribs with thick noodles tossed in a creamy mushroom & black truffle cream sauce. Honestly, it was probably the best Stroganoff I have ever had.  A nice size piece of beef short rib on top of the noodles. So tender and seasoned to perfection.  The Vareniki, grilled vegetable ravioli is made with a daily sauce preparation.  Finally, the third-course was a Chocolate Mousse Cake with a chocolate hazelnut crunch center. The mousse was so light and fluffy, like eating a cloud of bitter sweet chocolate, so decadent. When you get to the middle, there is a crunchy hazelnut in the center.  Overall it was a great 1st-time experience visually all the way down to the food & service!

Russian Tea Room