Russian Cuisine...Next time Vodka @Stoli Bar & Restaurant, Brookline Village, MA

Rule #1:  Never go out for Central+Eastern European food when sleepy.

In stating that, I'd like to ensure you that I gave Stoli Bar & Restaurant a fair shake, though I longed for my bed.   

It was a chilly night but I was determined to not allow yet another LS certificate to expire and this was my last chance as I was booked solid in town and then out of the country around the deadline.

Stoli's dimly lit, deep red atmosphere with imposing furniture didn't help my cause, though the live accordion did keep me somewhat upbeat as I sampled dishes with bits of Russian, Ukrainian, and French influence.

Chef Fred Dinov has received accolades which seemed to have expired.  The few that are currently public were awarded several years ago.  By today's standard, based on the quality of the food we received, I would hardly describe the menu as "haute cuisine".

Service was adequate but unenthusiastic.  It seems the server was even bored with the drab Living Social deal prix fixe menu.  Luckily for her, and me I guess, I almost always still order from the full menu when using deals.  Once I asked for the full menu, she perked up a bit and made a few recommendations.

 We started with a nice, fresh Allandale Farm spinach salad with tomato, radish and house oil-vinegar dressing and the hot (warm) borscht that was listed as "cold" on the menu.  The borscht was traditional, made with beets, shreds of potato, carrots, and cucumbers, but lacking the citrus and vinegary highlights I would have like to experience.  It was dressed with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of dried Allandale Farm herbs.
We also ordered the mushroom soup which was purely unremarkable and mundane.

Our second course consisted of the potato latkes (a recommendation of our waitress) was my favorite dish of the evening.  The simply-seasoned, crisp, moist latkes were capped with generous portions of rosebud-shaped house smoked gravlax and red caviar nestled in a line of sour cream.  The velvety sour cream and starchy potato complemented the salinity of the red caviar and gravlax.

The presentation was charming.

Potato latkes with gravlax, sour cream, and red caviar

The Vegetarian Delight crepe was disappointing with its dry shroud and soggy, overcooked vegetables (spinach, onion, zucchini, tomato, and red bell pepper) and mozzarella.

Veggie Crepe

 
Momentum was not gained with our entrees.

The sauteed duck breast in cabernet, prunes, cranberry and apricot sauce was slightly overcooked and sadly without a crisp on the skin.  It was also egregiously oversalted.  It was served with stiff, unattractive mashed potatoes which lacked appeal.  The highlight of this dish was the fruit flambé atop the potatoes.

Flambé:  the highlight of this duck breast dish.

 The Chicken Stroganoff had a decent flavor, but the bits of chicken were dry and overcooked, though drowned in the creamy sauce.  The pickled salad was just OK and at the very least added a bit of color to the dish as the sad mashed potatoes made another lackluster appearance.

Chicken Stroganoff

And dessert:

A Fruit Blintze, no ice cream.  These crepes were much more moist when compared to the Veggie Delight.  The warm apples, bananas, pears, and strawberries were sauteed in red wine, but could have benefited from more sweetness.

A poorly executed meal often leaves me in a sour mood.  I was more than happy to leave Stoli and crawl into my bed to sleep off the disappointment.

I may commit to pulling up to the four-seater bar to try a few of their house-infused vodkas.  I hear they are pretty good and the flavors include: Cranberry, Honey, Cherry, Black Currant, Pepper, Horseradish, Lemon, Mint, Apple, and Raspberry! 
Sounds like a way to warm up this winter.  I think it will be a cold one!