Pravda

February 27th-

I was perusing the Zagat Bar and Nightlife book, and happened upon a section entitled "Vodka Bars". My heart raced! Oh my god.....this could be my nirvana! We picked one to try first...Pravda. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go that weekend. This only increased my curiosity and desire to experience all that was Pravda, and made it the first priority of the weekend to follow. Well, the next weekend finally came, and off to Pravda we did go. You enter as if you are going into some private basement, and when you open the door, you enter into Eastern Europe.....and are greeted by someone with a Russian accent....what a fantastic cozy, romantic, cool vibe! There are two dimly lit bars, one as you enter, and one pretty private one upstairs- both are inviting. The dining area pretty much feels like a big hip bar....in a good way.........very casual, but chic. You could come here in vintage clothes with long black gloves, all decked out, or casual in jeans and a jacket.....or most perfectly, in all black. The menu consisted of mostly cocktails and vodka from all over the world, and even some infused versions exclusive to Pravda. There was only a small portion devoted to food, but with what it offered, you didn't need any more. I was dying to try the homemade potato chips with creme fraiche and caviar.....so we ordered those first. Oh my god! With vodka......there is not better complement. I was the happiest girl in the world.....I had vodka, potatoes and dairy.....and we just started. The first vodka I tried was the fig....it really did taste like a fig newton to me. Nathan had the black currant.....it was bright pink and a little too sweet, I thought. After that, we went straight for the Russian stuff, I moved on to the Kutskova, because I liked the way it sounded when I said it, and Nathan to the Jewel of Russia Classic. Mine was way smoother. As for food, we ordered the crispy potato pancakes with Scottish smoked salmon. They were delicious.....not too greasy and heavy like a lot of potato pancakes I have eaten. Of course, I had to order the beef stroganoff. It came with a biscuit instead of noodles, which Nathan preferred. It was a more original way to present the dish, but I still like the noodle version better. The mushroom sauce was divine, but the beef itself was a little tough. My mom still holds the record for this dish, I'm afraid......not that I wouldn't eat it again, because I would eat it this very second if given the opportunity. We wanted to linger, but the vodka was now hitting me and we had to go......but I am already dying to go back. There are so many things on the menu I still need to try. If it were around the corner from my place, it would be difficult to convince me to go anywhere else. I haven't been this excited about a place since Jane, with her heavenly fried poached egg over beef carpaccio.
Pravda, I am in love!