Proceed with caution; the Red Square is not for the faint of heart. This playful nod to Moscow’s famous square combines Russian vodka—after all, what would a Communist menu be without vodka—with a concentrated blood orange ice cube. As you sit and sip, you’ll almost forget that you came for the food, but that would be your mistake. Bold red flavors—beets, tomatoes, and paprika—run throughout the menu and keep you asking for more. The frothy beet borscht with horseradish cream will leave you with a borscht mustache throughout the meal. And while that piroshki next to it may look bite-size, the ground meat filling packs a wallop of spice. To cool down your palate, you’ll want to savor each fork-full of your vodka-cured salmon with crème fraîche and caviar. The next dish is a non-traditional take on the very traditional Stroganoff. Tender egg noodles tossed in a mushroom cream sauce are covered with a filet of salmon while a perfectly steamed tamal wrapped in cabbage balances the light texture of the fish. As a refreshing break, you’ll be treated to an entremet of beet, blood orange, and cucumber ice to prep you for the bold Chicken KGB—kasha, garlic, and bacon, of course. Kasha is king here as each bite is flavored with thick chunks of smoked bacon. Not to be outdone, the crisp chicken, skin on, is seared and topped with pungent garlic pesto. Last, but certainly not least arrives the dark chocolate Fabergé egg wrapped in a delicate sugar nest. One half is filled with rich pistachio cream and the other a tropical passion fruit cream—both will make you wish you had a bigger spoon, or perhaps a bigger egg.

cocktail
Red Square: blood orange ice with Russian vodka

first course
Zakuski Troika: borscht, piroshki, and vodka-cured salmon

second course
Salmon Stroganoff Romanoff with cabbage and mushroom tamal

entremet ("in-between" course)
Nevsky Prospect: Beet, blood orange, and cucumber ice

third course
Chicken KGB with kasha, garlic, and bacon

fourth course
Chocolate Fabergé Eggs

Downtown suits and hip couples mix and mingle in this sleek space.

overheard
Twenty years ago Chef John Sedlar was invited to Moscow to march in the Peace Victory Parade as part of a US delegation. While walking through Red Square, a Russian woman called out to him, “Amerikanski, Amerikanski.” As Chef Sedlar walked over to her, she said, “Druzba,” meaning friendship. She then took her Russian flag pin off of her lapel, he took his American flag pin off of his chef’s jacket, and they exchanged them. To this day they still speak.

decibels
Loud

Lunch: Mon–Fri 11:30 AM–2 PM
Dinner: Mon–Sat 5 PM–10:30 PM; Sun 5 PM–10 PM
Late Night: Thu–Sat 10:30 PM–1 AM (special late night menu served until 12 midnight)

$8 (tortillas florales) to $30 (Viera Arabesque)