Wembie

MOLDOVA 🇲🇩
RUSSIA 🇷🇺

Early in the evening on a recent visit to the Queens International Night Market, I found Wembie empty on both trips to the stand. Most patrons to the market were starting to shuffle in and look for meals, far from ready to take care of their sweet tooth. But having been fortified by other foods in Queens already, this was the perfect time to be their first customer of the night.

While Moldovan waffle rolls were the draw in the beginning, they have expanded to include another dessert from a different underserved country here in New York City, adding the farm cheese donuts native to Bashkortostan. This autonomous republic within Russia bumps up to the western slopes of the Ural Mountains in the south of the country near Kazakhstan.

The new banner is up with their new logo and emblazoned "Moldovan-Bashkir Cuisine," although this is a bit of a misnomer. These desserts are a connection to each proprietor's childhood, but exist completely separately except here at this market, probably the only place in the world that will see this particular fusion.

The original Moldovan waffle rolls ($5 for two, above) are filled with your choice of chocolate or vanilla whipped cheesecake, thicker than what appear to be simple frosting and much more enjoyable and rich. Extra sweetness is sprinkled on top in the form of powdered sugar, the booth's "secret" weapon.

On this chilly autumn evening, they even brought a pumpkin version in celebration of the season.

After ordering and eating both, I asked the Moldovan partner which one had been more popular since they expanded. With a stern face, he told me that people could not resist the word "donut."

That word of course is part of their other creation, the Bashkir farm cheese donuts ($5 for four, above and below).

These are also sprinkled with sugar and further sweetened by a trail of condensed milk, but the insides are slightly savory from the cheese and quite enjoyable. Freshly deep-fried, the little warmth they provide your body was also nice on this cold night.

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CORONA Queens
Queens International Night Market

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Russian Vodka Room

RUSSIA 🇷🇺

It is certainly the kind of place that is most frequented by tourists thinking to themselves "Hmmm... this looks like a fun NYC local spot," but regardless, this Midtown lounge has charms all its own. Find a dark corner and avoid their presence, or just grab a seat at the bar and give them an even better impression that they found the right spot and met a local. They are known for their long list of house made vodka infusions, but a full menu is also available if you want to eat hundreds of dollars worth of caviar or maybe just the Russian standards.

Red Bastard $12

Duck liver pate $14

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MIDTOWN Manhattan

265 West 52nd Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

[CLOSED] Masha and the Bear

RUSSIA 🇷🇺

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RUSSIA 🇷🇺 Dispatch from Williamsburg, Brooklyn: A quick stop into this relatively new spot on Grand Street in Williamsburg was rewarded with a pot of Siberian pelmeni and one chebureki. The pelmeni were the highlight, served with sour cream and spicy mustard, but not really needing either. ° Masha & the Bear, 771 Grand Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Instagram exclusive post, added to full map on website. ° (1) Boiled Siberian pelmeni, (2) chebureki (3) Interior of chebureki (4) The most beautiful samovar in North Brooklyn (5) Grand Street facade. ° ° #EattheWorldNYC #eattheworld #worldfood #worldfoods #instayum #instafood #instaeat #foodlovers #foodlover #forkyeah #nyceats #nycfood #nycdining #newforkcity #eatingnyc #eatingnewyork #brooklyn #brooklyneats #brooklynfood #williamsburg #williamsburgbrooklyn #williamsburgeats #russia #russian #russianfood #russiancuisine #pelmeni #siberianpelmeni #chebureki #samovar

A post shared by Eat the World NYC (@eattheworldnyc) on May 5, 2018 at 7:42pm PDT

[UPDATE: CLOSED]

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WILLIAMSBURG Brooklyn

771 Grand Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

New York Bread

RUSSIA 🇷🇺

In most instances, people headed to Coney Island who do not live in the area head straight to the boardwalk or beach, riding the Wonder Wheel or setting up a blanket on the sand. Veering off in the opposite direction can reward someone with other types of treasures, and actually makes a good pickup for those headed to the beach but not in the mood for hot dogs and fried clams.

About eight blocks west of the Stillwell Avenue station is New York Bread, Inc., a great spot for freshly baked breads and hot prepared foods made all day. On a recent meander down Neptune Avenue, I had not prepared to make a purchase here, but the breads smelled so good.

As I followed my nose, the baker himself was filling the shelves with hot loaves of bread. Feeling this warmth was a little bit too much to resist, and a round loaf of Ukrainian rye made its way to my basket.

The hot and cold prepared foods look very good here too, all sold at various prices and quantities. There is a butcher for cuts of meat, and a whole range of sweets for after meals as well.

Most of the space of the shop is for common Russian and former Soviet country groceries, but these shelves were similar to what you might find in any store in Brighton Beach and Gravesend.

Before checking out, a small container of freshly prepared beet salad also found its way into the basket. This creamy mixture with finely chopped beet was even more satisfying than usual somehow and greatly enjoyed later in the day.

Unfortunately this stop was part of a few hours walk and I was only with a backpack. If you have the means, come to New York Bread with a car so you can take as much home with you as possible.

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CONEY ISLAND Brooklyn

2201 Neptune Avenue

Cafe Sabina

UZBEKISTAN 🇺🇿

On a fairly sleepy commercial stretch of Avenue X in Gravesend and named after the daughter of the owners, Cafe Sabina has opened up in the former home of Turkish restaurant Wood Spoon. The gates were down over the windows and half-covering the door when I first showed up at 12:45pm on a Monday. Sitting across the street forming a plan B, everything popped up and suddenly they decided to serve food for the day. A sign on the front door confirmed what the internet had suggested: 10am was the supposed opening hour.

It was easy to see the reason after entering, as multiple tables were covered with what appeared to be a very large catering order. This had probably forced them to use all their manpower in preparation. Regardless, it was only a 10 minute delay and I was happy to take a seat near the window even if the proprietor shrugged his shoulders at my presence.

The shades inside Cafe Sabina range from purplish-pink to pinkish-purple, with purple artwork and a pink menu as well. Once they have a customer, the TV gets set to a Russian pop video Youtube channel.

In Russian, the sign outside advertises "Eastern" and "European" food, which is shorthand in Russian for "Uzbek" and "Russian" cuisine. The menu also veers a little bit all over the place, with a Ukrainian soup, a Georgian entree, and Korean influences like many Uzbek eateries.

This meal started with a nice bowl of shurpa ($6.50, above and below), a name derived from Persian meaning "salty stew." The thin broth indeed fits that bill, the type of meal you crave when you are sick. It is a soup enjoyed from the Balkans and Northern Africa in the west all the way to South Asia in the east.

Chunks of beef, chickpeas, and orange bell peppers make up most of the volume, while dill is the most prominent taste.

The order of a single tandir samsa ($2.50, below) was pulled out of the catering trays before coming to the table. I was having a hard time not laughing at this, knowing my pastry was going to be fresh but that others would be missing one. This version had a thick and very crisp blackened bottom, almost as if it had been left in the tandir oven slightly too long, but not in a bad way.

The lamb inside was a bit tough, but the spicing is excellent. An order of at least a half dozen should have been immediately placed.

More delicious lamb made its way to the table in the form of a lyulya kebab ($4.50, below), the ubiquitous ground meat shish kebab found in most Central Asian eateries. Discussions online are amazing concerning most foods, but the peculiar nature of lyulya kebab enthusiasts is particularly funny with most people decidedly unhappy at 99% of the versions they eat, but knowing that 1% is worth the trouble.

I am easier to please when it comes to this dish, almost always enjoying my lyulya kebab. Here at Cafe Sabina this is no different. And as an added bonus, their tomato sauce is actually quite good. I usually pass on this bland sauce served with every kebab, but thankfully gave it a shot here. Full of spice from garlic and plenty of depth from other herbs, don't make the mistake of not trying it here. Just maybe not before a first date.

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GRAVESEND Brooklyn

377 Avenue X

Caravan Bazaar

KOREA 🇰🇷
RUSSIA 🇷🇺
UZBEKISTAN 🇺🇿

Caravan Bazaar was not even on my radar until last week when my S53 bus whizzed by it just after descending from the Verrazano Bridge, headed to places further into the interior of Staten Island. I frantically Googled and wrote down the place immediately, now needing to return. It satisfied my curiosities with flying colors and is a very fun market to enjoy.

Just under two years old, the market does not seem to get many walk-ins being on busy, car-centric Hylan Blvd, and focuses on satisfying the demands of the Russian and Central Asian populations that live in the island. The hot food and salad bars focus on the tastes of pan-Soviet cuisine with some Korean salads, cooked by Korean immigrants who landed first in Uzbekistan. (This is not unusual, for more on this read about it here).

Unlike some of the city's restaurants with Korean chefs from Uzbekistan, the cuisine here seems to focus more on the Russian and Uzbek flavors than the Korean. They have plenty of Uzbek favorites from kebabs to samsa, but cater to their more "focused" Russian customers with chicken Kiev, kotleti, and the like.

The entire length of one wall is dedicated to providing many options, with cold salads to the left and hot dishes to the right. I got a combination of as much as I could muster and ended up paying $12 and change for the portions below, well more than one person should eat in one sitting. Each item has a different price, so you end up using a lot of different containers.

The only thing I did not like was the Korean "spicy marinated fish" ($6.99/lb, top left), which like most Korean salads takes on that red pepper character of kimchi. When I started loading up my container, the proprietor warned me "Oh, that's SPICY." Those are good words to hear, I thought, and assured him I would be fine. Weirdly, it is not spicy at all, and the fish is flimsy and odd. Head to Brighton Beach for much better hye options.

The salad olivie ($4.99/lb, above right) is always a satisfying favorite, and good here. I noticed a Russian who had come in after me fill up a cup and I followed suit jealously. Afterwards, I asked for recommendations and received pretty broad strokes. There were two specific dishes that were narrowed down on though, the kotleti ($6.49/lb, bottom left), juicy and delicious ground chicken meatballs of sorts. It is surprising to find ground meat so moist, there must be plenty of butter and cream in these. The second was "beef with sweet and sour sauce" which I immediately hoped was solyanka ($8.99/lb), a stew made sour with pickles. I was very happy when I took my first bite at home, although this version was the least soup-y I had ever had.

"Bazaar" is a lofty goal, but they do import many products from Russia and former Soviet Republics. If you suspend reality for a moment, stepping into the store from the noise of Hylan Boulevard, you can reach these goals though, possibly. The prized booty of a long camel caravan just arriving from distant lands with all manner of products from the places of one's childhood.

Many products, including some interesting beverages from the fridge, are all in cyrillic without helpful words for English speakers, so you have to go with the photos and colors. This is all part of the fun though. I chose a couple toxic-colored sodas, and would only order the tarragon flavor again. The barberry tastes like liquid bubblegum.

Caravan Bazaar also has baked breads and desserts that look very good, as well raw marinated meats to take home and grill yourself. It really is a one-stop bazaar for many of the island's Russians. The only drawback for those of us that have to travel a bit to get there is that there is no seating and Hylan Boulevard offers nothing in the way of comfortable shaded areas. A 15-minute walk north would lead you to Brady's Pond Park, which looks favorable from Google Earth for a picnic spot. Let me know.

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GRASMERE Staten Island

1101 Hylan Boulevard

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Stolovaya

RUSSIA 🇷🇺

Depending on what kind of person you are, and where you come from, you may have slightly different reactions to the front of Stolovaya which promises "Authentic Soviet Cuisine." I fall in the camp that wants to run inside and try everything, as the Soviet Union no longer exists. Does the food?

As one might expect, most of the dishes here line up exactly as you would find on one of the many Brooklyn Russian restaurants. As per usual, a good selection of appetizers is usually a good plan. All of the food here comes in large portions and is priced almost laughably low. They serve a couple beers on draft, and let you bring in your own bottles of spirits.

Herring salad ($6.95)

Olivye salad ($4.95)

Veal tongue salad ($7.95)

My Ukrainian friend always loves comparing things to the "old country," and had a good time here with the brisk service, which I actually did not find all that off putting. For a Brooklyn Russian restaurant, the place is actually quite charming and welcoming. I think they don't even add that annoying service charge you usually find.

My favorite dish of the evening was the stuffed cabbage ($6.95, below), a dense block of meat, vegetables, and spices inside of some very green boiled cabbage leaves.

On their old awning and still on their menu, next to Stolovaya reads "Russian-style ravioli," a hint towards ordering fresh plates of pelmeni and/or vareniki, all priced at $4.95 for 25. We ordered a few different types, including the sour cherry version to start our paths later to dessert. These ravioli are quite small, so do not be afraid to order a good variety.

A short list of kebabs is also available, chicken and pork for $7.90, beef and lamb for $9.90. All are served in the style of any central Asian restaurant, with the boring red tomato sauce on the side.

There was a Thai amongst us, so we had a hard time not being extra curious about the "Thai chicken" that loomed large on the specials board. What arrived (below), was sort of impressive. A decently marinated moist chicken came riding in a fried tortilla boat of some sort, sprinkled with black sesames and covered in a white sauce. On the side were served peas, cabbage, and kasha. Brought us all right back to Bangkok, indeed.

Dessert was definitely a highlight, complete with both options from the menu. The spartak ($4.50) and smetanik ($4.50), of which by name I do not know the difference are above and below here, both served chilled and very creamy. If you are ordering just one, show the photo above, as it was the one we devoured despite our full bellies. Delicious.

All in all, even though my tourist visa was denied back in the 80's and I don't know the real way things were, Stolovaya probably does not pass as a viable "Soviet-style" place. Its kitschy fake retro posters are the kind found in any Williamsburg flea market. What it does pass for though is a great place for cheap Russian standards, an entirely enjoyable meal that will not come close to breaking the bank.

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SHEEPSHEAD BAY Brooklyn

813 Avenue U

Slavyanskiy Bazar

RUSSIA

From the street, Coney Island Avenue's Slavyanskiy Bazar does not seem like all that much. It is not flashy or gaudy like many Russian and former Soviet restaurants tend to be in Brooklyn, but inside you will find some of the best Russian food in the city. I gathered together a group of six for an outing here, two of whom were Russian, and one Ukrainian. All three of them, not to mention the rest of us, were quite happy after finishing.

The order of a Russian menu and the ordering habits of friends have taught me that there is a typical fashion that your meal should take place in, the first stage always being cold appetizers. We ordered three, including the herring seledka ($8.50, below), a handsome dish of well-prepared fish slices and pickled vegetables. Very simple and effective.

The slices were not as thick as usual in our second dish of beef tongue ($7.50, below). I thought this lent itself better to enjoy the dish more, especially when combined with the accompanying mayonnaise. Also recommended is stealing some of the purple horseradish that will be somewhere on the table.

New to my life, but very traditional apparently is the aspic ($11.50, below), curiously with an "an" in front of it on the menu, and called "xolodec" on our receipt in transliterated Russian. My friend described it to me as meat jelly, which is probably the best way to call it. The cooking process is somewhat like what happens after you put meat into your fridge after a meal and find it congealed in its own fat the next day.

The menu states this is "Jewish style" but I am fairly certain that at least part of the indiscernible meat within is pork. As you can see, the dish is served with a rather healthy steak knife and is cut into sections for everyone to try. It is served with horseradish if a kick is desired.

They have three varieties of pelmeni ($7, below), "Siberian," chicken, and veal, which all look about the same when they are put on the table. The tastes inside are also only subtly different, but my favorite is the Siberian, actually the birthplace of pelmeni in the first place. This version has lamb inside.

Customers preferring vareniki will not be disappointed either, as they have ten varieties to choose from, two of which are even sweet. We tried the vareniki with potatoes, mushrooms, and onions ($8, below), which had the three ingredients inside and were covered in them as well. These larger dumplings use a bit more dough than the pelmeni.

The borscht Ukrainian ($6.50, below) is served with three pompushkas, which are basically unsweet fried donuts. I immediately wanted to dip them into the borscht, but they do not soak up much liquid since they are already full of grease (in a good way). Note that the Russians did not try this, and probably knew better. A nice dollop of sour cream rests in the middle of the soup and is ready to be stirred in, changing the color from red to pink. The soup is excellent and filled with plenty of garlic.

The only entree we ended up ordering after our barrage of starters was the beef stew ($20.50, below), which at first is covered by a freshly baked flaky bread that rises on top of the clay pot it is served in. Also included on the polished wood carving board are small portions of cabbage and peas, used however you like.

Once the warm bread is removed, it is good for dipping into the stew or eating on its own, as it is already very moist. The beef itself comes in large hunks, and the stew takes on the flavor of the plums that are also within the recipe.

The only thing left to do after stuffing ourselves was the long walk to the Atlantic Ocean down Coney Island Avenue to Brighton Beach, to take in the late afternoon winter sunset and walk off some of the calories.

[UPDATE 12 March 2016, some photos from another meal]

Salad Odessa ($6.50)

Po gotovnosti potato with mushrooms ($20.50)

Chicken Kiev ($19.50) & beef stew ($20.50)

Napoleon ($8.50)

Shtrudel ($8.50)

Pancake w/ Jello ($7.50)

SHEEPSHEAD BAY, Brooklyn

2013 Coney Island Avenue