By Michael Ross
Bowl of warm Russian borsch
Located on Florida's Gulf Coast, the city of St. Petersburg has little in common with its namesake city in northwestern Russian. Both cities, however, are home to restaurants offering a tasty selection of traditional Russian cuisine. Some Russian dining establishments in and near St. Petersburg, Florida, not only offer homemade dishes like pelmeni and vareniki, but also offer an endless variety of Russian-style music and entertainment.
St. Petersburg Nights
Open since 2006, St. Petersburg Nights offers diners a tasty selection of Russian dishes, many of which are based on family recipes that are more than 200 years old. The restaurant also holds a variety of food, dance and music events every month, making it a popular gathering place for local eastern European immigrants.
The menu features a large selection of reasonably priced Russian appetizers, salads, soups, entrees and desserts. Cold appetizers include assorted fish platters, beef tongue salad, deviled eggs and marinated wild mushrooms. Hot appetizers include a roasted mushroom julienne and mini chicken kebab saute. Nine different salads and three soups are also available. The selection of entrees includes traditional Russian dishes like vareniki, pelmeni and crepes, as well as several chicken dishes and the ever-popular beef stroganoff. A choice of five desserts completes the well-rounded menu. St. Petersburg Nights is open for dinner at 5 p.m. every day except Mondays.
St. Petersburg Nights
6800 Sunset Way
St. Pete beach, FL 33706
727-363-3832
stpetersburgnights.com
Yummy Mama's Food
Situated in a 100-year old building in St. Petersburg's historic Old North East area, Yummy Mama's Food serves a large selection of authentic Russian and eastern European cuisine. In addition to the restaurant, the owners also operate an eastern European delicatessen market.
With 37 years of experience in Moscow restaurants, Chef Yakov prepares a fine assortment of dishes based on ancient Russian recipes. The menu includes soups and appetizers such as Ukrainian borscht and Solyanka, red and black Russian caviar and marinated cold herring with boiled potatoes and onions. Entrees include chicken kiev, chicken tabaka, stuffed cabbage and a small selection of seafood. Traditional Russian favorites like pelmeni, vareniki, manti and hinkali are also available. The delicatessen offers a selection of homemade pierogies, sausages, preserves pastries and caviar. Yummy Mama's also offers a Sunday champagne brunch buffet and is available for corporate events, weddings, engagements, anniversaries, birthdays and other special occasions.
Yummy Mama's Food
145 4th Ave. Northeast
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727-388-1904
yummymamasrestaurant.com
Astoria Restaurant
Astoria Restaurant serves an assortment of traditional Russian dishes such as black and red caviar, smoked fish, borsch, golubtzy, vareniki, chicken kiev and beef stroganoff. The menu also features a number of American favorites like pork chops, New York strip steak and Chilean sea bass. Vegetarians even have a selection of two dishes: clay pot vegetable stew and Yalta Dreams II, an imitation meat product rolled and filled with feta cheese, spinach and cherry hot peppers.
Astoria Restaurant
8126 Lakewood Main St., Suite 101
Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202
941-907-3873
astoriarussianrestaurant.com
Resources
About the Author:
Michael Ross has been a freelance writer and photographer since 2005. His travel, technology and education articles have been published online and in several print publications including "Paradox Informant" magazine, "Lake Superior Magazine" and book anthologies such as "Perspectives on Modern World History" and "Global Business Yearbook: Global Business Perspectives." Ross attended Eastern Michigan University.
Photo Credits:
borsch image by Dron from
Fotolia.com
