Perhaps the only benefit of having been conquered and reconquered again by so many of the world’s most powerful empires is the lasting impression it leaves on your national cuisine. So it is with Georgia, whose traditional dishes are rightly feted for their curious mix of Russian, Turkish, Persian and uniquely Caucasian flavors. (more…)
THE GUIDE
It?s almost a given that every year the owners of Soho American steakhouse remodel their basement and give it a completely different look. The area began as a nightclub, which being far from the center never proved too popular, and then became a pizzeria and strip club (more…)
I had a wonderful mood when my aircraft landed in a small airport of the same size cozy and sunny Lugansk a Ukrainian suburban city. A beautiful and slim stewardess with a shining smile wished all the passengers a wonderful time in this amazing Ukrainian city with a big history and original culture.
Lviv is a very poetic city steeped in legends both ancient and relatively new! Narrow medieval streets paved with stones, architectural decoration done in different styles – all preserved in its original form. In ancient times Lviv was the capital of a mighty Slavic state called the Galicia-Volyn principality. (more…)
I have been going to the same barbershop for over ten years. It is on Plosha Slavy. I first started going to it because we lived very close by. The most I have ever paid for a haircut is 20 UAH, including tip. I continue to use it because I am very use to it. It offers, for me, an acceptable bargain in hair-care. I am limited in my ability to communicate my hair-care wishes to the barber but I have never been disappointed in the result. Would I recommend it to someone looking for a barber, possibly but not to someone looking for style or the latest thing. One last note, I paid 20 US cents for my first Ukrainian haircut in 1992.
By Terry, Notes From Kiev,http://notesfromkiev.blogspot.com
Imagine you’ve rented an expensive apartment on Kreshchatyk. Even though the rent may top that of a townhouse in Washington’s prestigious Georgetown-Foggy Bottom neighborhood, most likely you’ll find the interior lacking tasteful decor, a sense of modernity, comfort and most importantly safety.
I remember my first days in Kyiv well, as forgettable as they were. It was five years ago and the city had no middle-class restaurants worth noting. Kyivans had the choice of dining out in Soviet-style cafes, McDonald’s restaurants or really expensive places where you daren’t walk in without a thick wad of C-notes to cover the high cost of dining. I love eating out and yet I hardly ate out at all.
A former resident of Kyiv, an American named Bruce, once told some Best Of team members that looking for Thai food in this city, though difficult at times, can even be rewarding. He mentioned in particular a certain local restaurant that, he said, served the best Tom Kha soup this side of Bangkok. Heady words, to be sure, but having lived there for some years over a decade ago, he became a discerning culinary expert on all (more…)
Though Mardi Gras and Carnival are over, signaling the beginning of the Christian Lenten period, the local Maslenytsa tradition is all set to begin, meaning it’s time to think about pancakes (crepes, actually), known in Ukrainian as mlyntsy. In Ukraine mlyntsy are easy to find – just turn to any Ukrainian restaurant and they’re bound to be on the menu. But forget the restaurant scene for a while.
At a few parties this weekend – the opening of a new local nightclub, a private combination going away/birthday celebration and an elite food-tasting club event – I had the chance to really immerse myself in what variously constitutes ex-pat life in this city.
