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| St.
Petersburg - Russia |
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Society - World
Level Perfection
April - 2008 |
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6 Stars
& 7 Stripes
Overall - 'Cuisine & Service' |
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The
Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and
Stripes® |
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| It is not easy to remain at the pinnacle of your game,
especially in the rough and tumble field of cuisine. The Caviar Bar at the
Grand Hotel Europe represents the haute couture of gastronomy in a city
that is making its culinary mark on the rest of the world. In order to maintain
the momentum of being the embodiment of true traditional Russian cuisine, this
restaurant has undergone a tremendous renovation that ended recently and has
catapulted it as the paragon of the St. Petersburg's nouveau restaurant
scene. Russian laughter and enjoyment are part of the fabric in this luxurious
edifice, presently under the protection of Historical Monuments because of its
distinguished former times. The redo included ornamentation details that
reflect the neo-classic style typical for the turn-of-the-century décor.
At the helm is the preeminent Executive Sous-Chef
Yoann
Bernard, who has almost single handedly raised the Caviar Bar and L'Europe
restaurants to St. Petersburg's best. Every dynamic leader has a right-hand man
to help carry out his vision and
Dmitry
Zakharchenko, the illustrious Maitre d', fits the bill. His moves are
seamless and professional as if in the midst of auditioning for TV's
“Dancing with the Stars”. His service and attention to detail is
impeccable. I must say that when I recall our tasting menus of that evening, it
brings to mind the deep appreciation for culinary perfection that is displayed
with every item offered on the menu. Naturally, any restaurant with the word
'caviar' in its name must be able to perform explicitly in this area and in
this case the restaurant offers a Caspian Treasure of Beluga, Sevruga
and Osetra. The caviar purist would divulge that Beluga, Sevruga and Osetra are
the epitome of superior taste and quality and nobody loves their caviar like
the Russians as they have made its consumption nothing less than an art. To
accompany the soft buttery taste of the caviar, Russians drink vodka, icy cold
and neat. The Caviar Bar recommended a Trio of Russian Vodkas - Beluga Gold
Line, Russian Standart Platinum and Tsarskaya Gold, premium vodkas that
exemplify the essence of the Russian culture. |
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| House-Made Smoked Salmon with Lambs Lettuce
sounded mundane but it was far from the ordinary. It was displayed as if it
were a jigsaw puzzle assembled with a microscope so that all the seams fit
together flawlessly.
Chef
Yoann also displayed a superior understanding of the preparation of
Kamchatka Crab baked with Champagne Sabayon (St. Petersburg style),
monster crabs from the far east of Russia with a superb taste reminiscent of
Dungeness.
Dmitry
brought his recommended wine pairing of Puligny Montrachet Vincent Girardin,
2004, a vintage with a perfumed nose of vanilla bean and rose petals,
well-balanced and compact. Sticking to the theme of Russian cuisine, Chef Yoann
prepared the next course of Russian Bear Parmentier with Parmesan chips,
Mesclun salad and Hazelnut Oil Dressing. It's not often that you get a
chance to sample a cuisine that includes something as exotic as bear but Chef
Yoann's deft handling of this Russian icon left us with a feeling that we had
just tasted a prime cut of meat with a slightly wild flavor, cooked to
perfection. For this kind of entrée, a full-bodied red wine is needed to
stand up to the earthy flavors of the meat. We accepted a CHAPOUTIER
HERMITAGE ''Monier de La Sizeranne'' 2001, with the idea that the purity of
the biodynamically farmed grapes would highlight the cuisine. We discovered a
delicious fruity, spicy and earthy wine with a slightly chocolaty palate as if
the fruit were nicely browned in an oven. |
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| Finally we were in the mood for our dessert course and
Chef Yoann presented us with a cultural favorite of Russian Blinis with Red
Berries and Raspberry Sorbet. These were marvelously light Russian crepes
topped with wild berries and cool feather light raspberry sorbet, the perfect
ending to an incredible meal. We received an impressive I Capitelli Anselmi,
Recioto di Soave 2002 with honey gold color and aromas of peaches, apricots
and mango to be the delightful partner to the blinis. Our dinner complete, we
decided to partake in a formidably harmonious 1962 Maniban Armagnac, all
the while listening to the magical sounds of the live Russian acoustic trio
taking us on a musical journey. |
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by
Thorsten Buehrmann & Edmund Buehrmann
Editor: John
Lomitola
Editor-in-Chief: Ingrid Lemme |
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| © 2008 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes, Inc. |
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