Nana Boateng

Review of The Russian Tea Room

Restaurant Week in New York City is the perfect ti...

Restaurant Week in New York City is the perfect time to visit new restaurants you ve never been to or return to old favorites at a fraction of the cost. The Russian Tea Room is a New York food institution known for its grand opulence and judging by the pictures alone, you won t be disappointed.
Once you enter through its revolving doors, you re transported to a time and place far far away and you don t return to the street lights of New York City until you exit. The entire dining room is adorned in red, including the leather chairs and most of the accidents on the decor. There are also sculptures and pictures all over the interior that oozes of opulence, as if you re in a Russian castle dining room. You will also encounter a lot of Faberge eggs situated all throughout the place, especially in the 2nd floor where the bathroom is. They come in all shapes and sizes and are so expertly designed that you would think they cost millions of dollars each, and I would not be surprised if they do.
The Restaurant Week menu consisted of about 3 options each for the three-course treat, which included items from both sea and land. The salmon was really good, but the chicken was a lot heartier and came with rice, just like the salmon. It was good, and portioned accordingly as far as Restaurant Week items go, but if one is not used to paying such prices of $38 a person for such portions they will complain. However, considering most other items on their regular menu are over $40, this is an absolute steal. I didn t care much for the appetizer, but the entree and dessert (a cheesecake), were both delicious.
If you have been dying to go to this revered New York culinary institution, there is no better time than now, as Restaurant Week is only a week away from conclusion. The waiters were nothing to write home about as they were pretty standard, and never bothered to fill up my water as it got lower AND lower until there was nothing left. However, they did courteously give me a ring for us to pick up our credit card we had left behind, of which I give them a lot of credit for. If you make a stop there, make sure you stop by the bathroom floor below and just marvel at the intricacies of the Faberge eggs down there!