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Russia House Restaurant
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
10 reviews for Russia House Restaurant
I have to admit that I had high hopes for Russia House Restaurant. I've know of its existence for a few years but wasn't intrigued enough to actually go until our recent travels to St. Petersburg (read this and this to catch up). I figured it would be somewhat authentic while being a bit Americanized, but the food would still be good. I went in thinking that if it was anything close to the meals I had in Russia, it would be a pleasant meal.
The Look and Feel
It's located in what feels like an old office building. You could just as easily be going to see your childhood dentist as you could be going to a nice restaurant. Unfortunately the feel inside the place felt just as old. It was decorated with culture specific pieces but I couldn't help but feel like I was eating in someone's grandmother's dining room. The copious amounts of red and gold probably wouldn't have been as apparent had everything not seemed old. There were only four tables occupied, out of at least 30, so you couldn't help but feel like everyone else knew something you didn't.
The Service
Given the lack of patrons, the staff really had no choice but to be attentive. The were polite and available but all seemed very unsure of themselves as they tripped over their words. They apologized profusely when we complained of a flat soda and sent someone out to buy more Coke. While a nice gesture, it would seem obvious the reason the soda was flat was because they don't turn over that much of it. The most egregious error, however, was the complete admission of borscht from my meal. The waitress did not write our order down (a pet peeve of mine) and as a result, must have missed my order. I didn't realize I wasn't getting it until our mains came and at that point, it was too late. We weren't charged for it, but that's really not the point.
The Food
My pirozhki were nothing like the grandmother's slavic version but rather more like pastries. The concept was decent but for the most part they tasted liked crust because there wasn't enough filling in them. This version supposedly had meat and cabbage but I could barely taste either. If they crammed the suckers with a bit more of the good stuff, they probably would have been pretty awesome but alas... they fell short.
Since I had borscht in Russia and loved it, I was looking forward to making a comparison of authenticity. The problem is you actually have to be served the stuff to know what it tastes like. I'm actually pretty bitter about not getting it because it was one of the reasons I went there.
To keep up the comparison, I had beef stoganov as my main. The stroganov I had in Russia was nothing short of amazing so let's call that a 10. My childhood babysitter used to make what, at the time, seemed like the most disgusting thing ever so we'll call that a 1. I'd put this stroganov at the 6 or 7 mark and I'll tell you why. The beef itself was very tender and definitely of good quality. The sauce was pretty good but much darker than what I had in Russia and didn't have onions. I know there are different recipes for it but the stuff I had before was so good I wanted this to be like that.
Other dishes ordered (not by me) included grilled shrimp brochette and broiled salmon with a champagne caviar sauce. The fish was reportedly "okay" and when asked if she'd order it again, the wife couldn't say. That's a bad sign in my opinion. I had some of the shrimp and while prepared well, I can't say the dish blew me away. The rice and grilled vegetables it was served on was pretty good but is that Russian and how much does that really matter? I got a free pastry cake thing because it was my birthday and unfortunately, it was just average.
The Verdict
I'm not sure how the tone of this review reads to someone else, but it's meant to be slightly above average. The food was decent, with just a few tweaks needed here and there to make them worth going back for. The major hitch in my mind, and likely the reason why there were really no patrons, was the prices. It's possible people either don't know about the place or have a misconception about Russian food, but it's far more likely they feel a two course meal there isn't worth $50 a head. I say try it once if you're curious or just want something different but don't prepare to be blown away.
It really is a good thing that my boss paid for our meals bc I really did not enjoy this place all that much. First walking in, the place was empty and this could be bc it was lunch time and alot of ppl work outside of herndon. The owner there took us all the way to a corner of the restaurant I guess for privacy - but bc we were the only ones there - it might not have been necessary =P. Also, I wasn't sure if it was him that stunk a bit or the corner we were at, but I did not like the unpleasant smell.
He suggested the shrimp appetizer (his specialty) and was brought out cooked on hot plate and drizzled over with a tangy sauce. It was pretty good but my main dish was mediocre to say the least. The filet was tender but it was just ok for me - nothing spectacular - served with grilled veggies on side and . First time trying Russian food so I'm not really familiar with it but it seems similar to Italian food to me.
Anyways I wouldn't come back here again. Nothing stood out to be amazing here. Oh well.
My girlfriend and I had a chance to eat a nice dinner at the Russia House in Herndon.
The atmosphere as we walked in was very cool and romantic, but also very classy. There were only a handful of other people in the dining room, and we got a great table for two by a window. The staff was very friendly and attentive from the moment we walked in. Our waiter even pulled our chairs out for us. I was really impressed by the hospitality.
We started with Zaksuki Platter. This was a sampling of many Russian appetizers. I won't go into too much detail except to say that if you are a fan of cold appetizers, you will be very happy with this dish. It was delicious. We also shared a cup of borscht. This was a first for me, and I really enjoyed it. My girlfriend told me of some of her previous experiences eating borscht, and the borscht at the Russia House was very good. The color was a very dark brownish red. It tasted very similar to Minestrone soup.
For an entree, I kept it pretty simple by having Pasta Russa. This was sauteed mushrooms and onions on top of fresh fettuccine. It was very good. It tasted like beef stroganov without the beef. My girlfriend had Kulebiaka Po-Baranina. This is a pastry stuffed with lamb, vegetables, and tarragon sauce. This was a very hearty dish. In fact, it was way too much for her. She ended up giving a quarter of it to me, and then taking half of it home. They also surprised her with a hard boiled egg in the center. Those crazy Russians.
We also tried 2 great cocktails. I had "Ivan The Terrible" and she had the "Baltic Breeze". They have a great selection of vodka here. Our waiter also mentioned them to have Russia's most coveted of vodkas within there bar.... Russian Standard Vodka. We did not take pleasure in this Russian delicacy this time around, but I'm sure I'll drop by sometime soon to try it out.
This was the restaurant I went to for my last meal during my trip to DC. My guy and I got giddy just thinking about what to order. We wanted to take our precious time, as it was a high end place. He described it as being "ultra luxury" and believe me, his vocabulary is always on point.
We started off with drinks, which were Red Russians! Oh man, they were so delicious. We got snails and caviar for appetizers while we patiently took our time with the menu. The service here was spectacular. The owner is Persian, but had lived in Russia for quite some time. He was amazingly helpful.
I ordered the Chicken Kiev and my guy ordered the duck. We were eating by candlelight and loosening up over some good Russian drinks. It was quite a dinner to remember. We finished off with a three flavor sampler of sorbet.
I would definitely come here again!
I organized a company dinner here for 21 people. The staff was wonderful to work with and made the planning very easy. We had a large table set up in the back room so we had a lot of privacy. The staff was very attentive and on top of things when we arrived and all through dinner.
The food was good - though not great. I enjoyed the meal, but would not go back there for a dinner out with the hubby. For our appetizers, we had the Pirozhki, the snails, and the shrimp. The Pirozhki were very good! The snails were ok - but overdone so a bit chewy. The shrimp was just OK.
I had the filet for dinner. (I will agree that the menu seems very much french influenced). THe filet was tender, but it was unevenly cooked. The bernaise sauce was very salty (and I love salt). Didn't really taste like a bernaise to me. My consensus from others around the table was that it was OK, but nothing to "mmmm" and "ahhhh" over. Dessert was pretty good though.
Wine selection isn't great. I had the wine list faxed to me to select wines ahead of time. I found a nice Pauilliac (albeit a little young) and a decent Brunello for $90. There was also a good Fume Blanc. There were a few other good wines, but they were VERY expensive. All the other affordable wines were not great.
The Vodka was a hit though. I didn't have any - but many co-workers did and truly enjoyed it.
I tend to write 2 types of review, very good or not so good. This falls under the very good catagory, Ali and his wife (owners) are just wonderful people and the food is just wonderful. The food is authentic as his russian mother, and the flavors are just wonderful. I had the cabbage wrapped beef and just loved it. My co-worker had the scallops and they too were just great. The only reason it is not 5 stars in my book is it seemd a bit expensive but not out of line for the area.
Funny thing is, I can see the truth of almost everything that Jay A said on 4/7/2007. In fact, I imagine, we had the same woman serving us-- yet I find the overall package to be a little better.
The entrees were actually quite good, and the suggested wine pairing that our waitress made was outstanding. I brought a group of quite sophisticated food people here, and they liked the very traditional entrees. Definitely French-influenced preparations, probably not typical food eaten by the average Russian. Also, it is expensive. The desserts were only average.
Always wanted to try russian food so my boyfriend and I decided to pay a visit one cold friday night. I expected the place to be packed with people, but there were only couple of tables that were filled, which I found it odd.
With a guy playing classic favorites with his guitar by the table side and interesting pieces of art work surrounding us, we expected something extraordinary, but we perhaps shoulnd't have set our expetations too high.
We ordered escargo appetizer and it just looked so strange and tasted horrible. For an entree I had a rack of lamb which was decent. For desserts, we ordered berry pie and tiramisu (which I highly doubt that they made it in the restaurant), which were decent also. But for such a high check we paid, we expected so much more and we were disappointed. Also the service there was good but weird at the same time. I think its because of the rough english of our waitress, but the commends she would make sometimes would come off a bit rude. At first I was mad that she was being rude, but later I understood it might be because of the language barrier.
I woulnd't recommend this to anyone but woulnd't stop anyone from going there either.
I'm glad we found this restaurant. The food was excellent, the staff went out of their way to make sure your meal was good, and the atmosphere included dim lighting, Russian art-work, and classical music. We went on a Friday night and it was surprisingly empty, which made it good for a romantic meal. We had soup (borscht), salad (Georgian salad), and an entree (Georgian Duck sauteed over sauerkraut, and a pastry stuffed with minced lamb and rice). Our glasses of wine (merlot, pinot grigio) were good. Location is in downtown historic Herndon, which has live music on some Friday nights, so you could maybe time your visit with one of those events.
I thought this place was delicious, the food was rather unique, but it did seem more French than Russian. My only problem was the waiter felt it was okay to participate in the table conversations, not very kosher behavior for the staff at a fine dining place like this.
