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Stolichniy Restaurant
Rating Details »
5601 Watt Ave
North Highlands, CA 95660
(916) 332-5989
North Highlands, CA 95660
(916) 332-5989
- Hours:
Tue-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Tue-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 3:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
10 reviews for Stolichniy Restaurant
Was in N. Highlands and my first thoughts were to return here and try the lunch to see if things have changed. Indeed, they have! And for the better~a solid 4.5 as I can't attest to service or a more complete menu as we only did take-out. REMEMBER they don't open until 3 on Sundays...AND the menu shown here on the site is totally outdated. (I will ask for the changes to be made...again!)
New management (goodbye to the tyrant and overpriced menu). The daughter took the mom with her (sad but true) BUT, the original sous chef has stepped in admirably~....as she was working hand-in-hand with the mom for years and I think a lot rubbed off (or to her credit she handled a lot before?).
The food we tried are our standards...and items I have dreamed of having again! Mushroom soup, blinys and the stuffed cabbage--and of course, their snow berries dessert! A-one.
The new management wants to help and accommodate. If I lived closer and had need of a caterer, they would be top on my list. New menu is cleaner, clearer and more reasonably priced. For example, the stuffed cabbages is $8.95 for 3 large (and yummy) cabbages. If you want a meal (includes fresh veggies, a small soup and mashed potatoes) it is $12.95...worth it~
Do try these folks if you are looking for something different AND good.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
5/20/2008
Ugly area...great food. Problem: a bit pricey. Also, the Sunday hours have now changed they open… Read more »
I'm a big fan of their cabbage rolls. I get them whenever I'm in the area for work. Try them if you have not already. Definitely recommend this restaurant.
I have had the pleasure of eating here 4 times. I have given this "5 Stars" for a reason. It's that good. The english language is a tough sell in here as they speak more Russian that english, but we didn't have any problem ordering. Just point at the menu and they deliver. The poroshki's are the best in Sacto. The place has a small diner atmosphere with very little decor, but I'd rather have good food any time over decor. The cabbage soup is awesome! This is a jewel hidden by the zip code of N. Highlands in a small strip-mall.
Try this once and you'll become a believer in why I gave it this rating. Come early, as they have a tendency to run out of some things, and you're going to miss out on the best parts. I always order extra stuff to take home for the next couple of days. That alone should tell you why I eat here.
I know, you never considered North Highlands a hotbed of haute cuisine. In fact, unless you were making a crack run, there really isn't much reason to enter that part of town.
Well, now you have a reason, and it's every bit as addictive as crack. The Stolichniy Restaurant on Watt Avenue is so good that you'll go back time after time.
My first, but not last, visit was last Friday. I took my husband and ten year old, after having read a positive blurb in our local newspaper. I'm always up for trying new places and foods. The ten year old? Not so much, but once he realized were weren't going to eat Japanese yet again, and I wasn't bringing in pizza, he gave up and off we went.
Located in a strip mall, across from a liquor store (what else?) and near a pizza joint with the menu written outside in Russian, we discovered that Stolichniy Restaurant was crowded, with only one table left. The host/owner asked us if we had a reservation, and when we said no and apologized, he waved us over to the remaining table anyway. The place was small but spotless, with those wavy IKEA mirrors on the walls and a painting or two.
The menu is extensive and full of Russian/Ukranian goodies: borsht, blini, etc. We ordered an appetizer of a dumpling filled with ground beef and pork. It came in a little bowl, melting butter on top and sour cream on the side. I can no longer remember the name of this dish, but it turned my ten year old into a raving Russian food fan.
With our appetizer, we had a Russian beer, called Baltica. The server brought us over the bottles so we could choose - they had a porter and a wheat ale. We chose the porter. It was excellent beer, although at $7.99, very expensive. Given our other choices, (bud, miller, corona) we splurged.
I ordered a beef stew thing with potatoes that was out of this world. Full of creamy potatoes, shredded beef and mushrooms and an amazing sauce seasoned with paprika, it had a depth of flavor you don't often get in a stew. My husband ordered a pork steak that came with a heart-attack inducing amount of cheese, but which tasted so good we figured he'd die happy, at least. My ten year old had ordered before the appetizer came, and regretted his shrimp salad. Not because there was anything wrong with it, but because it wasn't as interesting as what we were eating. Of course, we shared ours with him.
Our meals came with a plate of sliced vegetables on the side: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and a wonderful homemade buttermilk/dill dressing. Had I actually been on crack, I probably would have skipped the veggies and just drank the dressing - it was that good.
I read in the paper that the woman who owns/cooks in this restaurant was trained in culinary school and ran a restaurant back in her home country. Her skills are evident as everything we ate tasted wonderful,homemade and fresh. I can imagine that it is representative of the best of her country.
I hate to recommend this restaurant because then a bunch of people will discover it and I'll never get a table without a reservation again. But, people who cook that good should be shared with the world, so I'll give up my selfish tendencies.
If you are ever curious about what excellent Russian food should taste like, and also enjoy a drive through a crack neighborhood, this is the place for you.
This is a great little culinary gem. While it is a bit of a drive into a less desirable neighborhood, it is well worth the effort. Their food offerings and their attentive service alone make it a memorable trip. If you are adventourous enough go there and ask the owner to give you a sampling of what is good.
Some of my favorites were Pelmeni - (Russian meat dumplings with beef and pork) Rassolnick (Soup with beef, barley, pickels, carrots and potatoes) and the Cabbage rolls with sour cream, beef and rice. Make sure to try the Russian berry lemonade called kompot.
Fabulous soups and delicious entrees make this restaurant worth a trip. We've been to Stolichniy Restaurant several times and have always enjoyed it. The Soups are excellent (the Rassolnik is to die for) and are a meal in themselves. The Pelmeni and Varelniki are also delicious and make an excellent entree or appetizer.
Unfortunately I don't have the menu near me, and I can't remember the names of some of the other dishes, but they do a fabulous meat and potato dish in cooked in its own pot.
For dessert our server recommended the traditional desert of Snowberries. Three kinds of berries in a yoghurt brandy sauce. It was fabulous!
We will be returning to Stolichniy Restaurant!
ETA:
We've returned several times to Stolichniy and have been well-pleased each meal. There has apparently been a change in the kitchen, and the decor has been upgraded. On our most recent visit the waiter actually turned the tv set off when we entered.
The soups are better than ever (Oh Beloved Rassolnik - how I dream of thee!) and we also ordered various salads, varelniki, and salmon with caper/dill sauce. Our party agreed that it was the best meal we'd yet had. The pricing in higher in this incarnation, but I think it is justified. The food was good quality and carefully prepared & presented.
Now what is this Rassolnik of which I write? It is a Ukrainian soup. I've had trouble finding recipes and the ones that I find can only agree on a few of the ingredients. They all agree on butter, chicken broth, barley, and julienne pickle, and pickle juice. Stolichniy adds julienne (possibly grated) potato, onion, maybe some dill, and I'm sure a bunch of other stuff. They serve it with a dollop of sour cream and it may be the best thing on the menu. Although the Snowberries come a close second.
Do your mouth a favor and go to Stolichniy!
I, like many people, like Sriracha. However, because of its domineering flavor I use it only when the food I'm eating is bland or bad; for when you use Sriracha, even sparingly, all you pretty much taste is that spicy, chile, garlic goodness.
When I walked into Stolichniy, along with salt and pepper shakers, there was a large bottle of Sriracha on every table...an auspicious sign. First I was throttled with the inauthenticity of it--a Chinese inspired sauce made by a Korean in Fresno on every table in a Russian Restaurant?--WTF? Second, I suspected the food here must be so bad (or bland) that customers must request some sort of hot sauce so often that simply suppling every table with its own bottle cut down on a lot of needless running around.
True, the food is bland. I ordered what was recommend by the other 5-star yelpers and was immediately jonesing for some flavor...ANY flavor...Sriracha will do just fine.
-Go for the experience (it is something different).
-Drink in the interaction and dialog of the Russian Immigrant Family that runs it
-Be sure you like Sriracha
-Don't go for the food
I highly recommend this small Russian restaurant. You should try everything over several trips to get to know the Russian cousin. Whatever you order you will enjoy till the last bite. Food is very unique. If you really into different cultures that go ahead and discover new wolds through your stomach. Its not very cheap like Chinese, clean and very tasty. Stuff speak English very well.
Before you enter Stolichniy and try "real" Russian food, you have to remember that Russian Cuisine is subsistence food. Russia is a vast country that stretches nearly to the North Pole, with very harsh and long cold winters. After consumption of a Russian meal, it should provide the average comrade with energy and warmth to survive the winter. And the meals provide solace to the peasants that had to tolerate the Czars and then oppressive Communist leaders such as Stalin and Khrushchev. You will see in Russian meals quite a bit of carbohydrates and fat over proteins. Fresh fruits and vegetables are rarely used. In the Russian climate, Beets, Potatoes, and Cabbage are easy to grow. Dieting is non-existent for the average person. If you keep these thoughts in mind, Stolichniy Russian Restaurant achieves this goal quite well - after you leave this restaurant you will be ready for the harsh Sacramento fog and rain!
Stolichniy was established three years ago after acquiring an exisiting Thai restaurant at their present location. The restaurant is owned by a Ukranian family that emigrated here just a scant five years ago. Stolichniy, from what the owner told me, is a term used to describe institutions in capitals of states under the Soviet Union. Stolichniy describes that institution as #1, or the best in the capital. Therefore, you would find a Stolichniy Bank as well as a Stolichniy Restaurant, and so on, which are totally unrelated to each other. I hope I understood her right... I'll revise when I converse with her next time.
What I ordered...
Bliny with Cabbage and Mushrooms (#4) - Although most other reviewers equate Blinys with Crepes... the Cabbage and Mushrooms reminded me of Chinese Egg Rolls more than anything European. You will receive three to an order. The size of each Bliny is about 4" x 2" square. Each order of Bliny comes with a mound of Sour Cream on a small plate. The consistency of the Bliny "wrapper" is about three times thicker than your French Crepe. For some, this could be a meal in itself. The daughter of the owner tempted me with the Bliny with Red Caviar... I'm Proletariat at heart, not Bourgeoisie.
Borsch Red (#32 - Medium) - The national soup of the Ukraine, this is a hot soup made from Beets with a daub of sour cream (get used to smetana, or sour cream... it is an ingredient in virtually every dish!) tossed in for good measure. With the soup was a plate of two biscuits with a small bowl of olive oil spiced with dill and garlic. The bread-dipping oil concoction is supposed to enhance the Borsch flavor.
Gouliash (Beef) (#46) - Mainly marinated with Paprika, Stewed Beef with a huge side of Mashed Potatoes. Accompanied by an iceberg lettuce salad with a very good Ranch-Style dill dressing. This is NOT your Goulash you see at American restaurants cooked with assorted vegetables over noodles or rice. The way Stolichniy makes and serves Goulaish is how the average Russian or Eastern European would consume Goulaish at the dinner table!
SnowBerries (#50) - Three types of berries (Raspberry, Blackberry, and ???) in a Brandy and Yogurt mixture topped off with Whipped Cream! This was a fabulous dessert!
Tsinandali White Wine - $6.50 - An imported wine from Georgia (not that Georgia! Further East than that...) - very good. I was reading a review from the Sacramento Bee about Stolichniy on the wall near the kitchen when the waitress poured the wine.... as I returned to my table I noticed the wine was poured into a huge Brandy Snifter... as I was about to start swirling... I thought to myself that I never get that lucky. It was just wine, after all.
The owner and her family is more than willing to help you order to your particular likes and dislikes. A very nice family that is an asset to the Sacramento community.
The strip mall where Stolichniy is located has turned into Little Russia (or Ukraine), it seems. Emmanuel's Food (Russian Market) is located steps away and there is a pizza joint that advertises in Russian!
The owner told me that one of their plans for future expansion is a strictly Russian Lunch fast food type of establishment in Roseville. I interjected that the Blinys, especially the dessert Blinys, would go over well with the fast lunch crowd.
Less than 10% filled @ 2pm, 100% Russian.
In summary, a very authentic Russian restaurant for your average California comrade. Priyatnogo appetita!
Very nice, couzy place for a lunch where you can truly enjoy the quiet time. Nothing fancy, but it wasn't meant to be a high class restaurant on the first place. Delicious, home-style food, great sups. "Lulyakibab" is definitely one of their specials. Both, me and my wife enjoy visiting Stolichniy. It's one of a few places in Sacramento where you still can find authentic Russian food the way it's supposed to be, and not americanized.
I give it five out of five.
