(Remixed) "Where in the Concrete Jungle Will Trois Femmes Pop Up?"- The Russian Tea Room

(Thanks to theepochtimes for the 1st pic)

the decor

Pumpernickel bread w/ butter (had to pick between pumpernickel or multi grain)

Tea Room Market Salad

Goat Cheese & Wild Mushroom Blinchici

Bouef a la Stroganaff

Traditional Vanilla Cheesecake

Chocolate Pyramid

My lovely mum enjoying her dessert

This is a special edition to our usual, "Where In The Concrete Jungle Will Trois Femmes Pop Up?" series. This specific location has been around since 1927 and I thought it would be a wonderful idea to share it with you, even though my sistas were not with me. I promised my mom a while back that I would treat her to brunch at The Russian Tea Room and the day finally arrived....

My Mum has been to The Russian Tea Room about 30 years ago, with her boyfriend at the time and she spoke of the atmosphere as exotic-tiny private booths, where the waiters had to go through a set of hanging beads to take your order and bring you food. I had so many different images of the place, since I have never been. The times have changed and they're no more beads and tiny booths. We were led upstairs in an elevator, after checking our coats in the basement to a comfy red booth (no beads) with a huge faux Faberge tree overhead. To our surprise while looking at the menu, we caught the last day of NYC's Restaurant Week Prix-fixe Menu, so we went for that:

Restaurant Week Menu Winter 2011

(Choose one from each)

Appetizers:

Tea Room Market Salad (my app; all the ingrediants were so fresh, I enjoyed that the salad was not sopping in dressing-just lightly coated in dressing)
Mixed field greens with shaved carrots, cherry tomatoes, shaved fennel with a
lemon honey vinaigrette.

Traditional Tea Room Red Borscht (mom's app;
Pickled red beets, seasonal vegetables and dill in a short rib broth served with
braised beef pirozhki.

Goat Cheese and Wild Mushroom Blinchiki
Chestnut crepe filled with mushrooms and melted onions topped
with duck rillettes and finished with duck pomegranate reduction.

Entrees

Boeuf à la Stroganoff (our choice; yummmay! The beef was tender and the noodles were some of the best I had and cooked just right-not too mushy)
Red wine braised beef short ribs with house-made
buckwheat noodles, wild mushrooms and porcini cream.

Kulebiaka
Salmon with slow cooked onions, mushrooms and vegetables
wrapped in pastry, with baby mixed beets, turnips and parsnips.

Chicken Marechale
Pan seared chicken breast with mushrooms, mashed potatoes
and baby carrots.

Dessert
Chocolate Pyramid (this was okay, definitely for chocolate lovers)
Bittersweet chocolate mousse with a raspberry filling.
Traditional Cheesecake
Vanilla (was a bit on the dry side, could have used more syrup)

($24.07 per person for Lunch $35.00 per person for Dinner)

Our lunch at The Russian Tea, was a nice experience. Yummy food and great company. I would not usually visit places like this, but one of the great things about Restaurant Week is, it gives you the opportunity to try these higher end eatery's you don't often get a chance to visit.

Enjoy an elegant dining experience, make your reservations here.

Located at 150 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 (right next door to Carnegie Hall)

telephone: 212.581.7100

*trois femmes