Cuisine type: Russian, Eastern European
Atmosphere: cozy, classic restaurant
Meal: late lunch
Overall score: 8.5
Nina
On a whim, we decided to check out an Eastern European restaurant in Walnut Creek - Babushka Russian Restaurant and Deli. Since there are no Romanian restaurants in business anywhere in the bay area (that we could find out about), this seemed like a suitably close replacement. The restaurant is hidden behind a small and plain deli shop with imported Eastern European foods - everything from salami and cheese to mineral water, beer and sweets from the old continent. Given the setup, we didn’t expect much, but we are quite impressed by the restaurant. A chic dining room with white tablecloth, beautiful china and silverware on the table (I’d guess Russian designs, but I couldn’t know for sure), and a sparkly stage apparently set up for small entertainment shows. They were also preparing to open up a patio soon with additional seating and a slightly better view than the narrow strip mall that the store entrance was located on.
The menu was very authentic, and with the entire place being run solely by an Russian couple, it seemed like most likely all the food was prepared by them too. In order to try as much of the food as possible, we decided to share a soup and order two entrees, it seemed like a balanced way to go about it. We picked solyanka, “old-style” Russian soup, which claimed to contain no less than twenty-five different types of sausage, with lemon and olives, served with sour cream on the side, as all sour soups should :) As we later discovered, sausage has the broader meaning of deli meat, so it includes everything from bologna to salami and what is usually referred to as sausage in English. I couldn’t tell if there were really 25 different types, but there was definitely a good variety. The balance between the sourness of the lemon and olives and the smooth creaminess of the sour cream was really satisfying. What came as a surprise was that even though we ordered one soup to share, they brought us two plates filled to the brim. I assumed it was a convenient mistake that would end up charging us double, but instead they made it clear they would only charge us for one plate, but they wanted both of us to enjoy the soup.
We shared two entrees - golubtsy, which is their version of stuffed cabbage leaves with beef and rice, covered in a zesty tomato sauce, and blintzes, which are much like crepes, filled with either a savory or sweet mixture. The golubtsy were well made, though a little more plain in flavor than I’m used to from home. I suspect it was in part because the cabbage seemed to be fresh rather than pickled, and the meat mixture was only beef, whereas we usually add pork and smoked bacon for more depth of flavor. For the blintzes, two were filled with a cheesy chicken mixture which had a mild, pleasant flavor with a touch of dill, and the other two had a sweet farmers cheese filling with a touch of lemon rind, and topped with sliced strawberries.
The Russian wheat ale that we also shared was a great complement to this meal, and we left both full and satisfied with the flavors of Eastern European cuisine we hadn’t enjoyed for a while. The service at this family owned restaurant was outstanding, focusing more on the enjoyment of the food by the patrons rather than simply maximizing their profit. The selection in the deli was thoughtfully picked out to satisfy all tastes - Polish borscht, Romanian feta cheese, Hungarian salami and so on. It’s unfortunate that Walnut Creek is so far from home for us, or else we might become regular patrons of this place.
The menu was very authentic, and with the entire place being run solely by an Russian couple, it seemed like most likely all the food was prepared by them too. In order to try as much of the food as possible, we decided to share a soup and order two entrees, it seemed like a balanced way to go about it. We picked solyanka, “old-style” Russian soup, which claimed to contain no less than twenty-five different types of sausage, with lemon and olives, served with sour cream on the side, as all sour soups should :) As we later discovered, sausage has the broader meaning of deli meat, so it includes everything from bologna to salami and what is usually referred to as sausage in English. I couldn’t tell if there were really 25 different types, but there was definitely a good variety. The balance between the sourness of the lemon and olives and the smooth creaminess of the sour cream was really satisfying. What came as a surprise was that even though we ordered one soup to share, they brought us two plates filled to the brim. I assumed it was a convenient mistake that would end up charging us double, but instead they made it clear they would only charge us for one plate, but they wanted both of us to enjoy the soup.
We shared two entrees - golubtsy, which is their version of stuffed cabbage leaves with beef and rice, covered in a zesty tomato sauce, and blintzes, which are much like crepes, filled with either a savory or sweet mixture. The golubtsy were well made, though a little more plain in flavor than I’m used to from home. I suspect it was in part because the cabbage seemed to be fresh rather than pickled, and the meat mixture was only beef, whereas we usually add pork and smoked bacon for more depth of flavor. For the blintzes, two were filled with a cheesy chicken mixture which had a mild, pleasant flavor with a touch of dill, and the other two had a sweet farmers cheese filling with a touch of lemon rind, and topped with sliced strawberries.
The Russian wheat ale that we also shared was a great complement to this meal, and we left both full and satisfied with the flavors of Eastern European cuisine we hadn’t enjoyed for a while. The service at this family owned restaurant was outstanding, focusing more on the enjoyment of the food by the patrons rather than simply maximizing their profit. The selection in the deli was thoughtfully picked out to satisfy all tastes - Polish borscht, Romanian feta cheese, Hungarian salami and so on. It’s unfortunate that Walnut Creek is so far from home for us, or else we might become regular patrons of this place.
Food 9
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 8
Service 10
Value 7
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 8
Service 10
Value 7
Ben
With Nina's Romanian background, and my developed preference from 7 years around her family and from our time in Europe, we are always looking out for great Romanian / Eastern European food. It has been actually even surprising / disappointing to us that the selection in the bay area isn't much more abundant. That said, when we stumbled on Babushka while spending a day in the East Bay, in Walnut Creek, it was such a pleasant surprise. In the front is a small grocery packed with canned / packaged products, as well as sausages, cheeses, and assorted groceries from throughout Eastern Europe (including Romania). We picked out a lot of old favorites, only after eating in the restaurant behind the store. The room had a very prim but festive Eastern European feel to it, red walls adorned with russian decorations, with wooden chairs and tables covered in a white cover. We were served alternately by a middle aged Russian couple (presumably the owners), who were as friendly as their nationality would allow them to be. I loved all the food.
We started out with a "Solyanka" soup, a soup made with 25 sausages, a variety of vegetables and spices, and served with sour cream. This is a brothy, fatty soup that was incredibly hearty and delicious (reminds me of what Nina's grandmother cooked for us a few times). Next, we ordered Golubtsy and blintzes. Golubtsy is a beef and rice stuffed cabbage with a tomato based sauce - a classic eastern european dish of myriad variations. This was delicious and filling, and I preferred over the blintzes,(potato pancakes, one with chicken and the other with cow cheese and strawberries), which were also good. We were impressed to see a lot of beers and wines we remembered from europe (including a Romanian wine), and we enjoyed a wheat beer from Russia called Baltika no. 8. Ironically, as we were admiring the food and how it had satisfied our craving for some good Romanian-like food, we observed that the only other couple in the room was Romanian, which seemed to validate we had finally found a good spot to satisfy our next Romanian-food-craving.
We started out with a "Solyanka" soup, a soup made with 25 sausages, a variety of vegetables and spices, and served with sour cream. This is a brothy, fatty soup that was incredibly hearty and delicious (reminds me of what Nina's grandmother cooked for us a few times). Next, we ordered Golubtsy and blintzes. Golubtsy is a beef and rice stuffed cabbage with a tomato based sauce - a classic eastern european dish of myriad variations. This was delicious and filling, and I preferred over the blintzes,(potato pancakes, one with chicken and the other with cow cheese and strawberries), which were also good. We were impressed to see a lot of beers and wines we remembered from europe (including a Romanian wine), and we enjoyed a wheat beer from Russia called Baltika no. 8. Ironically, as we were admiring the food and how it had satisfied our craving for some good Romanian-like food, we observed that the only other couple in the room was Romanian, which seemed to validate we had finally found a good spot to satisfy our next Romanian-food-craving.
Food 9
Drinks 9
Atmosphere 8
Service 9
Value 7
Drinks 9
Atmosphere 8
Service 9
Value 7
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