Onegin: Russian Opulence at its Best!

Before dining at Onegin (391 6th Ave, near 8th St.), my experience with Russian food was not favorable. I had previously been to a place in Brighton Beach, and was not impressed. When I found out I was going out for Russian food, I had no idea what to expect. 

Onegin really changed my opinion of Russian cuisine! This place was not only delicious, but my oh my, the lavish ambiance is none that I have seen before. From the cute, but funny sign outside of hands pointing to the name of the restaurant, I was not expecting to walk into such an exquisite place. 

Opulence is an understatement for this place. The host and waiters wore jackets and were very attentive. The ceiling was painted with a beautiful portrait, while the walls and tables were painted with feather quill sketches and journal entries from Pushkin, a Russian who is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet. There was not an area of the restaurant that looked as though it lacked in decoration. 

 Cute Sign Idea, love the pointing hands :)

19th Century Carriage Seats

Very Fancy Dining Room inspired by Pushkin's Tale of Eugene Onegin

As I am a huge vodka lover,  I was extremely impressed by the amazing selection of flavors of house infused vodkas. I have been to one other place in Manhattan, Pravda, that is known for their house infused vodkas, and Onegin beats them hands down in that category. When we sat down, the server joked about how we had to sample every flavor of the house infused vodka before actually ordering one, which would equal 9 vodkas. Being a 5 foot tall light weight, thank god he was joking! Although, my dining partner and I definitely had our share of vodka while dining at Onegin, because it just seemed to keep "flowing". :)

 House Infused Vodka Menu, All Russian Standard! :)

Honey & Pepper House Infused Vodka

Our first vodka was the honey and pepper vodka, which was extremely flavorful and tasted exactly like the description. A lot of infused vodkas I have had in the past didn't taste as flavorful as the vodka at this place.  Upon first sip, I tasted an immediate taste of honey with hints of pepper. This drink went down really easily :)

 Horseradish House Infused Vodka

Our second vodka, was the Horseradish. It was the perfect level of spicy to drink, and I loved that it was served with a pickle in the center of it. Such a cute idea! And I do know that Russians love their pickles! 

House-Smoked Charcuterie

For starters, we ordered two, which ended up being way too much food! Their portions are very large at this place, but oh so good. We ordered the House-Smoke Charcuterie platter, which had smoked bacon, home-made kielbasa, brick oven roasted pork loin, and roast sirloin. It was served with three dipping sauces, spicy mustard, sauerkraut, and a spicy plum-based dipping sauce. My favorite was the plum-based dipping sauce, because it was like mixing sweet with savory. All in all, this amount of meat could have fed a fraternity house, but it was definitely smoked to perfection and offered quite the selection to taste of each kind of meat. So if you are starving, and craving a trough of meat, I suggest ordering this to start! 

 Traditional Ukrainian Dumplings "Vareniki"

For our second appetizer we ordered the Traditional Ukrainian Dumplings "Vareniki." We almost ordered the Russian dumplings, which had meat in them, but our server cautioned us that we may be on meat overload and suggested the Ukrainian ones because they had potatoes inside of them. I am so happy for his suggestion, because it definitely would have been way too much meat! The Ukrainian dumpling were so good! They were soft, doughy, slightly buttery, and so full of flavor. Pairing them with the creamy sour cream made them that much better. The potatoes were also very refreshing after all that meat. Definitely a comfort food on crack. I can also admit, that the next day, I was counting the minutes till I could come home from work and eat my left over dumplings, and they were just as amazing the next day :) 

Apricot & Cape Gooseberry House Infused Vodka

Our next house infused vodka was the Apricot & Cape Gooseberry. This one I thought was the prettiest in looks, and most sweet in taste! It was presented with gooseberries hanging off the side of it. It was fruity with floral aromas. I kind of want one now...does that make me an alcoholic? 

Cranberry & Red Currant House Infused Vodka

Our 4th and final house infused vodka was Cranberry & Red Currant. I must say, if I had any more vodka, you may have found me in the hospital later that evening. The vodka portions were huge, and definitely potent! This one was very good also, and on the more girly side, like the Gooseberry one.

"Pozharsky Cutlets"

For dinner, I asked the server what he suggested, and he spoke very highly of the "Pozharsky Cutlets". I am so glad that I listened to his suggestion, because this dish was like schnitzel on steroids. It was two patties, one chicken and one veal, very lightly breaded with a thin, crispy coating and pan fried. They were served with a mushroom cream sauce and mashed potatoes. I couldn't have enough of this dish. It was so scrumptious. The meat was slightly buttery, and extremely moist. The cream sauce was extremely flavorful, and a perfect pairing to eat with the meat, and also with the potatoes. The mashed potatoes were very creamy and flavorful, which I expected since I know that Russians love their potatoes! Finger-licking Good!

Beef Tenderloin "Stroganoff" 

My dining partner ordered a dish I have actually heard of before,  the Beef Tenderloin "Stroganoff". It was creamy filet mignon strips in a mushroom cream sauce. It was served in its own pot with a side of whipped potatoes. He said the the only downside of this dish was that the beef could have been more tender, but that sauce and mushrooms were so tasty when mixed with the potatoes. 

 Halva Parfait with Cashews and Hazelnuts

For dessert, we were surprised with a complimentary dessert, the Halva parfait with Cashews and Hazelnuts. This was a welcome surprise, since I haven't had halva since my trip to Europe. This Halva was the best Halva I have ever had. It was velvety, cool, rich, and jam packed with flavor. I loved the addition of cashews that added some texture to the creamy goodness. Also, the fresh berries and whip cream added some sweetness to this very rich, extravagant dessert.

I will definitely be going back to Onegin. I think on my next return visit I will have to try the Russian Borscht soup, which I have tried once before at a bath house and loved.  Also, I have been reading about their brunch on the weekends, and I definitely want to try it! It seems as though there is some house infused vodka special on the weekends, along with a party during brunch. I highly suggest trying this place for the food, vodka, ambiance, and service. I had an exceptional experience!