Russian Lunch?

[cruzgryphon]

For those of you who have been on some of the St. Petersburg private tours - what sort of food do they serve with the "typical Russian" lunch? I'm a fussy eater and definitely don't like beets so I'm trying to get a feel for what the food is.

 

Thanks,

CG

[mskaufman]

A couple of pictures from our lunch at the perogies shop. I had vegetarian.

 

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff386/mmkbx75/IMG_5409_zpshsbvgj4e.jpg

 

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff386/mmkbx75/IMG_5407_zpslq5tsu8c.jpg

[GradUT]

We did the Alla Grand Tour which included a box lunch one day and a sit-down lunch on the 2nd day.

 

The box lunch was very tasty. There was one savory meat pie, one sweet-ish fruit pie, an apple, a box of apple juice and a Russian candy bar which was like a Snickers.

 

The sit-down lunch was a delicious 3 course meal of soup, roasted meat and potatoes and dessert.

 

Unlike the trip we took to Moscow in the 1980's, we did not see one beet at a meal in St. Petersburg! :)

[MeHeartCruising]

The meals provided on a group tour (25 or so on the bus) were at a large restaurant (it might have been at a hotel, I can't recall) with a large ballroom type setting. Our bus met up with other busses of tourists and we were all fed banquet style. The food, as I recall was quite good. I'm also a picky eater, but I had not problem eating it. I seem to recall soup, a meat or goulash type dish, bread, maybe a salad. A pretty typical banquet type meal. Oh... and we got a shot of vodka too.

Edited December 20, 2015 by MeHeartCruising

[dogs4fun]

I am also a very picky eater. I detest beets. I have never had to worry about eating beets in Russia & I have visited multiple times - food choices are varied and quite tasty although the portions are small relative to the mounds of food you are served on cruise ships or in many US restaurants. When I booked the Grand tour with Alla Tours (5 years ago, so my info is dated) we ate at a very nice restaurant on one day & had a tasty packed lunch the second. No beets at all. :) During my most recent visits to Russian restaurants just 2 months ago, all the food I ordered was very good.

[nybumpkin]

We did the Alla "Comfort Tour" which had two restaurant lunches. The first was a St. Petersburg restaurant - soup (with breadbasket), entree and dessert. Beverages were water and tea. I would describe the food as okay - perfectly fine, but a bit on the bland side. The second was at the Orangerie at Peterhof - again, okay food but bland. (No beets in either meal, though. Carrots, yes. Beets, no.) At both restaurants (but especially Peterhof) the service was very slow, at least by our American standards. The advantage to one restaurant and one box lunch is more time for touring.

[Pet Nit Noy]

For those of you who have been on some of the St. Petersburg private tours - what sort of food do they serve with the "typical Russian" lunch? I'm a fussy eater and definitely don't like beets so I'm trying to get a feel for what the food is.

 

Thanks,

CG

 

You haven't mentioned how many are on the tour with you and whether or not you have any input. Our experience appears to be different compared to all the posters so far. We -- my husband and I only -- were asked what kind of food we wanted each of the two days and we were taken to a restaurant where we ordered off the menu.

 

 

My guess is that the guides have lots of experience with picky eaters and they've identified a menu that tends to please most people. However, if you're still not reassured, depending on the size of your group and whether you're willing to add about 20 more minutes to your lunch stop -- ask if you can order individual meals rather than eat a pre-set menu.

 

To everyone who says he/she hates beets, I suggest you try roasting them. Roasted, they become little sugar bombs. Begin by buying small, fresh beets. (Look for beets that are no more than 2 1/2 inches in diameter and preferably less.)

 

Wash the beets, and trim off most of the greens. Cut a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap each beet securely in foil (approximately 7" inches square). Line a baking sheet with foil as the beets will bleed in spite of the wrap in foil. Place wrapped beets on the baking sheet.

 

Roast at 400 degrees for about an hour. Gently press the beets at the end of the roasting time. If they yield to gentle pressure they're done. If not, leave beets in 5-10 minutes longer and check again. If there is variation in the size, some beets will be done sooner than others. Just take the done beets out when soft to touch.

 

Let sealed packets stand for about ten minutes. Then, open the packets to speed up the cooling. When still quite warm, rub your thumb over the beets and the skin will slip off easily. Trim off the last bit of the green stems. Trim off any long beet tail. Cut into slices or wedges and dress with your favorite dressing or get fancy and combine with goat cheese or sharp Italian cheese and orange wedges. (Your hands will look stained with beet juice. This washes off completely.)

Edited December 23, 2015 by Pet Nit Noy

[Pet Nit Noy]

Thank you, Pet Nit Noy.

Would that be a dessert? A hot starter? Not a main course I assume…

 

I called the beets sugar bombs -- and certainly granulated sugar is made from either beets or from sugar cane -- but I've never seen an actual beet dessert.

 

As for main dish, my son likes roasted beets so much, he'd probably be happy to make a main course out of them, but that's certainly not typical

 

You could serve them warm with a bit of butter and salt and pepper as a side dish.

 

If you chill the beets, and plate the salad I described with fresh orange segments, goat cheese or Pecorino Romano and oil and vinegar, that could be a lovely starter.

 

I top a mixed green salad with some chilled beet chunks. My favorite dressing is a mixture of oil, orange juice concentrate, soy sauce, and vinegar over beet wedges and marinated overnight. There are many beet recipes on the internet.

 

My point is that the taste of a roasted beet has no relationship to the ugh taste of peeled boiled beets. Roasting concentrates the natural beet sugars, but use small fresh beets. The huge beets included in some bunches will be old and tough. You roast them forever and -- even if they eventually get tender -- you'll wonder why I'm enthusiastic.

[DebbieMacG]

If you have the option to choose somewhere ask them to take you to the pie shop, it's a small restaurant and the food is great :)

[dogs4fun]

If you have the option to choose somewhere ask them to take you to the pie shop, it's a small restaurant and the food is great :)

I agree - the pies at the Stolle Pie shop are very good!

[diesel1973]

In may of last year we did the 2 day tour with Alla. What a great choice. The first day we ate lunch at a fabulous rest. which consisted of mushroom soup, salad, and Chicken Kiev. Very delightful. In the rest. was a micro brewery so I chose to have a brewed beer. Was very good and was included. The second day we had a brownbag lunch which was 2 Stolie pies,1 sweet and 1 savory with juice and an apple. Can't say enough praise about Alla Tours as we also used them in 2 other cities there and they were the best!:):):)