Slava Showcases Fine Ukrainian Delicacies In New York And Donates Some Proceeds To Wounded War Veterans

The room that was when the bar Pegu Club, which shut in 2020, has been transformed from its shadowy Asian ambience to a facsimile of a present day Ukrainian lounge and eating home at a time when it would seem like a supportive act to examine Ukrainian food tradition. There is, in fact, a Minimal Ukraine group just blocks absent on the Lessen East Aspect.

Associates Nazar Hrab, Travis Odegard, Matt Sylvester, who also individual the East Village’s Pineapple Club and Bee’s Knees Cocktail Bar in Williamsburg, satisfied at Mercer Kitchen area and later on partnered with Seattle tech entrepreneur and designer Josh Spiezle, opening Slava final November. It is named immediately after Nazar’s mom Yaroslava and has taken on a 2nd this means as a reference to the phrase “Slava Ukraini,” which suggests glory to Ukraine.

The restaurant is up two steep staircases from Houston Avenue, and you enter to uncover a extended space accomplished in tones of dark blue-eco-friendly with burgundy tufted banquettes. There are murals by Ukrainian artist Kateryna Lisova that are readily available for sale, with proceeds going to reward Revived Soldiers Ukraine.

Lights is very small, definitely not bright more than enough to see the colour and splendor of chef Pavlo “Pasha” Servetnyk’s meals. We had a comfortable booth with a desk lamp, commandeered a different and could then see just how wonderful the unfold of dishes was. The relaxation of the tables are only lighted by votive candles.

Seretnyk, who seems scarcely out of his teens, has a sturdy résumé, with stints at El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, and Gaggan Anand in Bangkok. Later on he opened five Breadman Pizzerias in his indigenous Ukraine, and when war broke out, he reworked his greatest pizzeria into a bakery that distributed 500,000 no cost loaves of bread to the starving people of Kherson—a brave act that caused him to flee to New York, wherever he labored at La Mercerie. Now at Slava, his whole kitchen brigade is composed of Ukrainian émigrés.

The menu is of a fantastic dimensions to show a real range of Ukrainian cuisine, which, of system, resembles substantially of what’s cooked in all close by regions. His function in pizza-earning is apparent in the pleasant sourdough bread served with porcini butter ($8). It is a best accompaniment to the fantastic borscht ($15), which will come with an emerging beef rib whose meat falls from the bone into the beet-primarily based soup.

It truly is not possible to see “Pancakes with Hen and Porcini” ($22) topped with Brinza sheep’s milk cheese and seared onions, or a potato pancake with sour product and salmon roe ($26), and not want to purchase the two, which occur brown and steamy and sweet with caramelized onions.

The property specialties are varenyky, luscious dumplings with different stuffings (designed famous by Nikolai Gogol in his tale “Christmas Eve”), and every platter will provide two people as a starter ($18-$20). I liked the potato assortment with savory pork fats, and the “Lazy Verenyky” I preferred to preserve all to myself: They are like lengthy gnocchi, nicely chewy, with cottage cheese, sour cream, dill, butter Brinza, and the two porcini and oyster mushrooms—a dish I would by no means fail to buy when I return to Slava. More simple chicken verenyky had been rather bland by comparison.

The major programs variety seven, with the only seafood providing a shrimp salad ($23). The rosy sliced duck breast, impeccably cooked with crisp burnished pores and skin ($38), was a delectably great case in point of basic approach, and the lamb tenderloin with peas and a spicy, garlicky tomato adjuka sauce ($32) experienced just the appropriate heft and seasonings that prolonged cooking imparts.

There is an merchandise known as “Fried rooster Kyiv sandwich” ($24),which is not the aged-fashioned, butter-oozing chicken Kiev but a very first-fee, crispy rooster fillet with aïoli, very hot sauce and loads of roasted potatoes.

A beloved japanese European dessert is cherry verenyky, in this article topped with bitter product and a prosperous raspberry sauce ($29). I also appreciated the really cherry meringue tart.

Nazar is at the rear of a program of infused vodkas well worth sampling, with a flight of a few at $20, flavored with horseradish and honey, pineapple and, if you dare, a fiercely hot chile pepper knock-out. There are also loads of craft cocktails that occur in lovely glassware. 20 p.c of the proceeds from the sale of a single created of clarified borscht fortified with vodka go to Revived Troopers Ukraine to provide healthcare treatment and materials to wounded Ukrainian troopers.

The wine list is modest. Wines by the glass are determined only by varietal, not label.

It’s facile to say that dining at Slava presents you the emotion of remaining component of one thing more substantial than just taking in and consuming. I would fortunately dine at the Russian Tea Home without having compunctions, but at Slava I couldn’t enable but experience some smaller degree of camaraderie at this troubled time of war in Europe.

SLAVA

77 West Houston Road

929-531-9779

Open up for evening meal nightly for brunch Sat. & Sun.