Pirogi, vino i gus (Pies, Wine and Goose) is a new restaurant in the Tsvetnoi Bulvar neighborhood, which is quickly becoming a new culinary Mecca to rival Patriarch's Ponds. Floor-to-ceiling windows face the busy boulevard, and the interior is decorated with white brick and tall cupboards. The restaurant serves exactly what the name suggests: pies, wine, and goose.
There's a great selection of pies here with different kinds of crusts and an ever-changing variety offillings. The number one choice is, of course, pie with goose and broccoli. There's also pie with spinach, with soft cheese and with chicken curry and pineapple. The pie assortment platter is 350 rubles, or you can enjoy any of the pies by the slice, starting from 70 rubles.
Goose is this restaurant's preferred ingredient. Right at the entrance there's a list on the blackboard of all the goose dishes on offer that day. Apart from pie, there's goose confit, a whole leg cooked with orange sauce and served with a large block of fried lettuce and potatoes (980 rubles); cheese cream soup with stewed goose, spinach and smoked goose chips (390 rubles); and fregola pasta with goose and parsnip (620 rubles). That was just one day's menu; every day is different, depending on the season and whims of the chef.
The wine menu is thoughtfully done, designed to go with the restaurant's offerings. If you're uncertain, you can ask the waiter for a perfect pairing with your meal. A glass of wine starts at 350 rubles. If you like your goose with white, pick the Austrian Gruner Veltliner or French Sauvignon Blanc.
There are also plenty of non-goose items on the menu: Hungarian goulash soup, chicken breast with spinach, and various salads, including strawberry with blue cheese and lox. The chef, Alexander Zhurkin, loves steak as much as he loves goose, so the menu offers nearly a dozen different cuts forevery taste and appetite.
The menu will change on a regular basis, so check the website before you go.
