date: 12/9/03
location: st. paul
grade: a-
(guest review)

for the love of god, share an entree! there is no need for anyone person to intake as much food as i received on this visit! there are starving people in the world!

moscow on the hill is one of my favorite places in st. paul, but that may be the vodka talking. i went on a blustery winter's night, wrapped in furs, and in a horse-drawn sleigh. or i wish i had. i instead arrived in my car, in wool coat and boots, but with jaunty hat. not as romantic.

the menu is surprisingly long and has food to suit anyone's taste, as long as their taste is 'heavy with gravy.' there are the staples - borscht, stroganoff, pelmeni, and blini. there are also some lesser known entrees that are fun to try. vegetarians may have less to choose from, but - hey - get some blini and some vodka and allow your vision to blur. i had a caviar and blini appetizer that was excellent - three types of caviar with piping hot blini and sour cream. yum. for an entree, i had the czar's medallions. sounds dirty, but isn't. it was pork medallions in a really good mushroom gravy, topped with cheese, and it was enough to feed estonia. iate a third of my meal and still thought i would explode. luckily, the server understood when i curled up for a nap.

the vodka. as would be expected, moth has one of the best vodka selections in the cities. pass up those commercially bottled offerings, and head straight for their homemade cherry vodka. man, is it tasty! as with any good swede/croat mix, i can't get enough of the stuff, which resulted in my getting lost in the moth kitchen one birthday lo, many years ago. they have an interesting cocktail menu, which includes mixes with their cherry vodka. did i mention their cherry vodka?

the dining room was quite full for a tuesday night, which was great to see. on weekends, they often have strolling musicians, which when combined with the dim lighting and plush booths makes the place a bit more romantic than one might expect. the server was quite good and even convinced the chef to alter the caviar appetizer to my taste. my water was always full. i give the place a strong a-.