I am in Chicago for the Amnesty 2014 National Conference, but we all know that you can never miss out on try some new restaurants while in the windy city. On Friday, we didn't have much time to eat so we scarfed down the classic favorite Chipotle before the first event. Although the fantastic fast food with integrity is never a bad decision, we got out adventurous side on tonight with the famous restaurant Russian Tea Time on Michigan Avenue right by the Chicago Art Institute. As this was one of my beginning Chicago food experiences, we consulted the hotel concierge before deciding on a restaurant. We chose Russian Tea Time because for some reason the group that could not be pleased by Italian, pizza, or Chinese, could all agree on Eastern European cuisine. Curious as the consensus was, I was thrilled to try something new that was listed to be very vegetarian friendly as well.
Russian Tea Time is located in the theater district, so we were told that getting a table around 8 or 9 on a Saturday night would not be difficult at all. We didn't even need to make a reservation. We were greeted with a very traditional-looking main room, Russian folk music swinging in the background, and a friendly wait staff. Upon examining the menu, we came to find that the "$20 meal" that the concierge mentioned was actually a $20 entree minimum. However, at the end of the meal, we were all happy to pay with absolutely no regrets, even as poor students.
The menu was a great mix of authentic Eastern European dishes providing a variety of soups, salads, dumplings, and meats in addition to quite a few vegetarian options. They also served a fabulous Russian tea for the table with endless refills. Most of us filled up on the tea by fore the appetizers came out! I ordered the asparagus vareniky and the eggplant sate medley. The asparagus vareniky is 6 dumplings with asparagus, red pepper, and feta (all vegetarian favorites!) that is drizzled with a lemon basil butter and served with garlic yogurt and sour cream with a carrot salad. Although I have had pierogies, ravioli, and Chinese dumplings all before, I had never tried anything quite like this. The flavored were in a perfect harmony that was so perfectly paired with a dab of the garlic yogurt. The asparagus flavor was not overpowering and the dumplings themselves were cooked to perfection. The eggplant sate medley was also delicious but incredibly filling. It is a cold dish of butternut squash, tomatoes, Chinese eggplant, and garlic served with small sesame crackers. Not knowing exactly how to deconstruct the meal and not really caring, I decided to just eat the dish with the crackers as my utensil. The sweetness of the sesame paired with the slight acidity from the garlic completed this dish. Unfortunately after all the tea and vareniky, I was not able to finish it but the flavors were spectacularly combined in a way that only chemistry can explain. It was very rich as well which is not a word that I usually use to describe savory dishes. Regardless, it still did not even compare to the richness of the chocolate ganache gelato that we indulged in after a few more cups of tea. I preferred the pistachio flavor that I mooched off my friend, but gelato is gelato, and it was absolutely delightful. It was also not a massive amount which was nice after such a filling meal.
I recommend this restaurant for everyone visiting Chicago. It is conveniently located on Michigan Avenue, and has food that celebrates a unique culture with flavors that everyone can enjoy (including vegetarians). I will also add that others in the group experimented with the unique, or at least rare for students, meat options that the restaurant offered like caviar and duck. Russian Tea Time offered a calming atmosphere that also had a sense of mystery or perhaps romance. It would be a great place for a fancier date or celebratory dinner. The wait staff was very accommodating and friendly. Foodie Rousse says that if you have a few extra bucks and want to try something new and delicious, hit up Russian Tea Time on Michigan Avenue. They offer lunch/dinner, tea, and dessert (or all three, if you're up for it!).
