Kalinka Russian-European Delicatessen

• Cuisine(s): European, German, Russian
  Hours: Daily 9am-8:30pm
  Price: $, $$
  Payment Types: MasterCard, Visa, American Express
• Attire: Casual
  Features: Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout
  Serving: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch
  Alcohol: Beer/Wine
• Reservations: Not Necessary
  Parking: Lot Available

Description

This Russian and European deli and grocery store draws customers from several counties away, who come to buy the herring, halvah, kasha, caviar, candies, kefir, Georgian wines, bottles of bouncy Baltika beer, and all manner of marinated and pickled vegetables in glass jars -- including full garlic bulbs as well as whole tomatoes with the stems still attached. Folks also flock here for the home-cooked specialties, served at a smattering of tables in the front portion of the market (with some more seating outside). For a gratifying lunch (or, for that matter, dinner), try the chicken stroganoff with some steamed buckwheat groats (kasha) and one of the salads, perhaps the tart pink toss of diced beets, pickles, cabbage, potatoes, and lentils. Other appealing (and heartwarming) dishes include stuffed cabbage and stuffed peppers; a small, moist pork steak in brown sauce; and knockout chicken or fish croquettes, each the size of a really fat burger. Splendid, too, were the blintzes, the neatly pan-fried crêpes slenderly packaged around minced beef or sweet cottage cheese. Delightful dumplings known as pelmeni and vareniki, filled with sweet cheese, potato, or beef, are boiled to order, which means you'll have to wait awhile for them to cook. We recommend doing so, because the resultant dish is blissfully fresh and delicious. Pass the sour cream!