| Once upon a time there was a man named Alexander Schadov who moved to Calgary from Siberia. After running a number of restaurants in his homeland, he dreamed of opening an upscale restaurant in this city serving Russian and European cuisine. And so begins his Russian fairy tale, Skazka, in November of the year 2005….
The past few years in Calgary have seen the restaurant Kremlin and a few cafés come and go, and Skazka is currently the only Russian dining establishment in a city that’s home to nearly 35,000 Russians. Members of the community may recognize the restaurant’s general manager, Leo Brodski, from his Troyka deli in Southland Crossing. Muscovite chef Sasha Mikailov joins Skazka following a 15-year stint in New York, where he worked in some of that city’s famed Russian restaurants, such as The Red Square and Rasputin.
CHAPTER I: THE MENU
Mikailov’s menu showcases an impressive, although pricey, selection of traditional Russian, Ukrainian and French-inspired dishes. While Skazka features items that have long been familiar to North American palates, such as chicken Kiev, borscht, perogies and beef stroganoff, its menu also invites plenty of culinary adventure.
Included among the two dozen appetizers is a crab salad with laminaria from Russia’s far east ("Nahokda," $15.50), a smoked eel salad ($15.50), a French seafood dish of avocado stuffed with fresh salmon and green apple ("Bristol," $12.50), Russia’s famous pancakes, or blini, with red caviar ($16.50), and beef tongue in horseradish ("Yazik," $8.50).
The entrees feature Russian shish kebabs, or shashlik, including sturgeon ($25.50); several variations of filet mignon, including one baked in dough with fried mushrooms and onions ("Arbat," $29.50) and one stuffed with plums ("Rasputin," $29.50); Siberia’s meat-filled dumplings or pelmeni ($14.50); frog legs ($22.50); and quail prepared with red wine and grapes ($29.50).
CHAPTER II: INSIDE THE FAIRY TALE
Skazka’s interior looks much like the inside of a Russian museum, with stately burgundy-red walls adorned with gilt-framed oil paintings and heavy, dramatic drapes dressing windows that could quite possibly open out onto a grand square. And adding a sense of magic and whimsy to the 100-seat dining room are six different painted murals of fairy tales – scenes often depicted on the country’s famous matryoshka dolls, black lacquer boxes and chocolate wrappers. These were among my treasured keepsakes from my trip to Russia this past summer. Should hockey scores need to be checked during dinner, patrons can slip discreetly downstairs to the sports lounge with its two flat-screen TVs.
CHAPTER III: THE MEAL
"Na Zdarovya!" we toasted, clinking our glasses together. For appetizers, we enjoyed the crabmeat julienne ($9.50), a warm mêlée of noodle-like strands of crabmeat, mushrooms and carrot baked in a creamy cheese sauce. The "Beluga" featured a generous serving of thinly sliced pieces of fresh sturgeon with lemon and black olives ($10.50). I really enjoyed the traditional Ukrainian borscht soup ($5.95) with cabbage, onions, pieces of stewed meat and dollops of sour cream, but many Russians prefer the kind that adds beets, giving it that familiar deep red colour.
The chicken tabaka ($22) is a famous Russian dish in which a spiced Cornish hen is flat-fried under a press and served bone-in. At Skazka, the chicken was succulent and nicely seasoned, but according to Russian standards, should have been crispier. The pelmeni ($14.50), meat-filled, pot sticker-style dumplings sprinkled with parsley and accompanied by a side of sour cream, were delicious. The lamb shashlik ($24), although wonderfully spiced, was disappointingly tough and dry. The entrees come in big portions presented on Japanese-style dishware, and many are served with the choice of mashed potatoes, french fries, buckwheat (kasha), rice or couscous.
It must also be noted that there were a couple of kinks in the service, due to an inexperienced, although amiable, wait staff.
CHAPTER IV: THE PARTY
Shortly after eight o’clock on this Saturday evening, the live entertainment began, turning an already lovely meal into a jubilant and memorable experience. Local Russian band Millennium sang a selection of upbeat and shmaltzy songs in both Russian and English, attracting many a diner to the dance floor. A belly dancer then appeared, clanging her finger cymbals and sashaying her way around the room. But the big hit of the night, who really got the room clapping and cheering, was a spirited, youthful trio who performed a series of Russian folk dances in traditional costumes. In the "Russian Vodka" number, the female dancer twirled around the room, handing out vodka shots to several guests. A definite crowd pleaser! Friday nights feature a Canadian jazz and blues band.
CHAPTER V: LUNCH
At lunchtime, Skazka offers a three-course meal ($17.50) that includes one of three salads (two of which are traditional Russian salads), one of three soups (borscht, traditional Russian mushroom soup, or chicken noodle), and one of six main courses – chicken stroganoff, chicken Kiev, tenderized, breaded chicken breast, pelmeni, perogies and tenderized pork loin, served with your choice of mashed potatoes, buckwheat, rice or noodles.
EPILOGUE
The toughest critic in town, my Russian babushka, had a wonderful time at Skazka and gave the restaurant her nod of approval. And everybody lived happily ever after.
Skazka is located at 515 - 1 St. S.E.; phone 265-0012. |
Copyright ©2005 FFWD. All rights reserved.