The Russian Tea Room celebrates 100 years in New York City

Director of Operations on the Russian Tea Room, Isbelle Biberaj, explains what number of eating places opening up are attempting to imitate what outdated New York looks like. “We don’t have to pretend; we are old New York, and it’s coming back in style and will always be in style,” Biberaj mentioned.

Celebrating 100 years isn’t an accomplishment many eating places in New York City can declare; The Russian Tea Room proves that longevity is one issue behind this milestone.

“The key to the Russian Tea Room’s longevity has definitely been the atmosphere of the dining room, as well as staying true to classic dishes that we’ve had for the past 100 years,” Biberaj mentioned. “People love coming here for our beef stroganoff, chicken Kyiv, and our kulebyaka; those are some of our best sellers, as well as our Russian Tea Room red borscht, which is extremely popular.”

A deeper dive into the menu reveals the traditional dishes which have remained the restaurant’s century-long legacy. 

To begin, the Beef Stroganoff, also called Boeuf à la Stroganoff, is slow-cooked beef with egg noodles in a black truffle cream sauce. The Chicken Kiev, or Côtelette à la Kiev, is herb-butter-stuffed, breaded hen, served with Yukon mashed potatoes, broccoli rabe, contemporary carrot slices, and mushroom sauce on the facet.

Accompanied with the caviar tasting contains three buckwheat blinis topped with 5 grams of Hackleback, Paddlefish, and White Sturgeon caviar, bitter cream, chopped eggs, purple onions, and parsley. Many visitors additionally gravitate in the direction of the Red Borscht, a Russian beet soup with seasonal greens, dill, brief rib, and bacon broth, served with a braised beef pirozhok and bitter cream.

Beyond their traditional Russian dishes, the Russian Tea Room’s inside makes up for greater than a tea room.

“We’re larger than just a tea room; we have three private event floors, we have full brunch, lunch and dinner service,” Biberaj mentioned.  “We are a place for people to come and share memories, and I think that will continue for the next 100 years.”

Over the previous 100 years, custom has helped protect an environment that fosters a timeless facet of eating.

“I think one of the ways we remain timeless is that, for the most part, the Russian Tea Room is pretty much in its original state, so you come in here, and you’re transported into any time from 1926 to 2026,” Biberaj mentioned.

Particularly in hospitality, visitors are assured of a customized expertise with family and friends all through the restaurant.​

“People will come here and request our table 2, which Tootsie was filmed in the 80s, and that is something people want to see today,” Biberaj mentioned.

Not to say, the Russian Tea Room has ties to a different colonial enterprise, Carnegie Hall, when theaters had been nonetheless film theaters.

“We also have the fact that the Russian Tea Room and Carnegie Hall have had such a long lasting partnership, where in the 50s, when the Philharmonic moved to Lincoln Center, they had asked the owner at the time at the Russian Tea Room to move to Lincoln Center and he said no, so i think those are 2 out of many defining moments here at the Russian Tea Room,” Bibjeraj says.

The connection goes past simply the historical past; even immediately, visitors or performers will cease by for eating, unable to withstand that post-pre or post-dinner.

“We have a very long-lasting relationship with Carnegie Hall, even to the point where we get performers that celebrate with us to perform, either pre- or post-show,” Biberaj says. “People are always so excited to come to the Russian Tea Room and visit us for a pre-theater dinner.”

As regulars return and new clients be a part of, an attraction of the Russian Tea Room isn’t just its ambiance and Carnegie Hall adrenaline eating, but additionally its historic paintings. Biberaj explains her interactions with visitors as they wander across the eating room, blown away by the paintings.

“A lot of conversations start with, ‘Oh, what artwork is real, who painted that?’” Biberaj explains. “I think the artwork is one of the biggest topics of discussion here.”

As visitors make their approach up the tea room’s second and third flooring, they encounter distinctive and exquisite artwork portals. The first flooring looks like an aquarium full of winter bears.

In the bear lounge, a 15-ft-long bear aquarium is on show, with reside fish swimming inside. Each wall of glass has two bears painted, every a few bears doing a unique motion.

On the second flooring, there’s a Fabergé egg-inspired tree sculpture, after which the stained glass, initially, when this was renovated within the 90s, was made with Tiffany glass.

Lastly, on the third flooring, this room was renovated, and the renovators put in a hallway and pocket doorways on the again, permitting it to be divided into three smaller rooms. In addition, there’s a working hearth with bears and Kremlin fashions within the again which are now not operational, however they used to undergo the Four Seasons and lightweight up.​

As the Russian Tea Room units foot in the direction of the longer term, Biberaj and the Russian Tea Room group hope to proceed conserving the house, setting it up for fulfillment, and serving to it thrive for the subsequent 100 years.

If the historical past isn’t convincing sufficient to go to the Russian Tea Room, Biberaj leaves visitors with one last thriller.

“One thing I want people to know about the Russian Tea Room is that some staff and guests think we are haunted; ghosts are living in these walls, and I guess you will just have to come find out.”

The Russian Tea Room is positioned at 150 West 57th St. For extra info, go to russiantearoomnyc.com.