Cafe Pushkin Moscow is part of the Quest Around the Globe Trip Report.
Who is the greatest man to live? That’s too daunting a question to contemplate. If you ask me who the greatest linguist is, the answer is inarguably Paul Pimsleur. Paul, or Pavel as I call him in this context, has taught many languages including Mandarin, Spanish, and Arabic (see TPOL The Polyglot: How To Learn Multiple Languages). On my trip to Russia, his keyphrases came in handy.
In Pavel voice: Listen to the following conversation:
Где Тверская улица? – Where is ‘Tverskaya’ Street?
Тверская улица здесь. – Tverskaya’ Street is here.
Cafe Pushkin, the first restaurant I went to in Moscow, was located on Tverskaya Street so practicing that line over and over proved useful. I wish I could tell you I went in and ordered off the Russian menu in perfect Russian, but I would be lying. I was happy to know a few words, read a few items from the menu, and attempt to communicate.
я хочу пива. Может быть, Вино? I want beer, maybe some wine?
For that quote, I have Pavel to thank. For the great food, I have the Park Hyatt Moscow to thank for the recommendation. Cafe Pushkin is what I envisioned a Russian restaurant to look like. It was bustling with people and had quite the ambiance. It felt like I was in a movie.
What to Order
I saved my caviar tasting for another day (see Bolshoi Moscow: Caviar & Rabbit Lifestyle and Grand Hotel Europe: Vodka + Caviar + Birthplace of Beef Wellington). Today, I would feast on the basics:
Let me use my Pimsleur abilities to attempt to translate:
- 1 bottle of wine
- Borscht
- Pelmeni (dumplings)
The rest I can read but I’m not sure what they mean. Let’s go with pictures instead.
спасибо Pavel. спасибо.
Thank you Pavel, thank you.
TPOL’s TIP: Cafe Pushkin is located at Tverskoy Blvd, 26А, Moscow, Russia, 125009
Bone marrow is so hecking delicious!