Blink and you’ll miss this place, but if you don’t, you’ll walk into Anyway Cafe, a little East Village oasis that’s as much a nod to Russia as it is to France.
There’s dim lighting, a canopy of branches lit up with tiny green lights, and live music (tonight was a single musician playing a tiny piano whose music was crescendoing throughout the evening).
When I walked in, I could smell the food right away and I was salivating. I asked the waitress to give me whatever they’re cooking, and she pointed to the chicken straganoff, a quintessential Russian dish. It’s sauteed pieces of chicken in a sour cream sauce.
I actually just thought it was OK — my friend Sofia and I agreed that it had a little bit of a ‘metallic-ey’ after-taste which kinda ruined it for me a bit. But it wasn’t horrible. I read in Time Out NY that there’s no stove (just a hot plate an microwave “so complex dishes can fall flat”…I tend to agree with that). We also went with a French dish, mushroom crepes.
If you’re not a mushroom fan, you wouldn’t like it since it has a very strong mushroom flavor. But by now, you might already know I loveee mushrooms on anything. Also, the more I read about it, the more I realized it’s known for their drinks (Russian beers, infused vodkas and such), so can’t really advise there myself. It’s such a cute little cafe though, I would easily go back. I think it may be the first time I’ve ever had Russian food, and I wouldn’t mind trying more things off the menu.
Restaurant Info:
Anyway Cafe
32 E 2nd Street
at 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10003
212-533-3412
East Village
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Shy
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