Astoria Kabob House

Even though my blog may not be world-famous, at least my friends know by now that I enjoy dining out and that I can guide them to what they’re looking for. My buddy’s homework assignment required him to try a new ethnic restaurant and since he is not a fan of anything spicy, I thought we’d go someplace different. We went to Astoria, which is labeled as an Eastern European restaurant, but I call it “Russian”.

Since I grew up in the neighborhood, I had been past the restaurant many times and have gone there only once for lunch, and the restaurant was empty. I had heard of that being the case from several other people, although I knew the food was excellent. So I was really surprised when I walked in and the place was packed, with one half of the restaurant being used for a large party!

We got there just in time on a Saturday night as we only had to wait a few minutes for a table. The staff was very apologetic about the wait and were overly gracious the whole night. Once again the food was fantastic, although I admit, I stuck with my favorites.

I actually started with the Astoria Salad, which came with feta cheese, almonds, and raspberries, as well as a cup of Borsch (yes, that’s how they spelled it). Both starters had a sweet flavor and the borsch didn’t really need the dollop of sour cream, but I mixed it in anyway.

Luckily, my buddy wanted the same entrees that I did so we split the Chicken Kiev and Lamb Shiskabob. The chicken had a strong basil flavor while the lamb had a hint of gaminess to it, but was still quite tender.

Since the entrée portions were a proper size, we had room for dessert, but there was nothing chocolate listed. I do regret not tasting the cheese blinsis (again, their spelling), which is a real treat in my family.

Resources:

Astoria Kabob House = http://www.urbanspoon.com/cities/28-st-louis/restaurants/320083-astoria/menu