Skovorodka

You will know Skovorodka by the life-size bear standing guard at the door on Brighton Beach Avenue. The name means "frying pan," and inside it is a dark, wood-panelled hall with heavy chairs and blue glass goblets on every table — a room built for birthdays, anniversaries and long Russian dinners that run from cold zakuski to tea. It suits a group celebration best, though a plate of dumplings for two works just as well.

This is the place to order the dishes Russian grandmothers are judged by. Start with thin blini spread with red caviar, then Siberian pelmeni, small meat dumplings served with sour cream, and a beef stroganoff in a rich, mushroom-heavy sauce. The menu runs long — salads, soups, grilled meats and Central Asian samsa — so come hungry, share everything, and let the table fill up the way it is meant to.