From Russia, with love: a vision of literary glamour in the West Village
In our ongoing "Dine By Design" series, we look at all the design ingredients that go into cooking up an eye-popping restaurant.
Glittering and glamorous, Onegin—which moves into the old Pizzeria Uno space in the West Village—aims to whet your craving for Russian classics. Which means a menu of familiar bites like chicken Kiev, blini with red caviar and sour cream, wild mushroom strudel, and Olivie (an old-school Russian potato salad)—all from chef Ilze Ritina.
The food certainly shines in its own right, but another big star here is the space itself. It's designed by Anna Aristova, and the large area features plush chairs, sparkly chandeliers and elegant place settings. The restaurant's name immediately tips off the design inspiration: Alexander Pushkin's 19th-century novel "Eugene Onegin." “It’s one of the most famous love stories,” says manager Irina Valieva, adding that they wanted the restaurant to reflect how the famous titular character might have dined in his day.
By Linnea Covington; photos by Cynthia Chung
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