Russian vodka – All Things Good

Once Upon a Time in Mari Vanna: A Russian Restaurant

Jennifer and Katharine Rose Realms Of Gold February 25, 2015April 11, 2017Borsch, Flatiron District Restaurant, Herring Under a Fur Coat, Mari Vanna NYC, Mari Vanna Restaurant, Mari Vanna Restaurant Review, NYC Russian Restaurant, Restaurant review, Russian food, Russian restaurant, Russian vodka, Stroganoff 1 Comment

Russians may not necessarily be known for their fairy tales, but they certainly know how to create a fairy tale setting – or so is the case with the Russians running a cozy restaurant tucked away in New York City’s Flatiron District: Mari Vanna.

Walking into Mari Vanna’s is truly like stepping into a fairy tale setting: adorned with old photographs, worn flowered wall paper of another era, Matrioshka dolls, porcelain figurines, crystal chandeliers, a library full of Russian literature and comfortable linen tables decorated with fresh flowers, it is as if you are entering your “babushka’s” house – the Russian equivalent of “grandmother.” Read more

Vodka: The Russian Spirit

Katharine Rose Around The Table February 19, 2015May 1, 2017Alcohol, cocktails, Russia, Russian vodka, Vodka, Winter 1 Comment

Social commentator Will Rogers once said, “Nobody in the world knows what vodka is made out of, and the reason I tell you this is that the story of vodka is the story of Russia. Nobody knows what Russia is made of, or what it is liable to cause its inhabitants to do next.”

How fitting that the national drink of Russia – a country famously deemed “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma” – is also a mystery, defying any concrete understanding.

Indeed, the origin of vodka – which comes from the Russian word “voda”, meaning “water” – is highly disputed. While some believe that it was first mass-produced by the Muscovite monks in the 14^th or 15^th centuries, others claim it originated in Poland around the 8^th century. Still others say it comes from Sweden. Read more