Issue #02/57, January 28 - February 10, 1999  

Well first off, I owe a whole bunch of folks an apology. Seems that last issue I might have implied that Subcontinental newcomer Little India serves up the meat of the sacred cow, specifically that the "beef" kebabs are "exquisite." Actually there is no beef whatsoever, in kebab form or otherwise, served at Little India (although if there were, I'm sure it would be superb). I've no excuse for this lapse in vigilance, so all I can do is humbly beg the forgiveness of Moscow's crisis-weary Indian community, in particular the hardworking folks at Little India, whom we hope will be around to tempt our tummies for a long time to come. I want you all to know that I felt appropriately guilty after I learned of my error.

Whew... thank god that's over with. Now we can get to some news that's a little more cheerful--it concerns a place called Figaro. This restaurant had the misfortune of opening during the heart of Black August, and as a result has gone unnoticed by the dining-out radar of most people. Which is a real shame, because Figaro offers some of the finest cuisine (mostly Italian Mediterranean-style) and atmosphere (upscale but fairly low-key, with unimposing little gilded cherubs and ultra-comfy furniture) Moscow has seen, well, ever. And the prices are incredibly reasonable, to boot.

One could say a great deal about the food at Figaro, but the entire experience was summed up pretty well by the lightly fried sea bass, a non-menu special. Our waiter promised that the fish would be fresh, but fresh doesn't even begin to cover this dish. There's simply no faking or disguising this kind of flavor, and suffice it to say that Figaro's delicate fresh seafood items are in very select company.

Literally everything we had was delicious, but we especially loved the surprisingly complex asparagus cream soup (120R), veal carpaccio (140/200R for half/whole portion) and robust rack of lamb (460R). Though it pains us to admit it, the homemade black noodles with seafood (160/280R) is quite the garlicky treat. However, eXile's strict pro-encephalopod editorial policy means that we cannot in good faith endorse an entree whose essence depends on the bodily fluids of the squid being siphoned off just so midwardly mobile yuppies can enjoy black-tinted pasta. My pontificating might seem frivolous, but do us (and some of the ocean's more intelligent inhabitants) a favor and at least give some careful consideration to the other pasta offerings (Napoli, carbonara, tagliatelle putanesca) before becoming a squid-ink-imbibing bloodsucker.

Among the alluring but untested menu items are the Parma ham with melon (140/200R), piccata citroverte (400R), and swordfish Livornese (480R). For dessert we bypassed the 120R tiramisu for apple strudel with vanilla ice cream (120R) and chocolate mousse (140R). While both were certainly tasty, the mousse was rather insubstantial in a pretentious sort of way, so I'd definitely go for the varied flavors and more complicated textural ensemble of the strudel in a head-to-head matchup. The coffee is outstanding, so good in fact that you might find yourself ordering a second cup (even if it's not your habit to do so).

The wine list has several reliable French and Italian names to choose from. DOGC snobs might opt for a Barolo (absent the night we were there) or pricey Brunello di Montalcino (around 1100R), while more prole-ish connoisseurs might opt for a Bardolino (460R). We were drinking a wonderfully full-bodied Beaujolais by the glass (heavy-duty glasses with some of the thickest stems I've ever seen, I might add), about which we had no regrets.

Basically you can't go wrong with a meal at Figaro at just about any hour of the day, and since they're open until 2am (3am on weekends) it could even be a good late-night stop for the more discerning club-hoppers in our midst.