In 1964, famous French singer Gilbert Bécaud wrote the song “Nathalie” about a Moscow tour guide. Among the lyrics was the wish to eat at Café Pushkin. The song was very popular in France. Unfortunately, the restaurant was fictitious until 1999 when Andrei Dellos opened Café Pushkin inside an ornate Baroque mansion. The ambiance is incredible with elaborate wood molding, library shelving, wall panels adorned with bas-reliefs and accented with warm lighting from sconces, antique clocks and an enormous harp. Better yet is the five-star Russian cuisine. This savory dish of beef stroganoff with Russian dumplings (pelmeni) still lingers fondly in my memory. The experience is expensive, but the price is worth feeling like an aristocrat.
