"Kalinka" Tea House is a family owned & operated Russian restaurant, providing excellent service to customers since 2009. Kalinka serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a wide variety of organic and unique teas and coffees. Tea in samovar, borscht, solyanka, chicken "Kiev" cutlet, blintzes, oladi, syrniks, olivye, vinaigrette, julienne, beef stroganoff, pelmeni, piroshki, and all other authentic Russian dishes make the restaurant the best in town. We deliver to Sherman Oaks, Encino and Tarzana.
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Russian cuisine derives its rich and varied character from the vast and multi-cultural expanse of Russia. Its foundations were laid by the peasant food of the rural population in an often harsh climate, with a combination of plentiful fish, poultry, game, mushrooms, berries, and honey. Crops of rye, wheat, barley, and millet provided the ingredients for a plethora of breads, pancakes, cereals, kvas, beer, and vodka. Soups and stews full of flavor are centered on seasonal or storable produce, fish, and meats. This wholly native food remained the staple for the vast majority of Russians well into the 20th century.Russia's great expansions of territory, influence, and interest during the 16th18th centuries brought more refined foods and culinary techniques, as well as one of the most refined food countries in the world. It was during this period that smoked meats and fish, pastry cooking, salads and green vegetables, chocolate, ice cream, wines, and liquor were imported from abroad. At least for the urban aristocracy and provincial gentry, this opened the doors for the creative integration of these new foodstuffs with traditional Russian dishes. The result is extremely varied in technique, seasoning, and combination.
From the time of Catherine the Greate, every family of influence imported both the products and personnel mainly French and Austrian to bring the finest, rarest, and most creative foods to their table. This is nowhere more evident than in the exciting, elegant, highly nuanced, and decadent repertoire of the Franco-Russian chef. Many of the foods that are considered in the West to be traditionally Russian actually come from the Franco-Russian cuisine of the 18th and 19th centuries, and include such widespread dishes as Veal Orloff, Beef Stroganoff, and Chicken Kiev.
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