Onegin (CLOSED)

An ode to Russian lit luminary Alexander Pushkin, this luxe West Village restaurant—sporting cream tufted walls and brass chandeliers—takes its name from his verse novel Eugene Onegin. A massive portrait of Pushkin hangs on the ceiling, and dark-brown tables display the poet's scribbles (copied from manuscripts with a goose-feather quill, no less). Sink into one of the plush gold-tan chairs and order from a menu of Eastern European classics like chicken Kiev, braised beef short ribs and Sturgeon Moscow, which is topped with cheese and stewed in a clay pot. At the center of the kitchen is a custom-built pechka, the traditional wood-burning brick oven of old-country households. It adds a touch of smolder to hot-smoked fish, homemade kielbasa and pierogi encased by the traditional yeast dough. The beverage program takes a more modern approach: In addition to 20 vodkas (Russian Standard, Beluga), drinkers can find the spirit infused with horseradish, honey pepper and other flavors.