Uncle Vanya Cafe

Named for an appropriately gloomy Chekhov play, this dank Russian eatery turns out the kind of lusterless food best eaten in exile. Though vareniki—plump dumplings stuffed with potato and onion—were passable, blini arrived with a stingy pot of rancid-tasting red caviar. Beef Stroganoff was equally forlorn; the dry, fibrous slices of beef sulked in an oppressive sour cream sauce. A dessert of honey and sour cream blini dotted with tart black cherries was better but hardly redemptive. Our advice: Skip Vanya and head to the nearby Russian Samovar. If it’s good enough for Mikhail Baryshnikov, it’s good enough for you.