(TV Diner) - We found a place to taste the delicacies of Old Russia, right in Newton, Mass. Be ready to start your meal with shots of homemade cranberry vodka.

Down an alley and a set of stairs, Café St. Petersburg's Newton Centre relocation can be easy to miss. This subterranean dining room, decorated with ornate sculptures, felt like an elegant secret hideout!

We started off cool with our Meat Zakhuska plate, a round of cold meat appetizers. Sliced rolls of chicken liver, onion, egg and cognac made a creamy spread for the ordinary sliced rye bread - while fresh, we though they liked a little bit of spice.
The beautifully presented roulettes of julienned chicken with dried fruit and carrots lacked a sweetness one might expect given the ingredients.

But, basturma, spiced, cured beef with a dollop of horseradish puree, was a salty treasure, brilliant next to sips of sweet, ruby Kvanchkara, Joseph Stalin's favorite wine. And we'd swim a mile for another plate of the café's Norwegian salmon, a supple stack of delicately smoked fish. Borscht, traditional Russian beef and cabbage soup, was downright heavenly.

Café St. Petersburg claims blini as their "signature dish," and their sweet, tender crepes filled with dollops of sour cream and salty caviar did not disappoint. And next was the Chicken Tabaka and we picked every last bit of tender meat and crispy skin off this pressed, fried marinated hen.

A shot of juiced garlic for dipping made this truly remarkable comfort food.

Tart cherry blintzes, crisped and finished with whipped cream, round out a meal here.

Frosty flutes of house-infused vodka will put hair on your chest with sinus-awakening flavors.

Our server was charming and affable. Value is a draw here, with most appetizers around $6, entree prices range from $13-$17 and desserts between $3-$7.

Though we began cool to our meal, we warmed up quickly to the bold flavors and elegant execution of Café St. Petersburg, and for that, we give it a Gold Plate.

Café St. Petersburg is located at 57 Union Street in Newton Centre, and is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon until midnight. Call 617-277-7100 or visit

www.cafestpetersburg.com

617.467.3555

Café St. Petersburg

57 Union St.

Newton Centre, MA

United States

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