Jonathan Gold Discusses Mari Vanna in West Hollywood

Jonathan Gold drops by Melrose Place Russian import Mari Vanna, a restaurant "whose newspaper coverage tends to focus on billionaires and movie stars more than it does whatever might be on your plate." Nonetheless, he decides that fans of Russian cuisine will appreciate the menu, but those less familiar with Russian fare may be underwhelmed:

Mari Vanna, in an unexpected twist, presents neither abstracted Russian cooking nor standard international cooking with a Russian twist but a somewhat lightened version of Russian home cooking...

If you are not Russian, the veal kotletki may seem like impossibly plain sautéed meatballs served with a grayish-tan mass of groats. The chicken kotletki are well-emulsified, like something a Hong Kong diner might plop into a bowl of porridge. The golubtsi is not unlike the stuffed cabbage you've seen on a thousand steam tables.

The Elsewhere: kevinEats at Goldie's, Darin Dines at Hamasaku, Dig Lounge hits The Church Key, OCW considers Ways & Means Oyster House, and Consuming LA digs Delmy Pupusas.