Stoli Bar & Restaurant

Contributor

Citysearch

The Scene
Welcome to Brookline's Little Russia, where emigres and the local-born gather for gracious Eastern European dining at below-market prices. Moscow jazz sampled to a bouncy synth beat (Louis Armstrong meets Oleta Adams) sets a breezy tone for this pretty room with yellow walls and a brick-red, embossed tin ceiling.

The Food
The menu draws on the flavors of the old Russian empire. Tasty vareniki (delicate dumplings filled with mashed potatoes) hail from Ukraine, while the salty, lightly tangy duck salad is a Muscovite tradition. The rich beef Stroganoff is fitting cold-weather comfort food--thin slices of tenderloin, mushrooms and onion tossed with sour cream. Lagman, an Uzbecki dish, spotlights the spice of central Asia with delicate lamb chops, chewy noodles, and a vegetable consommé redolent of cilantro. The apple strudel is a pastry-wrapped baked apple stuffed with dried fruits--big enough in size and flavor for two.