Cafe Mayakovsky gives authentic Russian flavor to Las Vegas dining experience

Is it possible to travel 5,882 miles in a single bite? Dine at Cafe Mayakovsky, and you’ll be sitting in Las Vegas, but your taste buds will swear they’re in Moscow.

The eatery formerly known as Tverskaya Russian Restaurant when it was on West Flamingo Road in Spring Valley is now on the east side, with a new name, at 1775 E. Tropicana Ave., Suite 30, in the Liberace Plaza.

Although the venue has changed, the menu remains a valley staple for authentic Russian fare, including succulent beef stroganoff that is served the Russian way with mashed potatoes or rice, not egg noodles. Other Russian comfort food delights on the entree menu are shnitzel (breaded cutlet), guliash (dense meat soup) and shashlik, a form of shish kebab with beef, lamb or pork.

Along with salmon and trout, the entree menu also has two poultry dishes: chicken tabaka (a traditional Georgian dish of pan-fried chicken) and chicken Kiev, which features a large chicken breast drenched in butter sauce, coated in egg and bread crumbs and cooked to crispy perfection on the outside and moist deliciousness on the inside. When I cut into mine, the hot butter came oozing out (and made a fine complement to the accompanying mashed potatoes), and the chicken breast was among the most savory I have tasted.

We finished our meal with honey cake, a torte-like dessert of multi-layered flat biscuits with a creamy honey-flavored filling. Served with fresh berries, the dessert wasn’t sickingly sweet but had enough sugar to satisfy.

And a good way to start your meal in true Russian style is by sampling a bowl of borsch ($5.95), a tart soup of beets and sour cream, or with a plate of perozki, filled dumplings that are $2 for beef and $1.50 for potatoes or cabbage.

A full bar offers a variety of Russian vodkas, Moldovan and Georgian wines, Baltika Russian bottle beers and, of course, Moscow mules.

Entrees average $13 to $15. Cafe Mayakovsky is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday and noon to 11 p.m. Sunday. Call 702-848-1775 or visit cafemayakovsky.com.