Hello friends!

I absconded to NYC for a few days this week for a much-needed break from the endless march of restaurant-opening tasks. The catalyst for the trip was a wedding between two of James’ friends, and thank goodness for that because I might never have otherwise entertained a trip that took me away from restaurant things for four days. And while I could have probably negotiated myself out of going after I asked if I could join, this also felt like my last opportunity for a break before entering the last stretch before opening, and then, opening!

I usually have a list of NYC must-dos and mini-pilgrimages (russian turkish baths in the east village, Brighton Beach, B&H Dairy, bagels, eat as many eastern european things as possible, etc), which bring me great joy but also risk becoming an additional task list when I’m supposed to be "relaxing” and not making lists. So, I committed to a mindset of “chilling” and “going with the flow,” with the only priorities being seeing friends and having a nice time walking and reading books with my man.

And you know what? I still ended up going to Tashkent Supermarket, and eating pickled tomatoes and cucumbers and piroshki and smoked fish and potatoes on the beach in Brighton Beach, and having my customary cold borsch and potato pancakes at B&H dairy, and eating at two Georgian restaurants two days in a row (Chama Mama and Chito Gvrito). At Chama Mama, I had a delicious hot mushroom and tarragon soup out on the patio, which I am specifically calling out because I am trying to normalize eating hot soup when it is hot.

I did a lot less documenting and “capturing of the moment” than I usually do on a trip like this and looking back I don’t think it was even a conscious choice. I was just tired. But here I am now, so much less tired. I may even venture - energized and re-inspired.

Such an incredibly special and inspiring thing about New York is how well-represented almost every walk of immigrant life is. I lived in NYC for four years and then some during and a little after college. I have never seen myself living in the city long-term (I’m too in love with New Orleans and don’t think I can handle $18-22 cocktails for more than 4 days), but whenever I come back I find myself pining a bit for the quality and variety of produce and cuisines here.

Naturally, I find myself pursuing a lot of Eastern European/Post Soviet Bloc foods. Tashkent supermarket and all the other shops along Brighton Beach Ave make my heart ache. I cherish being able to come and experience it, but I also mourn the fact that we don’t have a place to go in New Orleans where you can get beef tongue and pickled tomatoes and pumpkin filled samsa and cold smoked trout and salmon sold by the pound at the counter, still attached to their skin, at the longest hot/cold bar you have ever seen.

And while I aspire to have Dom Zakuski be a place where I can explore making and offering all these things, I’m just not going to always have beef tongue or pumpkin samsa on the menu and I won’t have the capacity to be cold-smoking my own fish and we just don’t have the access to imported goods that the shops in New York do. Selfishly, I want to have access to all that stuff all the time. But also, I recognize that the scarcity of it makes me appreciate it that much more deeply. Basically, it all is what it is. And what it is, is me having many thoughts and feelings about how I’d love for all of us to be eating more pickled tomatoes and smoked fish.

I’m excited to get back to making that happen. I’ll be ramping up for inspections in the coming weeks, getting our liquor license and occupational license secured, and putting finishing touches on the space. We’ll be testing batch cocktails, setting vodkas to infuse, tasting wines, and finalizing menus. Last week, we hit some important aesthetic strides that made it really start to feel like a restaurant (think cute sconces installed and re-finished tables back on legs). And most of all, I’m itching to get back to cooking. All these logistics of opening a business have been informative and all, but I’m ready to get back to the food part. Getting to eat the food I love, without having to make the food I love, across nyc was a good reminder of how special it is to get to eat things you love without always having to make them yourself. I’m excited to get to do that for ya’ll. Shout out chefs and restaurants for doing that for us all the time!

Katya