Onegin, New York

Taking its name from a romantic epic poem from Russia’s most celebrated poet, Onegin enchants its guests with plush finery and cuisine reminiscent of the passionate poetry, stately imperial balls, and voluminous sideburns of Pushkin’s St. Petersburg. Portraits of Russian nobility grace the ceilings, forming backdrops for crystal chandeliers that cast light upon tables decorated with verse in gold leaf. Birch trees lining walls and bar tops call to mind the restaurant’s Slavic heritage, and meals of Caspian Sea caviar, blini, wild-caught trout and chicken Kiev prepared by Ukrainian head chef Ilze Ritina awaken the palate to the rich fare of Czarist-era noblemen and ladies. As diners sup on tender veal cutlets or traditional meals of brick-oven rye bread and pickled herring, they relish in the revelry of romantic karaoke ballads and occasional burlesque-performance revues.