In the words of owners Ali and Homerya Darugar, Russia House Restaurant aims to cultivate "the warm feeling that you are dining at your aristocratic grandmother's table." Indeed, Mrs. Darugar's years of professional chef experience are anchored in the childhood days she spent in her own grandmother's kitchen. So when the Darugars opened their restaurant in 1992, they naturally combined fine dining with a homey attention to detail and a commitment to addressing every guest as "Czar."

In the sun-flooded, linen-cloaked dining rooms, plates of French-influenced Russian, Continental, and Georgian cuisine rack up stellar reviews five stars at a time. Unfussy dishes of stuffed cabbage and lamb casserole share tables with elegant platters of filet mignon and other tender meats in rich, complex French sauces. Depending on what they order, guests may also witness Russia House's flair for culinary drama: many entrees are prepared tableside.