Nizhny Novgorod is a beautiful city. I want to come back in summer, with more time and no rush. To someone from Moscow, it feels like a sibling of St. Petersburg. Such a warm welcome — they even thanked me for bringing the sunshine. I caught the first days of spring.
A huge thank you to the teams at Zhazhda Krovi, Dodici Grill and the other restaurants in the group for working — and relaxing — so well together. And to our guests for their interest in the food and the chance to meet new people.
The dinner drew on memories of my travels through different countries and regions, and brought together different cooking techniques. Everything over fire: from tataki in the ashes to ribs and steak.
My friend Denis Bobkov is very good at putting his feelings into words in his posts. I hope he won’t mind me borrowing the idea. A few moments that stayed with me:
- Cooking dinner alongside chef Valera Yegortsov;
- Slicing cecina on the legendary Berkel;
- Taking a tour of the city;
- Stroking a little deer in the woods near Nizhny;
- An hour in a helicopter, including a moment of weightlessness. Which was, frankly, bloody incredible;
Now I want a Russian wood-fired oven in the restaurant even more. I’ll definitely return in summer to add to this list. See you again, Nizhny Novgorod. See you again, Dodici.
