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Ukrainian bar Slava opened in Soho: what is served there

'04.11.2022'

Nadezhda Verbitskaya

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Something that has never happened before has appeared in New York: a Ukrainian cocktail bar. The team that founded the Pineapple Club bar in the East Village opens a place Glory in the old Pegu club space on the second floor at 77 West Houston Street. This is a bar with a national accent: drinks director Nazar Grab from Lviv, and chef Alexander Shcherbina from Odessa. Even the contractor and plumber are Ukrainians, although the bar was not planned in the Ukrainian concept, reports grubstreet.

“Originally, we developed a Russian concept called Babushka,” admitted Travis Odegard.

He opened the place with Grub, Matthew Sylvester and Josh Spiesel. They purchased the premises in January. And the following month, Russian troops invaded Ukraine. Almost immediately, they said goodbye to the “grandmother”.

“We definitely couldn't stick to that name,” Odegaard explained. “So we changed it to Slava.”

This name has a double meaning. Slava means "Glory to Ukraine!" and is part of the national lexicon. This word has become especially used since the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In addition, Slava is short for Yaroslav, the name of Grab's mother.

“She stayed in Ukraine when the war started,” explained Grab, who has lived in New York since 2013. “My sister and I did everything possible to convince her to come here.”

Yaroslava is a pediatrician, she vowed to stay, worked in hospitals in various positions during 2022.

Grab turned to his roots when compiling the cocktail menu. Kyiv Old-fashioned is a regular blend of bourbon and bitters with a small amount of homemade chestnut liqueur. Chestnuts grow all over Kyiv, and the walnut is a long-standing symbol of the city. On the piquant side, a cocktail called “Borsch” is exactly what you need. A clarified version of the traditional beetroot soup - it goes through the same process as the baked milk punch. Made with unaged corn whiskey, aperol, lime juice and elderflower liqueur, Grandpa is a tribute to Grandpa Grab, who illegally made moonshine in Ukraine.

“He used to make moonshine, and then he took oak bark and insisted on it for a drink for about a month,” he shared his memories. “After that, moonshine became cognac.”

On the subject: A man in a Nazi uniform came to a bar in Manhattan: visitors were shocked

In keeping with Ukrainian drinking traditions, the bar does not shy away from vodka, which is the basis of half of the menu's cocktails. There is also a collection of tinctures of horseradish and honey, plum and beetroot, which will be offered as ingredients.

What food is offered here

First of all, cabbage rolls stuffed with ribs; mlyntsi - a local pancake, which is served here with a mixture of mushrooms, truffles and cream with herbs; of course, chicken Kiev, which is given a place of honor here. Odegard describes the food as a combination of Ukrainian cuisine and New York traditions. Although Chef Shcherbina did not have much time to study American cuisine. He and his family fled Odessa only six months ago. But this time was enough for him to cook dumplings with bacon, egg and cheese. There is also an Olivier salad with burrata and a crispy potato pancake. Caviar, which has recently come into fashion in cocktail bars, can be added to salad or pancakes for $35.

The national character of Slava extends to the interior design created by Rozanna Kegeyan. She is not Ukrainian, but is engaged to a Ukrainian. Therefore, her wallpaper depicts birds and flowers - a theme that is common in Ukraine. Chairs, chandeliers and antiques have been chosen to evoke what is commonly found in homes and dining rooms in Ukraine. The rear crossbar is sheathed with pine boards, the wood of which is often used in Ukrainian homes. Behind the bar you can see a large fresco depicting a woman in a traditional national costume.

“We New Yorkers are used to being close to each other and hearing each other talk,” she says. – But in Ukrainian, Russian and Polish restaurants, when people come to dine, they seek solitude. They mostly travel in large groups. They will have a bottle of vodka on the table.”

With this in mind, the designer developed a seating plan for guests in such a way that large groups could gather, but with enough space between them.

The general layout of the premises follows the layout of the Pegu Club cocktail bar, which occupied this premises from 2005 to 2020. But apart from the ceiling, nothing of the Pegu design remains. The bar has been a favorite haunt of the Pineapple team, and Grub said he might include a Pegu Club cocktail on the menu as a tribute.

“This place has been here forever and we used to go there after work all the time,” he admitted.

By the way, Grab's mother had no idea that her son named his bar after her. But she found out about it when he invited friends and family to Slava the other day.

“He's going to win the Son of the Year award,” Odegaard explained.

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