An enjoyable, intimate dining experience

Russia House is tucked behind a Donato's in the back of the Northwest side strip mall anchored by Half Price Books. With two small dining areas decorated like what I'd image a nice, cozy Russian home to be like, Russia House is a great place for a quiet date night.

With a recent visit being our first to a Russian restaurant we tried one of four regional sampler meals for two. They were all around $50 and include dessert and coffee or tea.

Our multi-course meal was great, starting with an eggplant sampler, some green borscht (a really light soup with cabbage instead of beats -- that's in the red), salad, a main dish with beef rolls and thinly sliced fried potatoes and a slice chocolate cake.

All was really good. But the cake, and it was probably supposed to be this way, was a little watery for my taste.

We also enjoyed starting off with a delicious bottle of Baltika No. 8 unfiltered Russian wheat beer and ended with some excellent black tea.

One of the owners, a former ballet dancer, was our very hospitable host and server. He and the atmosphere and the food made for a great night out. And certainly one more memorable and adventurous than going to many other restaurants.

Next time you are going out, consider trying a non-chain restaurant first like Russia House. If you are like me, you'll feel a lot better about having your hard-earned money go to real people instead of a corporation.