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The Khinkali Chronicles
It was in 2007, when, on a hunger-induced whim, we called a friend and asked him to meet us for lunch at a new place that had been beckoning from a Rustaveli Boulevard side street for some weeks....
View ArticleTbilisi
Editor’s note: We are marking Culinary Backstreets’ third anniversary with expansion into our seventh city, Tbilisi, whose extraordinary culinary pleasures remain one of the world’s best-kept secrets....
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Vino Underground
Ènek poured a rosy-colored splash of wine into our glasses, avidly explaining how this particular Aladasturi grape vine was meticulously cultivated in its native west Georgia. In a tasting ritual...
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Alani
Last week we had a hankering for baked brains, and in Tbilisi that used to mean only one thing – a visit to Alani, the Ossetian restaurant near the sulfur baths in Old Tbilisi. Named after the ancient...
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Le Café du Monde
With cafes popping up all over the country, from the arty boutique coffee houses of Tbilisi, to the Lavazza kiosks in villages like Zestafoni, it is easy to forget the humbler days of Georgia’s coffee...
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Sarcho
Foreigners call it “cheese pie,” but khachapuri translates to “curds bread” – although it is much, much more than that. It is, without a doubt, Georgia’s most signature victual. In a land with no...
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Cafe Littera
We are sitting under the tonic canopy of an enormous pine tree in a hidden Tbilisi garden, licking our lips over menu items that are neither European nor Georgian. When our dining companion informs us...
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Ezo
The 19th-century homes in old Tbilisi neighborhoods were built in a style Georgians call “Italian Courtyards,” where through a gate or arch you enter a quad enclosed by stories of balconies shared by...
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Shavi Lomi
In the Caucasus, guests are considered gifts from God. Georgians like to call them okros stumrebi – “golden guests” – an endearment that illustrates the stature the ever-hospitable Georgians give to...
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Tbilisi Sketches
Editor’s note: This is the first installment in our new monthly series, Tbilisi Sketches, with illustrated dispatches covering local spots in Georgia’s capital. Contributor Andrew North is an artist...
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Best Bites 2015
Editor’s note: Tbilisi was a new addition to Culinary Backstreets this year, and as we look back on all the great eating we did in 2015, we can’t help but notice that so much of it took place in the...
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Tbilisi Sketches
Editor’s note: This is the latest installment in our monthly series of illustrated dispatches covering local spots in and around Georgia’s capital. Contributor Andrew North is an artist and journalist...
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Chaotic Holidays to You
While much of the West celebrates Christmas in an orgy of shopping for presents that climaxes after a single dinner, Georgians commemorate the season with a 30-day binge of feasts that pretty much...
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Citron Plus
Tbilisi’s Vake Park district is an upscale neighborhood full of designer cafés and fancy-looking Georgian-European restaurants offering mediocre grub at prices that complement the black SUVs and silver...
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Tbilisi Sketches
Editor’s note: This is the latest installment in our series of illustrated dispatches covering local spots in and around Georgia’s capital. Contributor Andrew North is an artist and journalist based in...
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The Khinkali Chronicles, Part 2
In Tbilisi, we have mornings when we wake up wrinkled and dehydrated, and as we lie in bed knuckling the sleep from our eyes, we hear an all too familiar chorus beckoning us to “bite me, slurp me,...
View ArticleFowl Play in Tbilisi’s Central Bazaar
Chickens cooling off and on display, upside down in Tbilisi’s central Bazaar. The post Fowl Play in Tbilisi’s Central Bazaar appeared first on Culinary Backstreets.
View ArticleA Spiced-Up Affair at Tbilisi’s Deserter’s Bazaar
This well-stocked spice stand is found at Tbilisi’s Deserter’s Bazaar, the city’s largest open-air market which constitutes a central part of our newly-launched walk. The post A Spiced-Up Affair at...
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Sasadilo Coca-Cola
StoryThere used to be a state-owned publishing house in our neighborhood with a cafeteria that served a proletariat menu that included ostri (beef stew), cold slices of beef tongue and cutlets with...
View ArticleVampire-Thwarting Chkmeruli in Tbilisi
This steaming serving of chkmeruli (Georgian garlic chicken) is guaranteed to keep vampires away for a week. One may encounter a tasty (and protective) dish like this on our Tbilisi walk.The post...
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