description/

Named for an appropriately gloomy Chekhov play, this dank Russian eatery turns out the kind of lusterless food best eaten in exile. Though vareniki--plump dumplings stuffed with potato and onion--were passable, blini arrived with a stingy pot of rancid-tasting red caviar. Beef Stroganoff was equally forlorn; the dry, fibrous slices of beef sulked in an oppressive sour cream sauce. A dessert of honey and sour cream blini dotted with tart black cherries was better but hardly redemptive. Our advice: Skip Vanya and head to the nearby Russian Samovar. If it"s good enough for Mikhail Baryshnikov, it"s good enough for you.

Find more restaurants & bars at Time Out New York