Sample the New York restaurant where Russian NHL stars get a taste of home

NEW YORK – Wild defenseman Jake Middleton was at the rink one day in November and Russian superstar Kirill Kaprizov surprised him with a question.

“Have you ever had Russian food?” Kaprizov asked.

“No,” Middleton replied.

“Do you want to go to New York?” said Kaprizov.

“Absolutely,” said Middleton.

Middleton, 27, is from small-town Alberta and had no idea what to expect. He thought it might be something extravagant, maybe even raw seafood. What Middleton was introduced to in mid-November was a treasure trove for Russian-born NHLers looking for an authentic taste of home.

Kaprizov brought Middleton and captain Jared Spurgeon to Mari Vanna.

The restaurant is located in a quiet part of 20th Street in Manhattan. From the outside it looks like an apartment. You could easily walk past the green-rimmed windows and entrance with ‘Mari Vanna’ written on a faded white curtain above. But walk inside and you are transported thousands of miles away and decades back in time. The menu, from borscht to salted herring, is prepared and served by Russian staff. It’s as authentic as NHL players have found in the United States. This also applies to the furnishings. There are old Russian books, lamps, dolls, gold-framed photos, teacups and chessboards. The white tablecloths and floral china look like they come from the 1970s in low light. Russian cartoons are played from a flat-screen TV.

“It’s like your grandmother’s house,” said Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. “It’s like being back in Moscow.”

“You can dive back into your childhood,” says Jets center Vladislav Namestnikov.

“It’s your own kitchen,” said Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Mari Vanna also has a location in Washington, DC, and two in Russia. It is owned by the Ginza Project, which owns 70 restaurants in St. Petersburg and Moscow. This New York location, which opened about 15 years ago, has the personal touch of a family-run place. Namestnikov said that, at least before COVID-19, “regulars” were given a key, with a Matryoshka doll attached, so they could enter on “free” evenings or for private parties.

The chef comes out and greets NHLers like Sergachev, Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy and gives them a hug. There are autographed signs on the wall from celebrities (like Sarah Jessica Parker), as well as their most high-profile hockey stars, from Kucherov to Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. The night in November that Kaprizov brought Spurgeon and Middleton, there was a table full of Detroit Red Wings.

“You should check it out,” Sergachev said.

So on a recent trip to New York I did just that.

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Sergachev was a rookie with the Lightning in the 2018-19 season when he had his first Mari Vanna experience.

Teammates Kucherov, Vasilevskiy and Namestnikov had been there before and wanted to introduce him to it. They met the owner, the chef, who Sergachev said looked and acted like their grandmother. She hugged them and brought them some options that were not on the menu. He couldn’t help but notice the antique furniture, magazines, and tattered white wallpaper bearing signatures of previous guests.

“Every year I go back to Russia and my grandmother’s house, and it’s about the same,” Sergachev said. “There is a large Russian community in New York and it feels like home. Everyone speaks Russian. You don’t get homesick because you can just go to that place. It reminds you how beautiful our country is.”

Sergachev said his favorite dishes usually start with borscht, a soup typically made with meat stock, vegetables and spices. The dumplings are a must, as are their salads, with Sergachev preferring the ‘Herring under a fur coat’. If it’s not the night before a game, the Lightning group usually goes with a flight of infused vodka shots, as you can choose from a range of flavors, from cranberry to horseradish to cucumber and dill.

“Kirill said the right way to host a Russian dinner is to take those shots,” Middleton said, laughing. “We didn’t do that that night.”

Kaprizov told his teammates that the mid-November trip was his first time in Mari Vanna, although he had been to the city’s Russian Tea Room before. Kaprizov likes to make his own Russian food, mostly dumplings. “My mom made a lot for me, we were just frozen,” he said. “And you just cook them whenever you want. You can eat them for breakfast, lunch, whatever.

Middleton told Mari Vanna that he and Spurgeon simply gave up on the menu and let Kaprizov show them the way, from the borscht to dumplings to after-dinner drinks. The best part? Kaprizov also picked up the tab.

“I had no idea what Russian food was like before,” Middleton said. “But it looks a lot like farm food. Heavy and compact, soup and potatoes. It was such a nice experience. I was going to eat a few pounds of potatoes. As we were leaving it started to get loud and a band started playing. It would have been cool if we had a day off the next day to hang out all night. They said that Sunday and Monday is the Russian-heavy night when Russians go there to party and hang out.

“I’m sure it won’t be the last time I do something like this.”

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The same evening in mid-November that Kaprizov hosted his teammates at Mari Vanna, I gave it a try myself.

Armed with tips from various Russian players, I wanted to experience it all. I invited a friend, Kieran, a Londoner now living on Long Island, to join me. The bar was packed as we waited for our table. Normally there is Russian music playing quietly in the background, but this evening there was a three-piece jazz band. They were tucked into a corner near the bathroom, with Russian cartoons on the TV behind them and old framed photos on the wall. Sydney Fay played the acoustic guitar, her sound exuding the vibe of Norah Jones.

I never thought I’d hear “Only You” while eating borscht, so I’m crossing that off my bucket list.

We sat at a table near the front, where you could see the hanging string lights outside the French doors. The lace curtains and tablecloths had a vintage feel, as did the white polka dot dresses the waitresses wore. We started with a chicken liver plate, with the spread going over toasted bread. The borscht, beets mixed with beef, was as advertised. This is the kind of place where players say they treat it like a tapas spot, splitting a number of starters and mains. The dumplings were served in a brown mini bowl that looked like a coffee cup. I could have eaten fifteen.

Since Kieran and I weren’t playing a game the next day, we did partake in the infused vodka shots (a flight of five for $50). It was an eclectic mix of cranberry flavors, apricot and horseradish.

“They’re not that strong,” Sergachev told me. “So don’t worry.”

The Russian players usually bring along teammates to introduce them to their culture. Sergachev, Kucherov and Vasilevskiy brought Pat Maroon and Alex Killorn to the Mari Vanna in Washington, DC. “Everything was great there,” Maroon said. “Never been to a place like this.”

Other teammates don’t always react the same way. “I was in New York and Kevin Hayes came with me,” Namestnikov recalls. “I don’t think he liked it that much; he made a funny face. Some guys like it, some don’t.”

Sometimes players are asked to sign signs, which are mounted on the wall. Kucherov signed one, “Tampa 2020,” with his name written in Russian. Our signature was not asked, but after we paid the bill (which was presented in a blue handbag of Russian design), the hostess came by to ask another question.

“Would you like some pictures, guys?”

(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic. Photos: Alex Ovechkin by Michael Mooney / Getty Images; Kirill Kaprizov by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images; restaurant photos by Joe Smith / The Athletic)