Celebrate the 'Old New Year' at Bear this Monday

Sea-salt-cured salmon, with sunflower oil, smoked sprat with chile, sunflower seeds, and soy paste

The following is an expanded version of my previous post on Grub Street

Did you miss the first turn of the New Year, now reconsidering some of those resolutions that were just a tad lofty, or simply want another reason to feast and drink before committing to the treadmill? The nouveau European restaurant Bear in Long Island City will celebrate the "Old New Year" in true Russian-Ukrainian style on January 14 — that is, in regal commemoration of the Romanoff family, who kept time with the old, obsolete Julian calendar right up until the end. (The commissars installed the Gregorian calender in 1918.)

Ukrainian Borscht can be ordered with a 'vodka supplement' that includes a shot & lardo sandwich with horseradish

Scaling back from the 30-course dinner she served on December 31, chef Natasha Pogrebinsky will next week offer a three-course "Old New Year" dinner for $50 a head, which comes with wine. The menu includes hot borscht with salo, herring, and short rib Stroganoff served with gravy over a duck-fat-roasted potato and barrel-cured sauerkraut.

Marinated herring fillet with roasted beet, pickled onions, potato pure, dill and rye bread stick

The restaurant also recently introduced a seven-course chef's tasting menu, which costs $68 and comes with the potential to upgrade with wine or vodka pairings, and for à la carte snackers, there's a big menu of small bites that starts at $4.

The Charcuterie & Cheese Platter features cured and smoked Russian-style sopressata and mortadella on French country bread with sweet butter

Bear's "Old New Year" menu will be available from 7 to 10:30 p.m. this coming Monday; reservations are required.  Bear Restaurant, 12-14 31st Ave., Long Island City, Queens.  The following is just a taste of a few of my most recent images of some of the new dishes and tastings on Bear's winter menu.

Chicken hearts braised in French brandy with red onions, garlic, and parsley--served with guava marmalade, persimmon salad, pickled mushrooms, & habanero salsa

Veal dumplings in creamy dill gravy

Steak with 'Bear sauce'

Pork Loin sandwich, 'banh mi'-style, with carrot ribbons, cilantro, house pickles, sesame vinaigrette, and cumin-mustard seed pork loin... I am obsessed with this sandwich, and had it three times in one week!

Bear is officially open

Diver Sea Scallop with tomato and shitake mushroom barley risotto

Bear Restaurant & Bar (12-14 31st Ave., Long Island City)

As I wrote for Grub Street last week, Bear is officially open in Long Island City, bringing New European cuisine just a few blocks from Long Island City's Socrates Sculpture Park.  I am also pleased to share that my photographs of their fall dishes are featured on their website (checkout the cool slideshow on the homepage).  While I recently held an exclusive interview and spent some quality one-on-one time with the entire Pogrebinsky family who run Bear, that story (with new images) will be featured shortly in BORO Magazine.  Until then, here is my Grub Street article along with a few additional images.

The dining room is studded with Swarovski crystal chandeliers set into the walls, with Venetian-tiled floors, and a full-service granite-topped mosaic bar.

On the "New European" menu, consider the house appetizer, "3-Shot Vodka," a seasonally rotating trio of small bites served with a mini-carafe of vodka intended to jump-start the meal and whet the palate. "Bear Wings" are actually large duck wings served with an apple salad and blue cheese dipping sauce. 

Another house dish features Long Island duck slow-roasted with a whole granny smith apple, served with sunflower-oil-seared potatoes. Cocktails, wines, and several obscure craft beers (including two from the Great Lakes brewery in Cleveland) make up the drinks selection.

Talk about "Bear"ing a resemblance: Bear is owned and run by the Pogrebinsky family

Executive chef Natasha Pogrebinsky comes most recently from the Castello Plan in Brooklyn, but has studied in a few of New York's top kitchens, including at Park Avenue Seasons and as an apprentice to Salumeria Rosi's Cesare Casella. While initially just serving dinner and an abbreviated late-night menu (2 a.m. weekdays; 4 a.m. weekends), Bear will eventually serve lunch and brunch as well. The full opening menu (featuring my photographs!) may be seen here.