Takeout
Tsarsky Gourmet Food Cafe
Address: 1700 E., Hallandale, Hallandale Beach Blvd. 954-458-7757
Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Sunday
Type of food: Russian, European
Dining facility: Cafe with table service, deli and takeout counter, grocery store
Service: Friendly and helpful despite my numerous questions regarding the food.
Delivery: None
The Dish
I spend 20 minutes browsing the groceries, gourmet chocolates and bags of fruit teas before making my way to the takeout counter in the back.
The hachapury ($2.50) is an excellent cheese–filled pastry, reminiscent of a small calzone. Although the counter woman cannot tell me what kind of cheese is used in the filling, she assures me that it is good, expensive cheese. And the filling proves to be rich and tangy, with a texture similar to mozzarella. The crust is light and buttery.
Chicken schnitzel ($4.50) is a huge chicken breast pounded thin, lightly seasoned, breaded and fried. The flavor is mild but perks up nicely with a spritz of fresh lime juice.
Stuffed eggplant ($1.50 per piece) is sliced thin, stuffed with tomato, garlic, mayo and dill, then baked. Its tangy, robust flavor puts the more mundane eggplant parmesan to shame.
The kids fought over moka ($1) cake. Moka is more like a huge, square wafer cookie covered in real chocolate. The cafe's most popular dessert item, we are told, is the Tsarsky cake ($6.99 per pound). It is a complex blend of textures with some layers similar to a dense yellow cake, a layer that is primarily poppy seeds and cream filling along with almonds and raisins. It's worthy of its namesake.
Tracey Broussard is a freelance writer for the Sun-Sentinel.
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