Experience Russian-Georgian cuisine at Pomagranate

If you've never had Russian food in San Diego, you're not alone. San Diego has more than it's share of taco shops, Italian trattorias, and even a good variety of Asian restaurants. But when it comes to eastern European cuisine, it's a little harder to find. So when my husband's Ukrainian coworker recommended a Russian-Georgian Restaurant in North Park, we were eager to give it a try. Having never been exposed to Russian food, I didn't know what to expect. I pictured goulash and beef stroganoff even though goulash is actually Hungarian. We had a hard time finding the place because for one thing we had the address wrong, but for another it's small and the sign isn't easy to see from the street. It turns out it's on El Cajon Boulevard right next Dao Son, a favorite Vietnamese restaurant of mine.


We met our friends there and they were drinking Russian Baltika beer, so of course we had to try it. I ordered a wheat beer, but they were out. So I tasted the pilsner, the amber lager and the light beer. I settled on the light beer because the others were a little too bitter for me. The light beer was delicious and quite large. Since nothing looked familar on the menu, I asked our friends and the waiter to recommend some dishes for us. We tried a few different appetizers including the Khachapuri cheese pie and the Vareniki, a potato and cheese dumpling. Both were delicious. I could have easily filled up on appetizers but I wanted to save room for my meal. Between the beer, the appetizers and the soft, warm bread with garlic herbed butter, I was already getting full.

Next my husband and I split a bowl of Borscht which is a beet soup with cabbage and beef. It was bright red, full of vegetables and very flavorful. We are both big fans of beets so the soup really hit the spot. I was a little worried that it would be too much dairy for me because the menu said it was served with a dollop of sour cream, but it wasn't enough to bother me.

For the main course I ordered Shashlik which is similar to a shish kabab. It comes in pork loin, chicken or lamb variety  and is only served on Friday and Saturday nights. I ordered the chicken at the recommendation of the waiter. He also told me that when they served it they would ask me if I wanted the pomagranate syrup and I should say yes. My husband ordered the Russian Barbecue. When my dish arrived it was on a long skewer and they slid each chicken chunk onto the plate for me. As directed, I opted for the pomegranate syrup. The chicken was cooked just right--nice and tender but with a little bit of char.  It was served with a pile of red onions, a grilled zucchini and a marinated tomato. No carbs in this meal which was a bonus for me as I'd been trying to avoid them. Everything was delicious, except for the marinated tomato which was a little too salty.

Although I have nothing to compare it to, I would definately recommend Pomegranate for a good, hearty meal that tastes like it was homemade. I imagine this is what my mom's cooking would taste like if I were Russian. I plan to return to try the beef stroganoff and some other things that looked intriguing but which I can neither spell nor pronounce. If the unfamiliar menu is intimidating, just ask the waiter for help choosing a dish. Ours was very helpful and his recommendations all proved to be good choices. I walked away satiated, satisfied and slightly tipsy from the very large beer. And although it wasn't cheap (our bill for 4 people came to $130), it was money well-spent for the unique experience and a chance to try something new.

Pomegranate
2302 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92104
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Phone: (619) 297-4007‎