Leave it to Odessan immigrants to create one of the most stunning spectacles in the predominantly Russian Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn and, even more impressive, opening one of the city's very first Russian restaurants way back in the heady days of 1978. The food almost doesn't matter, so deeply satisfying is the environment, which seems to be renovated on a nightly basis, but food there is: a run of familiar dishes done with Russian flair and Russian dishes with the mitigating effects of American assimilation.

The main attraction here is the live show, a breathtaking extravaganza that defies comparison or description. Suffice to say, impossible though it may be to comprehend or describe to others, the stage show will remain etched into your retinas for weeks, months, maybe years to come.