At Cafe Kiev, Times Discovers Gravesend's Ukrainians Are Not Savages


by on Apr 27th, 2011

Source: NYTimes.com

Well, lookey here. The New York Times has discovered Gravesend. Yeah, you know, “Gravesend, Brooklyn, near Bensonhurst.”

And wonders of wonders, Gravesend has “a family-run cafe” called the Cafe Kiev (1739 West 7th Street). “It’s a refreshing contrast to the borough’s many banquet facilities and dingy holes-in-the-wall serving cuisines of the former Soviet Union.” Nice to hear, but I hate to break this to the staff of the old grey lady, but there’s a lot of family-run cafes in our neck of the woods and many of them are “prettied up with pastel walls, framed prints and chandeliers, and buoyed by gentle lounge music.”

I’ve never been to Cafe Kiev. It sounds great and I can’t wait to try it out, but c’mon New York Times. Have you ever been to the restaurants of Southern Brooklyn? With comments like these I have to wonder.

The floor staff, managed by a young married couple, Artem Surjko Iurasov and Alina Allakhveranova, speaks fine English.

Prices that prompt a double-take. No item exceeds $7.

Check out The Times take on Cafe Kiev.

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  • Faba

    Do you remember Kiev Dinner on St Marks? That was a fine place. Now it’s time to give Kiev Cafe a try.

    • nolastname

      Momads, a little hole in the wall (or close to that name on MacDougal. Best Falafell ever. How do you spell fallFFELL?

      • Faba

        I dont know Mamads. Got correct name or address???

        • nolastname

          Mamouns. Do a google search with Greenwich Village Fallaffel I tried
          to link it but N.G.

          • Faba

            Got it! Thank you. I should visit this magical place and eat a falafel. Never was a big fan of deep fried balls but I’ll give it a shot again.

            Thank you good lookin’

          • nolastname

            My pleasure… Ha-ha, you said “deep fried balls” .
            If I had balls (physically) and someone fried ‘em, it better be deep.

  • http://www.facebook.com/pages/Erica-Sherman-Photographer/156144554406226?ref=mf ES

    Between their ridiculous over-coverage every time some Hipster in Williamsburg farts and markets it as sustainable somethingorother, and assuming that Southern Brooklyn is some kind of new frontier of culture to be explored, I wouldn’t be surprised if The Old Grey Lady is intentionally trying to dis us.

  • Anonymous

    i would love to go for some Cold Borsht with cucumbers and sour cream right about now…

    /sigh

  • http://www.flickr.com/knightmare6 Knightmare6

    Well… at least they can speak English… apparently…

    • Anonymous

      Loading HATERS..
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      99% Complete

      • Faba

        OH I want in! Who are we hatting now?

        • Anonymous

          These nice people speak the best language of them all.

          the Language of Money!

        • Anonymous

          I’ve got my fedora all ready!

    • Resident of Southern Bklyn

      try finding one russian restaurant with the owners not speaking English.

      • http://www.nedberke.com Ned Berke

        Um. I can definitely name a few (but won’t). But it’s not the majority by any means.

  • Guest

    this writer must have never been to Glechik

  • Alina_nova

    Strange reaction by a local blog to Cafe Kiev review in NY Times

    Why are you writing in offensive manner about the place you’ve never been at? I think it’s extremely unprofessional, especially when you guys pretend to run “the best local blog”. Please have decency to check out the place yourself before you say a bad word about it…. By the way, Gravesand is clearly beyond your geographical coverage, sheepshead bay blogger!

    • Faba

      Alina we didn’t say anything bad about Cafe Kiev. If anything I will be giving this place a try. Some of us are not big fans of NY Times talking about southern Brooklyn as some exotic third world country.
      Besides, if Sheepshead Bay is a foster child of NY family then Gravesand is that meth snorting uncle who stares at 17 year old Susan and says “you know, you are of legal age now”.

      So Alina, do you want to be friends? What are you wearing?

    • Anonymous

      Wow. I don’t have much to say after Faba, but….

      What part of “I’ve never been to Cafe Kiev. It sounds great and I can’t wait to try it out” is offensive?

      And yes, even us Sheepshead bay bloggers, venture to Gravesend now and then. It’s near Bensonhurst right?