Bringing the Russian-Jewish experience to our table.

Monday, August 11th 6:30pm | $95

At the Roadhouse, we are inspired daily by stories and tradition. On Monday, August 11th, we will connect you with one of the most meaningful yet. Join us as we learn about the story of how one woman’s escape from Nazi persecution in Belarus, and the subsequent immigration of her son, led to her granddaughter’s present day culinary success with connecting us to her Russian-Jewish heritage.

The Roadhouse is honored to host an incredible evening with Bonnie Morales, James Beard Award-nominated Chef and Co-Owner of Kachka, LLC. Opened in Portland in 2014, Kachka features a menu and style of service firmly rooted in the Soviet era, with nods even further back to both czarist excess and traditional rustic foodways. While Bonnie refers to the cuisine as Russian, she is careful to explain that in her parents’ generation, the word “Russia” is interchangeable with “Soviet Union”. The restaurant has been lauded in many publications in particular for its dishes inspired by Bonnie’s heritage as a first-generation daughter of Jewish immigrants from Belarus, and its menu includes recipes from Russia, Belarus, Georgia, the Ukraine, and other countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Republic.

The extraordinary dishes Chef Bob will prepare for this dinner captures many of those deep and vibrant flavors Kachka is known for, and are pulled from Bonnie’s cookbook, Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking. We are excited to offer four courses, kicked off by Kachka’s beloved Zakuski, a family style tradition of filling a table of assorted small bites. Do not miss out on some of the recipes Kachka is famous for, including Ukrainian-style dumplings; a layered dish called Herring “Under a Fur Coat”; Shashlik, a dish of kefir-marinated chicken; Golubtsi, which are sweet and sour cabbage rolls made with beef, lamb, and pork; and so much more! Every bite will be a reflection of the importance of immigration to the preservation of culinary foodways, as we hear all about Bonnie’s grandmother’s perseverance through wartime, and her parents’ courage to later leave the former Soviet Union to start a new life in America.

Bonnie describes that her mission with Kachka is to “bring the food, stories, and feelings of all of these threads of the Russian experience to an entirely new table”, and on August 11th she will bring it to ours. We can’t wait to savor the heartwarming food and inviting hospitality of one of the most renowned restaurateurs from Portland—right here in Ann Arbor for one evening only! We welcome you to come meet Bonnie, and hear the incredible story of her family’s resilience as we taste her timeless recipes.

MENU

Zakuski (Small Bites) Course – Family Style

Recommended Vodka Pairing: Horseradish-Infused Vodka $4

Herring “Under a Fur Coat”
A layered salad of oil-cured herring, dill, onion, potato, carrot, beet, sunflower-beet mayonnaise, and sieved eggs.

Baltic Sprat Buterbrodi (V)
Pumpernickel toast canapes with parsley sauce, hard boiled egg, red wine pickled onions, smoked herring, and an herb salad.

Beet Caviar-Stuffed Eggs (V)
Like deviled eggs, but the filling is a minced salad (in Russia, known as vegetable caviar, or ikra) of beet, pickled celery heart, prune, and walnut. Garnished with sliced beet and celery leaf.

Brindza Pashtet with Lepyoshki (V)
A paprika and sheep’s milk cheese spread, served with freshly grilled flatbreads.

Eggplant Pkhali Rolls (V)
Thinly sliced roasted eggplant, with an eggplant, walnut, and herb filling.

Mid Course – Plated

Tvorog Vareniki (V)
Handmade Ukrainian-style dumplings with farmer’s cheese and chive (a lot of people familiar with farmer’s cheese dumplings have only had them sweet so it is important to note that these are decidedly savory). Serves with sour cream and scallions.

Mains – Family Style

Recommended Vodka Pairing: Tarragon-Infused Vodka $4

Chicken Shashlik with Dacha Salat & Lepyoshki
Chicken thighs marinated in a mixture of kefir, cilantro, and onion. Served with a salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, herbs, and sour cream, with freshly grilled flatbreads. 

Sweet & Sour Golubtsi
Cabbage rolls filled with a mixture of lamb, pork, beef, and rice. Seared and braised in a sauce made from tomatoes, onions, carrots, and lingonberry jam. Served with sour cream.

Dessert

Recommended Vodka Pairing: Cacao-Infused Vodka $4

Local Berries & Smetana Shortcake – Plated
Seasonal berries macerated in sugar and sparkling wine, served with lemon chiffon cake, whipped vanilla sour cream, and vanilla sugar.

Chocolate Kolbasa Cookies – Family Style
A no-bake cookie that’s a bit more like a fudge, studded with cookie pieces and hazelnuts.

Vodka

Kachka Infused Vodka Flight $10
Created from Kachka’s recipes, a selection of 1 ounce infused vodka pours to sip with each course, including horseradish, tarragon, and cacao.