Weeks and weeks of nothing but vegetables, fruits, bread and more vegetables are finally coming to a close for the religious among you as Lent comes to an end on April 27. How to celebrate this wonderful event – besides going to church or the nearest bar? Here are some truly decadent restaurants where you can gorge on lots of sinful food.

1. Carre Blanc

To say Carre Blanc is popular would be an understatement. The place is usually full during dinnertime, packed with fans of authentic foie gras, frogs’ legs, oysters and delicate monkfish with artichoke hearts. All the ingredients – chosen with the utmost care – are cooked by chef Eric Le Provos in such a way as to protect their essential characteristics. It goes without saying that a full selection of the best wines for each dish is available.

2. Syr

Syr is a restaurant with a tasteful design – bright pictures, yellow walls and spring flowers. According to chef Mircko Zago, his philosophy of cooking is to create classic and innovative Italian dishes while maintaining the original flavors. Syr serves traditional Italian food, like veal medallions with cheese, Scottish salmon fillet with beans, seafood risotto, salmon carpaccio with red caviar, crab spaghetti with tomatoes, and veal carpaccio with black truffles.

3. Laluna

Finding an authentic Japanese, Indian and European restaurant where you really want to sit down, relax and eat the food can be a challenge. The ambiance at Laluna provides guests with a memorable dining experience. Try some of these items: the Laluna miso soup, the Thai salad with chicken and shrimp, the tender veal steak, the tuna sashimi with wasabi mashed potatoes or the lobster baked with wild rice.

4. Mekhana Bansko

Walking into Mekhana Bansko is like walking into a food carnival: bright colors, hearty portions and happy faces. What keeps the numerous guests coming back to this Bulgarian restaurant is the delicious, spicy dishes, like brisket of young lamb with dry white wine and vegetables, tender veal fillet baked with mashed potatoes, mushrooms and soft feta, pork grilled and served with an omelet and spicy sterlet with champagne.

5. Izola

The real treat here lies in the delicious Mediterranean meal you are about to experience. The wide menu covers the full spectrum of Italian cuisine – whatever you choose, you’re guaranteed not to be disappointed. Sample the assortment of French and Italian sausages, fried quail in wine sauce or veal ragout with duchess potatoes, and you’ll find yourself returning to dine here again and again.

6. Santa Fe

The daily menu here is based on ancient and standard Mexican, American, Japanese, Mediterranean, Asian and European dishes all accompanied by a wide selection of superior French, Italian, Chilean, Spanish, Georgian and Californian wines. The smoked chicken wings with pineapple sauce stand out and, if you’re fed up with ordinary food, go for the exotic ostrich meat, which is amazing.

7. Suliko

Each dish in this restaurant is meant to emphasize the original taste of Georgian cuisine. The bulk of the menu contains dishes prepared according to ancient Georgian recipes, such as chicken with blackberries or delicious lamb in wine sauce. The menu includes dishes from traditional Georgian cuisine, as well as from the Abkhazia, Adzharia, and Kartli regions, all accompanied by an excellent selection of Georgian, French and Israeli wines.

8. Gubernatorsky

This is a meat lover’s paradise, with all types of juicy cuts delivered to your table by the restaurant’s hard-working waitstaff. According to serious Moscow gourmets, the specialty of the house, the gourmand salad and the delicious lobsters baked with pieces of Spanish sausage deserve praise.

9. Court Cafe

Court Cafe is a fabulous venue for sampling the flavors and tastes of authentic European cuisine in a modern and stylish setting. This cozy restaurant with a spectacular view of the Moscow River is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and serves a splendid selection of meat, fish and game as well as delicious salads and unforgettable desserts.

10. Riviere

From the moment you cross the threshold at Riviere, you are transported into another culinary world filled with the aroma of incense and the spices of French cuisine. The menu offers such favorites as rack of lamb with vegetables, veal on the bone roasted with cognac cream sauce and roasted Magret of duck with pineapple and lemon-cinnamon sauce.

LOCATIONS:

Syr

16/2 Sadovaya-Samotechnaya Ul. Metro: Tsvetnoi Bulvar Tel: 209-7770

Mekhana Bansko

9/1 Smolenskaya Ploshchad Metro: Smolenskaya Tel: 241-3132

Suliko

42/2 Bol. Polyanka Ul. Metro: Polyanka Tel: 238-2586

Santa Fe

5/1 Mantulinskaya Ul. Metro: Ulitsa 1905 Goda Tel: 256-2126

Gubernatorsky

22 Voznesensky Per., Usadba Center Metro: Pushkinskaya, Okhotny Ryad Tel: 797-2682

Laluna

69 Sadovnicheskaya Nab. Metro: Paveletskaya Tel: 725-4425

Carre Blanc

19/2 Seleznyovskaya Ul. Metro: Novoslobodskaya Tel: 281-3183

Riviere

4 Bolshaya Dorogomilovskaya Ul. Metro: Kievskaya Tel: 243-0977

Izola

23a Tarasa Shevchenko Nab. Metro: Kutuzovskaya Tel: 730-4400

Court Cafe

1/2 Korobeinikov Pereulok Metro: Park Kultury Tel: 202-0106