As a little farewell before she left for her last semester of college (!), Olga invited me and Sarah over for an Eastern European smorgasbord.
I’ve been ogling Olga’s garden on her blog all summer, so it was a treat to see it in person. This is the most yard I’ve ever seen in NYC!!
Our meal commenced with a dazzling array of appetizers:
pickled herring rolls with seaweed + dried fruit
caprese salad with garden veggies and brinza cheese
juice!
my very favorite half-sour pickles
garden tomatoes
blintzes! (these may have been my favorite -- chewy, savory, delicious!)
brown bread
. . . and I had no clue how much food was still to come! I probably should have paced myself a little more . . .
(assume I had seconds of everything - it was SO tasty!)
The second course was Olga’s grandmother’s borsch!!
borsh + sour cream
And more garden delights 
pickled garden tomatoes
Plus a new variety of fruit juice!
some combination of berries . . .
The grand finale was Olga’s grandmother’s cabbage pierogies . . . I dream of these:
cabbage is such a simple, unassuming vegetable until it's sauteed and stuffed in yummy dough!
I loved the plates (we each had a different fruit!)
(again, assume seconds)
Olga and her mom were too cute . . . I’m jealous that she’s spent the summer here eating amazing homecooked food and hanging out with her family!
2 generations (wish I'd caught Olga's grandmother too!)
Tea (and more conversation!) followed . . .
yes, that's dessert hiding in the background . . .
this is the point where my stomach started to close its doors
Olga, we’ll miss you this Fall!!
We watched a huge spider at work on Olga’s balcony whist sipping our tea. It was mesmerizing! But not terribly photogenic . . .
What an awesome meal–the homecooked highlight of my summer, for sure! I’d like to think I would never eat quite this much all by myself, but shared, it’s a lovely experience, expansion and all
What was the best meal you shared this summer?
September 7, 2009 at 5:33 pm
seriously, after seeing all 3 recaps of this meal, this is the third time I wish I had been there
such amazing food AND company! I’m glad you girls were able to get together 
September 7, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Oh god, these pictures are SO EMBARRASSING! hahahahah.
It was awesome to have you guys over, I already miss you!
September 8, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I’m with Sarah. Not embarrassing!! Come back and visit us soon!
September 7, 2009 at 8:55 pm
yesss, it definitely was the back-to-school dinner to beat them all. and olga, shush because you look gorgeous in these pictures!!! once again, i had a lovely night with you ladies. i can’t wait until we can do it again!
September 7, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Wow! What an amazing feast! That poppy seed cake looks to die for. You and Sarah are lucky ducks!
September 8, 2009 at 12:24 am
What a fabulous back to school dinner! I think the best meal that I had all summer was when I went to the Mosel Wine Valley in Germany.. spending time with family and drinking good wine makes any dinner 10x better.
September 8, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Oh wow what an awesome meal! So delicious, it’s got me hungry! I’d be stuffed too – but so worth it. My fav meal: high tea with my friends. Everyone brought something and it was sooo good.