Aphrodite -- Greek goddess of beauty and love; but what's she like in the kitchen?
A night at St Petersburg's Afrodite restaurant seemed a good chance to find out.
The answer was rather complex. While the food varied from mediocre to superb in taste, everything looked magnificent. Perhaps they should call it a see food rather than a seafood restaurant.
Entrees included such intriguing dishes as smoked reindeer salad with blue cheese dressing ($9), which made snails in garlic butter ($7) and frogs' legs with Dijon mustard ($11) seem positively mundane.
Also available were the more traditional fruits of the sea -- smoked salmon with bliny and smetana (sour cream) ($11), fresh oysters ($11), and lobster salad ($18).
For those looking for straightforward, landlubber food, Greek salad with feta cheese ($6), tomatoes and mozzarella cheese in vinegar ($5), or honest Russian borscht ($4) would fit the bill.
After lengthy deliberations over such a staggeringly wide and mouthwatering selection I chose the calamari and scampi with chili sauce ($15) while my companion went for the goose liver pate with truffles ($15).
The calamari and scampi were superb -- especially the scampi. Both came breaded and deep-fried.
The scampi were cooked in garlic and butter. I couldn't get over how good they tasted.
My companion was just as effusive in her praise of the pate --smooth, creamy and delicately flavored, she said.
Housed in an elegant and impressive mansion on Nevsky Prospect close to the Anichkov Bridge, the restaurant boasts decor that is subdued but elegant -- stained glass windows feature turbulent seascapes.
For main course, the establishment's board of fare is divided into sections for fish and meat lovers.
Prices in both sections ranged from $12 to $18.
After carefully considering the salmon steak in champagne ($16) or the perch in paper with bacon and ginger ($13) I still found the beef tenderloin pepper steak ($16) irresistible.
My fellow diner finally settled for "Royal Adaman" -- shark, calamari and shrimp ($15) over the duck with nuts, ($16).
My pepper steak was cooked to perfection. Thick and juicy, with lashings of creamy pepper sauce, it was accompanied by potatoes au gratin with garlic that were delicious and filling.
The Royal Adaman was superbly presented on an iron plate, but it was bland and rather greasy. Cooked with sweet-and-sour sauce and a whiff of garlic, it was a major disappointment.
The musical selection began with boppy, electronic versions of 1950's classics before settling down to a more appropriate classical jazz selection.
Desserts included Caribbean chocolate cake ($5), fruit salad ($6) and iced souffle ($6), and were priced between $5 and $7.
My boulangere pie ($6) of pears, apple and fig was sweet and fresh.
In contrast, my partner's cherry and sherry sherbet ($6) wasn't really a sherbet and they weren't cherries -- they were cranberries.
We washed all this down with an Alsace Pinot Gris ($28). The wine was a good accompaniment to the entrees in particular.
There were many other French and German wines to choose from, with prices ranging from $26 to $60 a bottle.
The service was excellent -- courteous and efficient without being intrusive.
Despite the disappointment of instant coffee instead of real, it was still a great evening out. It was just unfortunate that our divine expectations met with quality merely human.