While staying in Tbilisi for three months, I discovered Barbarestan, which quickly became my favorite restaurant in the city…and about which I told everyone I met.  I went there with my friend Claire, a smart, hip Harvard  grad who was studying Russian in Georgia for the summer.  I went there with a couple on holiday from Qatar whom I met on a tour.  I went there with my friend Maria, a tour guide extraordinaire, and her oenophile husband Gio.  And I went there myself.

Among my happy memories of Barbarestan is the time I was solo dining and ended up in conversation with the Tbilisi locals at the table next to me.  They shared their wine and their kompot (click here for details and a good recipe) and regaled me with tales of their city.  The conversation lasted just long enough that it wasn’t awkward, and, when finished, I turned back to my meal and my book and they to their conversation in Georgian.

Ahh…Barbarestan…while, certainly one could spend a lot of money there (their wine list is both expansive and expensive), being on a budget, I became a master of exquisite dining for around $12 US.  A glass of house wine, a delicately herbed cucumber salad with cheese, and a piece of fried salmon in a clear broth was one of my favorite meals.  Another was a fresh mountain trout, stuffed with walnut paste, drizzled with pomegranate sauce, and served with a side of grilled eggplant, peppers, and carrot, followed by a dish of fresh red currants for dessert.

It’s not just the food that is notable, either.  The service is some of the best I’ve experienced in Tbilisi or in Europe. The decor is sweet, and the sound songbirds in the restaurant’s window accents the low-key music playing in the background.

Dining with friends is always fun, because we each order something, but then eat family-style.  I remember one meal in particular–red beans with racha ham, pickles, and corn bread; duck in mulberry sauce; beet salad in sour plum sauce; corn grits with salty fresh cheese; potatoes with fried onions; and crispy pork roll, all served with a lovely crisp and flavorful white Georgian wine made for a feast I will not soon forget.

And, while the food that night was spectacular, the company and conversation were even more so.  Maybe it was Tbilisi.  Maybe it was just the right combination of personalities.  Maybe it was the fragrance from the little bunch of tea roses I’d picked up from a man who was selling them down the street.  Maybe it was the cozy, welcoming atmosphere of Barbarestan.  Maybe it was the extra candles the proprietors lit and placed on our table when the lights went out.  Maybe it was participating in the Georgian toasting customs with people who felt like long-time intimates.  Whatever it was, that night was magical.