The front lines of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine are bleak, particularly in February. The areas around Debaltsevo, hotly contested between Ukrainian troops and separatists/Russian forces, are rolling hills of frosty farmland, now sallow and muddy. The Ukrainians are hunkered down in [redacted], taking shelter where they can and using makeshift stoves, the local coal supply and generators for heat. … Read More
Dining in Dnipropetrovsk: Reporter Restaurant
In the nearly unpronounceable town of Dnipropetrovsk sits Reporter, one of the best restaurants I’ve found in Ukraine — at the recommendation of a reporter, naturally. (Want to know where to eat in a weird place? Ask a journalist. Or just read this blog.) Reporter bills itself as an “unusual restaurant,” so-named because (and I must crib from its website … Read More
Quick Snack: Road Food, In Photos
Van picnics: because sometimes there’s no time to eat, no place to eat, and no appetite to speak of. Among the good finds in Ukraine: sweet, soft sugar cookies; coffee-flavored, candy coated peanuts; Ukrainian sausage and hot coffee, poured from our driver’s thermos. He also brought a bunch of parsley and raw garlic clove. Because why not.
Donetsk: What a Difference 2 Months Makes
It was only May when I was here last, and there was such a thriving restaurant scene — real life going on amid the scuffles — that to see Donetsk now is a bit of a shock. There are estimates that 80% of the population have fled this area, and indeed, many of my friends from my last visit have … Read More
Loft Cafe: Modern Dining in Old Donetsk
Tucked inside a nondescript glass office building, which is itself tucked between the Donbass Palace and Tequila Sushi Boom Boom – i.e. not terribly easy to find – Loft Cafe is perhaps the only restaurant in Donetsk that feels like a proper modern, hip eating establishment. No weird Soviet kitsch, no ham sushi. The restaurant is sleek and well-lit, with … Read More