Bar of the Week: Pravda

A recent Friday-evening visit to Pravda yielded no clandestine encounters with former KGB agents and zero sightings of stray oligarchs, although some of the more expensive caviar on the menu seemed priced exclusively for a Khodorkovsky or an Abramovich. The pre-glasnost design of the decade-old vodka bar from Keith McNally (Balthazar, Pastis) still evokes Russia’s aesthetically rich Soviet past, augmented by the Cyrillic writing on the walls, the gunmetal tables and the thickly accented beauty who served us that night. She called the $22 appetizer sampler “Russian sushi,” a delightfully mixed metaphor that somehow served to describe the Zakouski platter’s selections admirably: smoked salmon on potato pancakes, roasted eggplant dip, and spinach and cheese pastries. But Pravda’s charms lie in its $12 cocktails, despite their kitschy names. The Bohemian (vodka, passion-fruit puree, wild berry) was thick, rich and just a tad cheeky; the Leninade (house-infused citrus vodka, lemon juice, fresh mint) was bright, fresh and utterly convincing; and the Russian Mary is perhaps the best Bloody Mary south of 14th Street (fresh, spicy horseradish makes all the difference). If those are too theme-parkish for your taste, then try the $9 vodka infusions—a tumbler filled with ice, vodka and flavoring. Those with a sweet tooth might want to go with the black currant, but for a winning combination, try the chili and horseradish. It comes with three olives and tastes bitter and crisp, a little how one might imagine winter in the Gulag Archipelago. 281 Lafayette St., (212) 226-4944. Jonathan Durbin