Celebrate the 'Old New Year' at Bear this Monday

Sea-salt-cured salmon, with sunflower oil, smoked sprat with chile, sunflower seeds, and soy paste

The following is an expanded version of my previous post on Grub Street

Did you miss the first turn of the New Year, now reconsidering some of those resolutions that were just a tad lofty, or simply want another reason to feast and drink before committing to the treadmill? The nouveau European restaurant Bear in Long Island City will celebrate the "Old New Year" in true Russian-Ukrainian style on January 14 — that is, in regal commemoration of the Romanoff family, who kept time with the old, obsolete Julian calendar right up until the end. (The commissars installed the Gregorian calender in 1918.)

Ukrainian Borscht can be ordered with a 'vodka supplement' that includes a shot & lardo sandwich with horseradish

Scaling back from the 30-course dinner she served on December 31, chef Natasha Pogrebinsky will next week offer a three-course "Old New Year" dinner for $50 a head, which comes with wine. The menu includes hot borscht with salo, herring, and short rib Stroganoff served with gravy over a duck-fat-roasted potato and barrel-cured sauerkraut.

Marinated herring fillet with roasted beet, pickled onions, potato pure, dill and rye bread stick

The restaurant also recently introduced a seven-course chef's tasting menu, which costs $68 and comes with the potential to upgrade with wine or vodka pairings, and for à la carte snackers, there's a big menu of small bites that starts at $4.

The Charcuterie & Cheese Platter features cured and smoked Russian-style sopressata and mortadella on French country bread with sweet butter

Bear's "Old New Year" menu will be available from 7 to 10:30 p.m. this coming Monday; reservations are required.  Bear Restaurant, 12-14 31st Ave., Long Island City, Queens.  The following is just a taste of a few of my most recent images of some of the new dishes and tastings on Bear's winter menu.

Chicken hearts braised in French brandy with red onions, garlic, and parsley--served with guava marmalade, persimmon salad, pickled mushrooms, & habanero salsa

Veal dumplings in creamy dill gravy

Steak with 'Bear sauce'

Pork Loin sandwich, 'banh mi'-style, with carrot ribbons, cilantro, house pickles, sesame vinaigrette, and cumin-mustard seed pork loin... I am obsessed with this sandwich, and had it three times in one week!