Calling Rasputin only a "restaurant" is like calling War and Peace "that little book by that Tolstoy guy." Located all the way out in Brighton Beach (near Coney Island), I never would have tried Rasputin had it not been for a Russian friend of mine celebrating a special occasion with her family.

The main attraction at Rasputin is not the food (which is served banquet style and is quite good), but the floor show and the overall experience. Think Medieval Times, but with a Russian theme, and instead of jousting, picture a Russian/Las Vegas style over-the-top musical revue. Add the last two hours of the zaniest wedding reception you've ever been to, and you've got "dinner" at Rasputin.

We hired private drivers from Manhattan, as Rasputin is located far enough away from Manhattan that the cost was comparable. (Also, there are very few taxis available there, so if you go to Rasputin, make sure that you have arranged your return transportation.)

We left lower Manhattan around 7:00 p.m., for what we believed would be a few hours of dinner. (Yeah, and Thurston Howell III thought he was going on "a 3 hour tour...") We arrived at a windowless faux-marble edifice, with limos and men and women in furs entering the building.

The brightly lit lobby was full of crystal chandeliers, carved frosted glass, mirrors, brass, fountains and flowers. I couldn't tell if I was on a cruise ship, in a Broadway theatre on opening night, or at a prom.

The main room, which has a large dance floor and stage in the center, was cavernous. A balcony overlooking the dance floor and stage provides additional seating. The large tables on the main floor were arrayed in rectangular rows, and it was clear that there were several large groups that evening. Our table, for example, seated about 40 people.

The food
Dinner is ordered in advance for the group, as a combination of cold and hot dishes. The dinner is priced per person, and varies depending on the dinner that is ordered. The food arrives banquet style, with large platters placed on the tables for sharing and passing. Our group started with 3 kinds of vodka on the table, as well as red and white wine.

Before long (or so it seemed, although vodka seems to alter my space-time continuum), large platters of cold seafood-- clams, crab claws, shrimp, lobster, smoked salmon-- appeared. Before we could finish the seafood platters, which in themselves were gargantuan enough to serve as a full meal, more cold appetizers appeared: pate, crackers, crudites, cheeses, and cold cuts.

The parade of food continued with hot appetizers (stuffed mushrooms, bite sized quiches). At this point, I was stuffed to the gills, the waiters kept refilling our vodka glasses and our wine glasses, and the extravaganza continued with the entrees: baked salmon in a dill sauce, and chicken breasts in a cream sauce, and a sliced beef in a brown gravy. Vegetable platters included tender steamed asparagus, roasted red potatoes, and sauteed mushrooms. Every inch of the table was covered.

By the time dessert (strawberries, whipped cream, and a fluffy, multi-layer chocolate cake with vanilla frosting) came around, I understood how the Romans felt when they banqueted. All I could do was loll in my chair and fend off the food coma.

The most impressive feature of the food was the sheer quantity of it. Dinner lasts for hours, because one needs to allow the digestive process to make room in the stomach for later courses. Like a suburban wedding banquet, the food was good, but not memorably so.

Like a suburban wedding banquet, the reason to go to Rasputin is for the company, the dancing, and the Vegas-style floor show, not the food.

The show
Sometime around dessert, the lights dim, and a DJ announces, in Russian and English, that the show is about to begin. The show consists of about 10 segments, loosely based on "The History of the World." There are Rockettes-style dance numbers, tantalizing PG-13 routines where the leggy dancers begin in period 1700's French costume and somehow end up strutting around in corsets and fishnet stockings, a Russian cossack dance (probably the most culturally and historically authentic part of the show), and karaoke style renditions of popular songs in Russian and English, sung by large bald men in gold suits and sunglasses.

Funny, I don't recall learning about ancient Egyptians wearing gold lame bikinis and doing ostrich feather dances with sphinxes in my high school world history class... And who knew that Ricky Martin borrowed "Livin' La Vida Loca" from a medieval European hit?

The show at Rasputin is one of the most enjoyable I have seen- every costume, act, song, and dance number is so over the top, so outrageously campy, that it is impossible not to be caught up in the general enthusiasm and good cheer. All joking aside, the dancing is excellent-- as good as some of the dancing I've seen on Broadway.

After the show, the dance floor is open to the guests, who dance and party to American and Russian pop music all night long. We finally left at around 2:30 am, and the place was still hopping. Come on an empty stomach, bring all your friends, and be prepared to drink a lot, eat a lot, dance a lot, and spend a lot (around $65 per person, and up).

Forget Riverdance! Rasputin is well worth the trip and I guarantee you'll have a lot more fun- those Russians sure know how to party.

Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Come ready to party! It's good for teens and older; the floor show may be a bit too risque for younger kids. Make sure to arrange for a ride back to Manhattan in advance.
Best Suited For: Large Group