I arrived in Kaunas after twenty hours of travel: flying from MSP to AMS to VNO, renting a car, and driving two hours to Kaunas on minimal sleep. I’m not yet exhausted at arrival, but know that it’s not too far off and that need a good meal before I crash. My hotel was a block over from the walking mall near the Church of St. Michael the Archangel and it seemed likely I could find a restaurant nearby.
Bistronomė is a small, inviting restaurant on the corner of A. Mickevičiaus g.and the walking mall. A quick glance at their (surprisingly large) menu made me confident I could find something/anything to eat. I walked in, got a table, and started looking at the menu.
Other than the rental car and hotel check-in – where English would be required – this would be my first interactions with local Lithuanians. Fortunately – for me – good English was spoken at the restaurant and, as I discovered over the next week, almost everywhere I traveled.
[Occasionally I did encounter those who claimed not to speak English, and yet enough words could be exchanged to accomplish whatever. What a country!]
Appetizer
My appetizer was the Steak tartare with hard cheese, Džiugas, eringi and lingonberries. Džiugas is a hard cheese that is one of the most popular and beloved cheeses in Lithuania (or so says my sources).
Though I’ve only had steak tartare a few times, I found their version excellent, with the tartare itself not too thick and very tasty. The cheese was used to scoop up the tartare, and I found the flavors complimented each other. Very nice.
Main Dish
I chose the Pork neck steak with parsnip-apple pure and baby potatoes. My serving also came with green beans, not sure if I requested it or if they just appeared. The pork neck was tender and moist, the vegetables nicely steamed, no real surprises with the tastes but well executed nevertheless.
Truthfully not anything awe-inspiring or beyond expectations, but very good nevertheless. Very similar to midwestern comfort foods. Nothing surprising but enjoyable nevertheless.
Dessert
Chocolate. Deep flavor. Rolls around your tongue. Yummy. Enough said.
Final Thoughts
At the end of my long day of travel, almost any food would have sufficed. Fortunately, I found Bistronomė: friendly staff, a translated menu with a variety of options, well executed dishes. A success by any measure.
Locals eating in a restaurant is usually indicates a good restaurant, and my Sunday evening visit coincided with couples and families with children also eating meals. The children are wandering around and no one cares, everyone is taking their time enjoying their food and company, overall very relaxed and welcoming. I’ll be stopping in the next time I find myself in Kaunas.
