A Slavic Summer Dacha Picnic with Frame's Mark Kurlyandchik
For just one special night in July, we’re dialing up the sun-dappled summer dacha vibes with Frame’s own Soviet-born Editorial Director Mark Kurlyandchik manning the charcoal grill to offer a taste of his Eastern European heritage.
We’ll let Mark explain:
“We were country-less Soviet refugees seeking something familiar, so my parents chose southeast Michigan out of their few options for refuge because it had a similar climate (see: long, cold winters) and geography (flat with lots of lakes) to our native Lithuania. What they didn’t know was that Michigan also had its own cultural overlap with our people: the summer tradition of the Up North cabin.
Back home and across the entire former Soviet Union, we call it a dacha, and it signifies more than just a weekend getaway. Dacha life means ultimate joy and relaxation, derived from slowing down and savoring life’s simplest pleasures: cool lakes, warm sunshine, fresh garden vegetables, meats grilled over charcoal, lots of ice-cold beer (or vodka), and loved ones spending time together — always at the table.”
For one Slavic Summer Picnic Sunday, Frame is transforming into Mark’s personal summer dacha kitchen, where he’s serving a traditional shared spread of family recipes, including his mother’s chilled summer borscht (cholodnik) and his father’s onion-marinated pork shoulder kabobs grilled over charcoal (shashlik). There’ll be shared platters of Lithuanian black bread, Polish cheese, and creamy butter served with house-pickled mushrooms and salt-brined cucumbers. Finish with farmer’s cheese-stuffed blintzes with warm berry compote and whip cream, all made from scratch with loving care.
And you know it’s not a summer party in Eastern Europe without all the booze in the building…
So we’re bringing it all to this epic dacha picnic.
++ Vegetarian option available — choose at checkout. ++
DACHA PICNIC MENU
{ TO START }
Zakuski
Black Bread, Butter, Cheese
Pickled Mushrooms, Salt-Brined Cucumbers
{ SOUP }
Cholodnik
Beet, Cucumber, Buttermilk, Smetana, Potato, Egg, Dill
{ MAIN }
Shashlik
Onion-Marinated Pork Shoulder Kabob, Rice
+ Charred Onion-Ajika Relish & “Mother-In-Law” Mustard
– or –
Tofu-Vegetable Shashlik
Grilled Tofu, Zucchini, Mushroom, Onion, Pepper, Rice
+ “Mother-In-Law” Mustard
with
Dacha Salad
Tomato, Cucumber, Onion, Smetana, Dill
{ DESSERT }
Tvorog Blinchiki
Farmer’s Cheese-Stuffed Crepe, Berry Compote, Whip
++ Chef is requesting no dietary changes to this dinner menu; select meat or vegetarian option at checkout ++