Rus Uz in Alexandria for Lunch

We started to think about Russian restaurants when we had dinner with some friends and they mentioned seeing one in Arlington but didn’t remember the name. Although it wasn’t there very long, we used to go to a Russian restaurant in the Midwest. There is a paucity of Polish and Russian type restaurants in DC. So I found a place called Rus Uz in Arlington, with another one that recently opened in Alexandria. The menu looked interesting and the reviews were good. Thinking the parking would be easier in Alexandria we headed there for lunch today. It is located at Hoffman Town Center but you do need to park in a garage, then walk two blocks. This whole area is going to explode when the Amazon headquarters opens in northern Virginia. We ordered the Russian version of pierogi, a salad, and soup as well as chicken Kiev, golabkis (stuffed cabbage), and salad oliveh to go. The food was “ok” for lunch, but the dinners looked better. In the end it was a good experience, but I am more of a fan of my husband’s every day cooking - and this is the type of food you couldn’t eat every day. So we’ll have to see how the rest of it tastes. Since my background is Polish and Ukrainian these food items are familiar. But for an average American’s fare? It’s worth a try. 

Russian Influences on Music and Dance in America

In order to get in a little exercise and take a break from my desk, I've gotten in to the habit of taking a brisk walk along the hallways of the Library of Congress Madison Building where I work. Every once in awhile I stumble across new exhibits, or people of stature. And so was the case recently when I noticed several interactive screens in the Lobby. Upon closer inspection, the subject matter was all things Russian - specifically, the stories and visual films about dance, Russian music translated into American popular culture, and Russian music in America. My brother has a PhD in Russian, and our last name translated into English is Johnson. I took Russian for less than a week in college and learned how to write my first name, then quickly switched back to French. But I was always intrigued by the stories and films about this wonderful place. I rarely crossed paths with anything of significance when I took walks in Milwaukee. You could say that's a great reason to live and work in DC.