Not that many people equate the former Soviet Union with freshness and abundance, but that might soon change once people get used to Post Soviet, a pop-up at farm:table that's now happening most Monday mornings and early afternoons. ("Post" cleverly refers to the period after the USSR, but also to Post Street.)The tiniest café in San Francisco is no stranger to long lines (and farm:table's own staff will be pulling espresso shots), but it's not usually for a Yuzhny sandwich (savory rosemary puff stuffed with chicken and egg salad, served with Uzbek-Korean carrot salad). While queuing, you might learn about Maslenitsa, the pre-Christian Slavic festival that celebrates the end of winter and makes a great excuse for blini stuffed with beef or mushroom and chicken.
If you want something with a little more sugar, try a morning tvorog (sweet farmers' cheese with vanilla custard, currants, and homemade jam) or maybe one of the walnut buns slathered in meringue. This is a menu that leans toward the savory side; there will be pickles. Lots of them, in fact, as befits a kitchen duo with Russian, Uzbek, and Armenian heritage.
And where there's coffee, there's tea: traditional black, pistachio-almond, and mountain herbal teas sweetened with honey.
Now, about that Uzbek-Korean carrot salad: It's faintly garlicky and vinegary and totally delicious, but possibly a little out-there if you're used to Honey Nut Cheerios first thing in the morning. Then again, if you're the kind of Stalinist dead-ender who kisses a stale hunk of day-old bread before hitting your breakfast vodka, your routine is about to change too, Comrade.
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