A first look at Sudova restaurant on Court Street

I never order risotto at a restaurant. Mainly because of the heartache it causes. What can be a remarkable dish when prepared at home often arrives as a sticky mush—the flavors of the mushrooms, vegetables, or whatever the chef uses to flavor it get lost in the gooey sludge.

But given my familiarity with Sarah Dworak’s cooking, I knew I was in good hands when I ordered the risotto at Sudova, her new Eastern European-inspired restaurant on Court Street downtown. Dworak won me over years ago with her cooking at Wodka Bar, where she served dishes inspired by her Ukrainian heritage, including borscht and pelmeni dumplings. She also owns Babushka Pierogis in Findlay Market, which (finally) introduced pierogis, a mainstay of Youngstown and Cleveland’s Eastern European communities, to Cincinnati in 2012.

As expected, Dworak’s risotto is anything but sticky. Instead of arborio, she uses buckwheat and millet, ancient grains that were and remain staples during Ukraine’s long winters. The buckwheat is intensely earthy, but the millet tones it down with sweet corn flavors. She simmers the grains in a vegetable broth, adding chopped parsley root, black garlic, wild mushrooms, and pecorino cheese. The result is something that tastes like an enchanted forest.

That’s not the only thing that’s enchanting about Sudova, which opened Aug. 29, a block from the new Court Street corridor. There’s even something alluring about the iron gate that leads to the exposed-brick patio that faces the restaurant.

Once inside, you’ll find a sophisticated dining room with dark wood paneling, but also an antique feel with vintage wall sconces, simple chandeliers and dark wallpaper. Stained glass panels give the bar a sacred feel for your cocktails or dinner. Like Wodka Bar, Sudova is decorated with photos of Dworak’s family, but the centerpiece, and perhaps the soul of the restaurant, is the dining room table she moved here from her grandmother Marian S. Kutlesa’s dining room in Youngstown.

Dworak said his love of entertaining was fueled by Marian, and Sudova was meant, in part, to honor her. So it’s all the more heartbreaking that Marian passed away just a week after Sudova opened. “She was always cooking,” Dworak recalled. “She would invite friends from her college classes over, and she would invite me to cook.”

Sarah and her sister prepared delicacies such as ribs and crème brûlée.Andmaking his grandmother’s table the scene of Dworak’s first gastronomic experiences.

If Marian inspired Dworak’s love of hospitality, it was his other grandmother, Mary, his late “babushka,” who inspired much of the food here.

Most of the dishes are interpretations of the homemade dishes Mary made in her native Ukraine. It’s a bit more refined, of course. The halushki ($12), a dish of caramelized cabbage and onion served on spatzels, is sprinkled with edible flowers, giving it a more feminine touch. The traditional Ukrainian pelmeni dumplings ($19), stuffed with salt cod and potato brandade, are topped with caviar beurre blanc (not to be missed).

In addition to Ukraine, other Eastern European countries like Moldova, Belarus, Georgia, and Romania also inspire Dworak’s cooking. She told me her kitchen is filled with Eastern European cookbooks that she draws inspiration from. Her Kvasolya ($14), which means beans, is a good example. Tender Rancho Gordo Marcella beans are tossed in a garlic-herb vinaigrette, roasted peppers, and leeks with Bulgarian feta, resulting in a hearty dish that’s both warm and verdant.

The traditional Georgian cheese bread known as khachapuri ($16), a soft, canoe-shaped loaf filled with a mixture of gooey, stretchy sulguni and tangy bryndza cheese laced with egg yolk, is a rich, cheesy rarity in these parts. And Dworak’s Turkish-style potato paprikash with young Kennebec potatoes, spicy horseradish cream and brick-red paprika vinaigrette ($14) tastes like something you wish your own babushka had made for you as a kid.

Larger dishes include the Kulebiaka ($42), a Russian salmon pie topped with rice, mushrooms on puff pastry with Bernese sauce, and a kefir-brined fried chicken ($24) with snow peas and dill sauce.

While I think Sudova’s menu works well with its mix of small and large plates, Dworak told me she plans to add another large-format dish soon (maybe lamb) and perhaps scale back the portion sizes of her small plates a bit. “I honestly thought people would take a lot of things and share them,” she said. “But I want people to be able to order more than two or three things.”

The cocktail menu features infused vodkas and is worth the trip to Sudova alone. My favorite cocktail so far is the Axe of Perun ($13), named after the Slavic amulet, with pepperoncini-infused vodka, vermouth, and a splash of salty pickle juice spiked with pickles and olives. It’s the kind of drink that screams, “Wake up, buddy. We’re gonna have this.” The beer menu is a departure from Cincinnati’s local craft-beer obsession, with beers imported from Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom. Wines come from Slovenia, Turkey, Austria, Italy, and France. FYI: The risotto I mentioned above pairs perfectly with an earthy Pinot Noir from Slovenia ($9).

After just two visits, I’ve yet to try any of Sudova’s dessert offerings. But when I spotted a huge slice of Medovik ($14), a layered Russian honey cake with strawberry frosting that takes a lot of work, I made a note to return as soon as possible. That’s okay, because Sudova is the kind of restaurant you’ll want to revisit the second you leave. Walk past Marian’s dining room table, past the old photos, past the past itself, and into the future.

Sudova. 22 W. Court St., Downtown, 513-407-07974sudovaoncourt.com. Opening hours: 5pm to 10pm Tuesday to Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.