Kathmandu: The Chimney (Yak and Yeti) (February 2008)

My spouse and I ate at The Chimney at the Yak and Yeti Hotel in mid-February 2008. We were staying at the hotel at the time that we dined at this restaurant. At the time when the longest standing restaurant of its quality was created, the path to The Chimney was just a series of dirt lanes winding between stone houses in the jewel of the medieval Kathmandu Valley. In a fairytale land of not so long ago, the infamous Boris Lissanevitch established The Chimney. Boris' name alone conjures up legends of his unheeded extravagance and enigmatic adventures; famed Russian ballet dancer, entrepreneur, and entertainer of royalty, the tradition of the unprecedented Boris and his Chimney Restaurant continues to this day. By night, the handcrafted, open, copper-shafted fireplace blazes and the vaulted ceilings of The Chimney are illuminated with the shadows of myths as tall as Everest. Boris' original recipes live on as his famous Borstch is served as well as the Smoked Bekti, Chicken a la Kiev, and the flaming baked Alaska Sagarmatha. Traditional favorites are honored while an inspired international menu at The Chimney achieves distinction of its own. With a palette of fresh ingredients, is refined with masterful innovation.