SOVIET ARTS FESTIVAL : Culinary Events Offer Taste of Georgia Republic

When chefs in the Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia want to make an omelet, they break some eggs. But they generally prefer to avoid the whole issue by whipping up such specialties as mtsvadi (lamb shish kebab), basturma (grilled strips of marinated beef filet) and lobio , a bean stew that in its rich creaminess bears a sunny resemblance to refried beans.

San Diegans will be able to taste these and other dishes prepared by a team of six visiting chefs from Tblisi, the capital of Georgia, at a number of public events from Oct. 22 through Nov. 4. The visit, coordinated by restaurateurs Piret and George Munger, is slated as an adjunct to the city’s Soviet Arts Festival that will allow locals to take a bite out of perestroika . Most should find themselves chewing with smiles on their faces; travelers to Moscow report that the best of the new, for-profit “cooperative” restaurants specialize in Georgian cuisine.

The Georgian chefs will close ranks with U. S. Navy mess specialists (that’s cooks to you) at the Naval Training Station’s Advanced Food Preparation School from Oct. 19 through Oct. 21 to prepare the more than 9,000 “tastes” of Georgian cuisine that will be offered at the Oct. 22 “Super Powers Sunday” in Balboa Park.

The daylong event, which will feature 3,000 performers on 15 stages and is expected to attract at least 50,000, will allow those who have feasted their eyes on the jeweled Faberge eggs at the San Diego Museum of Art to nibble on grilled sturgeon and sour plum sauce at immense tasting areas set up in the Plaza de Panama and on the Federal Building lawn. Each tasting area will be manned by three Georgian chefs, Navy personnel and the staffs of 14 leading San Diego County restaurants and hotels. An additional 11,000 servings of the five featured Georgian dishes will be prepared and sold for $2 each.

The Georgian sextet will perform at several more elaborate functions that also are open to the public, although reservations are required.

The first of these will be Oct. 27 at the UC-San Diego Faculty Club, beginning at 6 p.m. with a broad sampling of such classic Georgian hors d’oeuvres as aragvi (a salad of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and assorted fresh herbs), the pate-like vegetable pkhali, and turkey with quince jam, and continue with lamb kebabs and walnut pastries. The cost, including wine, is $45 per person. For information, call Claus Sellier at 534-1755.

A Georgian Sunday supper will be from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Piret’s cafe in La Jolla Village Square, and will include a full selection of specialties. Cost per person is $20, excluding wine, tax and tip. For reservations, call the restaurant at 455-7955.

The American Institute of Wine and Food, the Chefs de Cuisine of San Diego and the Southern California Culinary Guild will present a reception and banquet Oct. 30 at the Sheraton Harbor Island Hotel. The Georgian chefs, aided by a battalion of local cooks, will prepare a complicated menu for the 7:30 p.m. dinner; the 6:30 p.m. reception will feature caviar and vodka. Cost is $20 per person for the reception and $35 per person for the dinner; the cost to attend both is $55 per person. For reservations, telephone Lauren Ash at the Sheraton at 291-2900.

The Albert Schweitzer School for orthopedically handicapped children will benefit from a cooking demonstration and buffet Nov. 4 at the patio at Vic’s restaurant in La Jolla. Chef Jim Hill will join his counterparts from Tblisi in demonstrating the finer points of grilling meats and stewing beans. Caviar tasting is also included. The cooking exhibition and meal, including wine, costs $25 per person. For reservations, call Vic’s at 456-3789.

Children touring the exhibit of religious icons at the B Street Pier will be treated to fanciful Georgian New Years cookies baked and handed out by Navy personnel. The cookies are free, and will be given out from Oct. 31 through Nov. 3 and again from Nov. 7 through Nov. 10.