Dodging Traffic and Pitfalls in Gourmet Georgia - New York Times

Dodging Traffic and Pitfalls in Gourmet Georgia - New York Times: "I came here to enjoy cheap but yummy food and wine, intellectual cafe society and sunny hospitality. Thanks to readers’ comments, I found what I was seeking almost immediately. I checked into the Hotel Charm (11 Chakhrukhadze Street, 995-32-985-333; www.hotelcharm.ge) an old house run by the friendly Ninidze family. My top-floor room, with sloping wooden ceilings and antique furniture, was $40 a night.

I had my first Georgian meal at Maidan (2 Mtkvari Right Bank, 995-32-751-188), a subterranean restaurant in Tbilisi’s atmospheric Old Town with arched, vaulted brick ceilings and comfortable pillows. The chakhapuli (goat stew with tarragon and sour plums) was fabulous. Along with a good glass of Teliani Valley wine, it cost 40 lari, or about $19 at 2.19 lari to the dollar. I was shocked to spend so much, but it would be the most I dropped on any meal all week.

My postprandial stroll took me down Shar"