Where is the best place for shashlyk?

Who needs a George Foreman grill?

    To talk of shashlyk is to invite controversy. It seems that everyone has his or her own private little barbecue haven, some shack along a waterfront with a carefully tended brazier.
    Responses to this week's Readers Poll ranged from the vague "on a balcony" to the political "at a Ukraine Without Kuchma rally" to the downright dirty "in my pants."
    But the bulk of the responses focused more on atmosphere and accompaniment as opposed to the quality of the food itself.
    "I think the main idea of a shashlyk party is the company. You have to have good company to have fun and enjoy the shashlyk after all!" wrote one reader.
    "Far and away the best shashlyk has been of the homemade variety, prepared and consumed either at a friend's dacha, in the forest or somewhere in nature," penned another.
    The general consensus is that shashlyk is best enjoyed outdoors with friends and these are the elements that make the meal. Hence, recommendations for specific restaurants made very few appearances in the Readers Poll. Readers preferred to name regions or popular outdoor spots in and around Kyiv where small clusters of shashlyk chefs ply their trade.
    Foremost among these was Koncha Zaspa, south of the city. Also popular with meat eaters was Hydropark, where on any given weekend you'll find half-naked Dnipro bathers noshing on freshly roasted beef. Running a close third was Pyrohovo, home of the openair Museum of Folk Architecture, also south of the city.

- Steven Shaklan