This legendary gourmet emporium with a sumptuous Art Nouveau decor, designed by Gavriil Baranovsky in the early 20C, has been restored to its former glory. The store was housed in a classical-style home built in 1790, probably by Matvei Kazakov. Founded in about 1813 by a serf freed by his master for finding strawberries at Christmas, the Elisseyev stores in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kiev acquired a prestigious clientele. After the 1917 Revolution they became "Gastronoms", the sad grocery stores of the Soviet era.