RIA Novosti's correspondent also cited on the menu pancakes with caviar (these went with vodka cooled in special ice figures) and other traditional dishes of the Russian and Asian cuisine, including pilau (rice with mutton and vegetables - Ed.) and manty (a Central Asian dish similar to pelmeni - Ed.).
This was the first such open-air party - all previous ones were set up in official halls of the Kremlin - and it was quite a success. The weather was fine, and President Vladimir Putin hosted a lot of prominent guests.
The presidential orchestra played Russian and Western tunes, and waiters wore old Russian-style uniforms.
About 1,000 invitations to the celebration had been cent. Among the guests were chief of presidential administration Dmitry Medvedev, chief justices of Russia, first president Boris Yeltsin and his wife, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, his predecessor Mikhail Kasyanov, Russian sports celebrities Alina Kabayeva, Anastasia Myskina, Irina Chashchina, Yelena Dementyeva; and famous cinema figures Sergei Bezrukov, Chulpan Khamatova, and Sergei Zhigunov.
