Following a lead from a credible source (a nice Russian lady), I headed way south to Avenue U in Brooklyn to seek ultimate pelmeni. Pelmenyi are Soviet-style meat or veg-stuffed dumplings, swimming in soup or huddling on a plate.
If the "Столовая" sign doesn't discourage you from a block away, the tagline is a more Ameri-friendly "Russian Style Ravioli".
Some art. I have no idea what this means, but if this were on a door, I wouldn't go in.
A hefty dinner plate of pelmeni or vareniki is $4.50. Whoever said NYC is expensive needs to move to Avenue U.
If dumplings aren't for you, how about veal tongue or chicken loaf? Actually, chicken loaf makes sense...why don't we all eat chicken loaf?
I started with the aquatic form of pelmeni, aka "dumpling soup".
This is what two shots of vodka looks like. Cool fact...just like in Russia when I was a tourist there, there are only 3 brands available. In order of increasing prestige: Standard, Stolichnaya, and the top shelf Finlandia. Never understood why in Russia, Finnish vodka is king.
This probably IS your grandmother's borscht. Deicious, light, and supposedly vegetarian. Except for the button of sour cream applied in center. The black bread was a good example...dense, with a leathery hide, and chewy like mainstream pumpernickel is not.
Potato-stuffed and onion-strung vareniki. Each bite tasted like Thanksgiving, but without the turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Sounds weird, but true.
There were so many items on the other side of the menu that I'd love to try. The dumplings were as good as anything I'd had at much-more expensive Mari Vanna. Then again, the price of the gas I consumed driving there put a dent in that difference.
I give Stolovaya seven bellies out of ten. More bellies possible, if another visit reveals more than than just trick pelmeni.
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