Dumplings at Pushkin
I was working from home today and decided to take a walk to get lunch. I found a new Russian place in FiDi in San Francisco called Pushkin. As soon as I made the decision I was nostalgic, most of my friends and team in NYC were Russian.
Pushkin is located at 380 Bush street. If you have never been there, it is an underground food court called International Food Court. The food court was crowded and a little sad looking but my eyes were on the prize! I walked up to the counter to ask what they recommended. I usually like to ask that to see what their speciality is. Unfortunately, he wasn’t very helpful and gave me a vague reply- depends on what you like (I just roll my eyes when someone tells me that). But, as usual I had done my research and I knew what I wanted. I got Borsh, Beef Pirojki and Chicken Pelmeni. It was a sunny day, which if you live in SF, you know are numbered as summer is coming. So, I didn’t want to eat in that sad food court. I decided to walk to a “park” marked on Google Map which ended up being a bart station with stairs to sit on. I ended up sitting next to few people smoking weed. Not ideal.
They serve the Borsh (beet soup with beef and potato) hot (it is cold in some areas), it was quite chunky and flavorful. Beef Pirojki’s (beef patty) bun was crunchy on the outside and soft as you bit into the center filled with minced beef. It was not as oily as the ones you get from Anda Piroshki, also not as delicious. But the winner was Chicken Pelemi (dumplings), with perfect texture, rich flavorful filling and light delicious soup. Servings were smaller than I had expected. All this costed me $19 (which I think is expensive for lunch) and I could’ve eaten more.
I’d go back on a rainy weekend to try out other Pelmeni.
TLDR :
Borsh : Hot, chunky, flavorful : Good (4/5)
Beef Pirojki : Crunchy with decent tasting beef , not oily : Okay (3/5)
Chicken Pelemi (Dumpling) : Good texture, delicious filling and soup : Excellent (5/5)
Would I Return? Yes, for more Pelemi !
