"Pelmeni Pelmeni subscribes to the street food vendor school of thought, which focuses on doing one thing and doing it well. Here, dumplings are the star. Three varieties are available: pelmeni, small Russian dumplings that can be boiled, fried, or served in broth; savory potato vareniki; and sweet cheese vareniki. At Hawthorne Asylum, the cart’s home base, diners tuck into piles of chicken pelmeni topped with zingy sour cream and Russian ketchup and sprinkled with green onion. All menu items can be ordered in a small (half-pound) portion, or a large (three-quarter-pound) portion." - Janey Wong