Comments (0) Best Dumplings - 2008
Cinderella Bakery & Cafe
436 Balboa
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-751-9690
Cinderella, open since 1953, is the go-to spot for Russian baked goods and cooked specialties. Partisans debate their favorites: Do you go there for piroshki, borscht, or stroganoff? Do you tote home dark rye or light rye, rum roll or hamentaschen, cherry cake or honey cake? You go to your Russian Orthodox church, and somebody else will go to theirs, but count yourself a fool if your table does not boast at least one plate of Cinderella's unrivalled dumplings, whether savory or sweet. Pelmeni (small meat dumplings) can be served piled on a plate or floating in broth; either way, they're dressed with sour cream (ask for extra fresh dill). The larger potato and onion vareniki come with sour cream, too, and are topped with frizzled onions. Cheese vareniki (with a mild, sweet farmer's-cheese filling) go well with sour cream and raspberry jam, and sour-cherry vareniki are drenched in cherry syrup and come with (you guessed it) sour cream.
