Piroshki?

[Melanie]

Hi everyone,

when I was growing up in San Francisco, my family and I used to go to this AMAZING Piroshki place off of Judah Street. There was an old man and his daughter who used to make them fresh everyday. I have not had a Piroshki since they closed down at least 15 years ago, nor have a really seen anywhere else that sells them! I was wondering if there might be somewhere in Manhattan that serves excellent, hot and fresh Piroshki's so I can bring back some childhood memories!

Thanks so much and happy holidays!

[kathryn]

I believe Pravda has a spinach and cheese piroshky on the menu.

[iluvcookies]

Veselka on 2nd ave and 10th st... lots of good Eastern European fare there along with some fairly good diner type food at decent prices. Excellent kasha pierogies! Also open 24/7.

[Melanie]

thanks so much for the recommendation of Veselka - its right by my apartment. However, I dont think Pierogies and Piroshki's are quite the same thing. Pierogies are more like dumplings and Piroshkis are more bread-like. They are easily confused, but I want me some piroshkis!! :)

[Cheese Boy]

I'll mention this just in case you are new to the city. There's *incredible* piroshki to be had all along Brighton Beach Avenue in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. There are *several* varieties: meat, cabbage, cherry, potato, etc. Also worth noting is that there are piroshki that are baked, and there are those that are deep fried. Unbelievably, these used to be all 50 cents each. Now I believe they've gone up to 75 cents each. It's definitely worth a trip if you would like to visit NY's Russian neighborhood and experience the many foods there that are available.

[kathryn]

Piroshki (or Piroshky) are a Russian form of pierogi-tyep food. But when we say pierogi in the NY usually refers to the Polish type. Piroshky are typically stuffed buns made from yeast dough and glazed with egg to produce a golden color.

I do see them on the menus of Russian Vodka Room, Pravda, and Russian Samovar but each place appears to spell it a different way. Petrossian looks like it has it on the menu but only as a side dish to the borscht.

I think you'd definitely find the Russian piroshky in Brighton Beach (try the OB board?).

For whatever reason, I have only eaten them in Seattle.

[egit]

I've not had piroshki at Pravda, but they're definitely on the menu. A few other places you may want to check out might be Uncle Vanya (mixed reviews on this board, to say the least) or Russian Vodka Room, both in midtown west. They're both odd places, but in different ways.

Can't vouch for the piroshki at any of these places, only that they appear to be on the menu.

[ESNY]

Not sure how true they are, but Cafe Zaiya sells "Piroshikis". They are like pieces of sweet bread stuffed with a beef stew type filling. they used to be deep fried but have been switched to baked. I liked them alot better fried.

[Melanie]

Oh thank you all so much! I am actually not new to NY, but I have definitely not made it out to Brighton Beach Avenue. That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for!

[Miss Needle]

Brighton Beach is an excellent choice. You may also want to the check out Rego Park in Queens as there's a large Russian community there as well. You then can sample all the delicious delights in Jackson Heights which is only a few subway stops away.

[clembeauchamp]

Brighton is definitely what you want. The ones at Pravda are tasty but not particuarly authentic.

[ballulah]

I'm not sure how amazing they are, or what part of Manhattan you live in, and I absolutely wholeheartedly agree that Brighton Beach is a really fun experience and THE place to go for all things Russian, but it's quite a schlep and it's definitely an EVENT. If northern Manhattan is easily accessible to you, there's a really large Russian population in Hudson Heights (the tip of Washington Heights). I'm not sure how good their offerings are, but there's a store right outside the 181st St subway station (the A line) called Moscow on the Hudson. It's Russian owned and operated and they have a ton of interesting Russian goodies. I actually bought a bag of frozen pork stuffed piroshki recently, but I haven't gotten around to making them...they sell about 5-10 different varieties and brands.

[olia]

I believe you are talking about pelmeni or pirogi (polish) since you mention cooking them -- or did you find the frozen ones you have to bake?

[ballulah]

You're right! They are pelmeni! (I'm Polish, and I could never confuse pierogi for anything else!)

[sugartoof]

Strange, I thought I replied to this but I think it may have got lost in space.

The place you're probably thinking of in SF was called House of Piroshki.
Paramount Piroshki is the closest thing in SF that exists.

The Piroshkis being sold in New York in Russian areas like Brighton Beach are different, both in feeling and breaded texture.

[Melanie]

Yes! House of Piroshki!! Do you know what happened to that place/why they closed? Maybe its partially the memory of a childhood favorite being build up in my head, but that place was AMAZING.

[sugartoof]

Melanie, they were every bit as amazing as you remember and probably then some. Nothing like 'em. They also made insanely good meringue cookies. Of all the lost San Francisco gems I miss, that would probably rank at the top of my list. House of Piroshki was originally owned by a couple, and they would sell them fresh out of the oil... and then once the wife passed away, he kept it going a little while, but it was never the same, even if they were always amazing. I believe it closed around 1990 or earlier.

I mentioned Paramount in my earlier post. There's also a place called Cinderella in the RIchmond that's been around a long time and sells them fresh. The only odd thing about that place is they put egg in their ground beef piroshkis.

If you do manage to find a place in NY please post here and let us know.

[tastememory]

Hey - I believe the family retired. It was about 20 plus years ago my family owned a deli near SF General Hospital on 24th and Potrero in the Mission District - we bought our piroshkis from the House of Piroshki family. They were the sweetest family - I believe they are living large somewhere in Marin County/Sonoma the last we heard. We lost touch with them.

When I go back to SF - I get my piroshki fix from a Russian bakery on Clement Street - the name escapes me now. It's totally not the same - but will do just fine. I am still trying to perfect that recipe myself. As far as Manhattan - I haven't heard as of yet - good luck & Happy Holidays......

[sugartoof]

Paramount is on Portrero near General Hospital, and they've been there for as long as House of Piroshki had been in the Upper Sunset. I couldn't say for sure, but it sounds like you might be getting the families mixed up, unless there was some intermingling, which is possible. Paramount Piroshki is still there, and services corporate deli accounts around the Bay Area. They're not nearly as good, and are rarely sold fresh from vendors, but it's the closest thing left to House of Prisohki.

The second closest is Cinderella in the Richmond when they're in stock.

[Melanie]

Thanks to everyone, for your wonderful posts (and pictures!!). And a double dose of thanks to the folks that wrote about House of Piroshki. I am sending this link to my dad for memories sake. He will appreciate it. Happy New Year!

[Cheese Boy]

Resurgence.

[elenochka]

if you like true pirozhki vs. pirogi (which is in russian small versus big size pies, and that is the only difference), brighton beach has a great choice (from traditional yeast-based to the mille-feuille pastry pirozhki and also whole variety of meat, cabbage, sourcabbage, sour cherries, fish, mushroom....you name it. there are also some russian stores in washington hights, but there is less selection and they are less fresh... Russian vodka room and samovar - a restaurant across from it are very good substitutes - they are prepared acceptably to even russian palate.

[Uptownflavor]

Oh my! I also grew up in SF and Piroshkis were practically a daily staple in high school. We used to get them from the corner store near Bal. I haven't run across them since I left the city. Even when I went back to California recently I couldn't get my hands on one. I am also now in NYC so I hope we can chow down on Piroshkis soon! Those little doughy dumpling thingies just aren't anything like that soft bread and savory meat and cheese in the Piroshkis that we know.