What makes Moscow Deli the most worthwhile is its fresh foodstuffs. For the obvious entrée, order the pirozhki, which are baked to a golden brown and stuffed with chicken. Unlike the Polish-style pierogi, the pirozhki benefit here from the addition of yeast in the dough, which lightens the football-shaped puffs to dinner-roll-like levels. For possibly more familiar flavors, there’s also frozen bags of pelmeni, a dumpling that comes filled with almost every protein in the Russian cookbook. And there’s of course the borscht. Moscow Deli’s borscht is a bit heavier on tomatoes than other purely beet-based varieties, but it’s as familiar as any, with cabbage, celery, carrots and onions dominating the broth and, if you like, a tiny dollop of sour cream to turn things a more pastel pink.

MOSCOW DELI 3015 HARBOR BLVD | COSTA MESA 92626 | 714.546.3354 | OPEN MON-THURS 10AM-7PM | FRI-SAT 10AM-8PM | SUN 10AM-4PM | FOOD FOR TWO $15-25

Tags: costa mesa, dinner, lunch, russian