Juneau was never part of Russia's Alaskan empire, but that hasn't stopped the city succumbing to a silent invasion of pelmeni (homemade Russian dumplings), filled with either potato or beef, spiced with hot sauce, curry and cilantro, and tempered with a little optional sour cream and rye bread on the side.
They're served in what is a cross between a disheveled greasy spoon and a crumby student canteen, where tipsy undergrads mix with grizzled bearded guys over a backing track of scratchy vinyl (shelves of dog-eared LPs fill one wall). There's no menu, no price differential and no credit-card machine; just good vibes, funny late-night antics and even better dumplings. Legend!
