Discovering Delicious Dumplings from Paul's Pel'meni Thanks to Restaurant.com {#ReviewCrew}

Upon chatting with an established foodie recently (we're talking published author of a cookbook and soon-to-be host of her own cooking television show), I mentioned that I reside almost-in Madison, WI and her immediate response was one gushing about the "great food scene."

And, although I've always known that there truly are a huge variety of amazing food options right here in the city, it made me really stop and think.

Sure, we have chain restaurants that mirror those found across the country, but she was right in that we also have an incredible number of unique, local, one-of-a-kind eateries in every possible ethnicity and genre that you can think of. Big, small, completely locally-sourced, popular, hole-in-the-wall — whatever the occasion or that you might possibly be in the mood for, we have it here.

Thanks to Restaurant.com, our most recent discovery that highlights the delicious, diverse food options here is a very small but very loved restaurant in downtown Madison: Paul's Pel'meni.

After looking up the definition of pelmeni (Russian dumplings consisting of a filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough), I was immediately intrigued because yum.

But then I read that Paul's Pel'meni doesn't only specialize in these tasty little dumplings, but that it is the single item on their menu. How in the world could they stay in business (and have quite a collection of fans) with only one offering?

Clearly, it was time to find out.

Stepping inside, it was clear that it wouldn't take much of a rush to fill the entirety of Paul's dining room and its six tables.

Second, although it was true that the menu board did consist of only pelmeni, there was actually a bit of variety of plenty of customization options to suit multiple tastes.

Along with the full or half order, patrons have the option of selecting dumplings that are filled with beef, potato or a mix (some are beef, some are potato). From there, it's topping time!

Paul's signature topping is "The Works," a mix of butter, yellow curry, sweet chili sauce, and cilantro and comes with a side of sour cream. However, if your taste buds differ from wanting all five of those options, you are also able to pick and choose any number and combination you desire. Oh, the possibilities!

It only took a short time for our pelmeni to cook up in their pots...

...before we had our orders boxed up and ready to go.

But even though we had opted for take-out, my husband and I couldn't help but have a peek at what tastiness awaited us.

Cilantro and sour cream for me, only butter for my husband. Next time I'm taking the plunge and going with The Works!

So many bite-sized bundles of deliciousness!

We did pop a few pelmeni into our mouth (mmm!) but our true feast wasn't until we were home quite some time later. Fortunately, a few seconds in the microwave heated our dumplings right back up and I'm certain they were just as delectable as they would have been if we had eaten them right away in Paul's quaint dining area.

So good!

Each pelmeni has just the right amount of beef or potato inside and they're the perfect size for eating one right after another. I hadn't thought that a plate of dumplings could be a full meal but my stomach was full and very happy after these were gone!

When it comes to helping customers discover the unique restaurants local to their area, Restaurant.com is the site to visit to not only find a location, but get a great deal. This single site offers savings at tens of thousands of restaurants nationwide with an endless number of gift certificate options!

Around here, we're excited to have discovered the small, one-of-a-kind, friendly atmosphere of Paul's Pel'meni and will surely be visiting again to try out even more of their tasty dumplings. Considering the constant stream of customers that were coming in and out just in the few minutes that we were in the restaurant, I can see why they stay open late (until 3am Thursday thru Saturday!) to satisfy them all!

For more information about Paul's Pel'meni, visit their Facebook page. To find out about all of the money-saving options that Restaurant.com has to offer in your area (or in an area that you are planning to visit), head over to Restaurant.com as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

As a member of the Restaurant.com Review Crew, I have been provided gift cards and compensation in order to facilitate my reviews. However, all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.