Post by kaima on Jul 30, 2009 14:41:03 GMT -7
Polonia - Tasty, and, if heavy on the arteries, it's relatively light on the wallet
In anticipation of the cooler weather this weekend, which makes hearty fare more enjoyable, I thought it would be wise to mention Polonia, the only Polish restaurant in the area.
Tucked in a corner in Spring Branch, it offers very well prepared, great value food in a friendly, quite efficient, small, family-run operation. Hefty entrées average around $12 - $13 in the evening. The restaurant is nice in an ethnic neighborhood in Pittsburgh or Cleveland type of way. Bountiful plates are filled with dishes featuring readily enjoyable dishes of meats, potatoes, cabbage, often cured with vinegar and resulting in a frequent sour flavor, as in the pickles, house-made sauerkraut and zesty cucumber salads.
For those not familiar with Polish food, it’s rich in proteins and richer in starches, and similar to other eastern European fare, and not unlike German cooking. Maybe more recognizably very similar dishes are found on the plates found at more expansive Jewish delis, as most American Jews have roots in the former greater Poland.
The tables are soon set with tasty, sturdy bread, wonderfully complemented with a small cup of creamy lard. Starters include several savory soups featuring chicken and dumplings, beets, mushroom, and beef tripe. Most diners won’t find most of the rib-sticking entrées exotic, with many featuring tasty breaded and pan-fried pork cutlets, chicken breasts, and the light-tasting tilapia. There is also baked pork and beef dishes, roasted veal, pan-fried veal schnitzel, a pork meat loaf, and roasted duck legs. There are pierogies, of course, buttery stuffed packets of fresh dough. As everywhere else, the potato- and cheese-filled versions are the best.
Other Polish staples, the stuffed cabbage are well-made, filled with ground veal, as are the potato pancakes. Probably the best value entrée is the bigos, made with stewed pieces of sausage mixed into a bed of sauerkraut. The heartiest meal is the large pork shank, literally the size of Chicago area-staple sixteen-inch softball, which is baked for hours in beer, carrots, onions and horseradish and served resplendent bone-in with soft and tasty fat and skin.
For sharing or the unbelievably glutinous, Polonia also serves a combination plate that can easily feed at least one more person than listed. There are desserts, too, which seem to be an afterthought.
Nearly necessary for a Slavic restaurant, there is a full bar, and for a western-leaning Polish one, good beer on tap in the form of the widely available great-tasting Czech lager Pilsner Urquell served in both half-liter and steel-worker-size one liter mugs. If you really like the food, Polonia operates a small grocery store nearly adjacent to the restaurant.
www.examiner.com
In anticipation of the cooler weather this weekend, which makes hearty fare more enjoyable, I thought it would be wise to mention Polonia, the only Polish restaurant in the area.
Tucked in a corner in Spring Branch, it offers very well prepared, great value food in a friendly, quite efficient, small, family-run operation. Hefty entrées average around $12 - $13 in the evening. The restaurant is nice in an ethnic neighborhood in Pittsburgh or Cleveland type of way. Bountiful plates are filled with dishes featuring readily enjoyable dishes of meats, potatoes, cabbage, often cured with vinegar and resulting in a frequent sour flavor, as in the pickles, house-made sauerkraut and zesty cucumber salads.
For those not familiar with Polish food, it’s rich in proteins and richer in starches, and similar to other eastern European fare, and not unlike German cooking. Maybe more recognizably very similar dishes are found on the plates found at more expansive Jewish delis, as most American Jews have roots in the former greater Poland.
The tables are soon set with tasty, sturdy bread, wonderfully complemented with a small cup of creamy lard. Starters include several savory soups featuring chicken and dumplings, beets, mushroom, and beef tripe. Most diners won’t find most of the rib-sticking entrées exotic, with many featuring tasty breaded and pan-fried pork cutlets, chicken breasts, and the light-tasting tilapia. There is also baked pork and beef dishes, roasted veal, pan-fried veal schnitzel, a pork meat loaf, and roasted duck legs. There are pierogies, of course, buttery stuffed packets of fresh dough. As everywhere else, the potato- and cheese-filled versions are the best.
Other Polish staples, the stuffed cabbage are well-made, filled with ground veal, as are the potato pancakes. Probably the best value entrée is the bigos, made with stewed pieces of sausage mixed into a bed of sauerkraut. The heartiest meal is the large pork shank, literally the size of Chicago area-staple sixteen-inch softball, which is baked for hours in beer, carrots, onions and horseradish and served resplendent bone-in with soft and tasty fat and skin.
For sharing or the unbelievably glutinous, Polonia also serves a combination plate that can easily feed at least one more person than listed. There are desserts, too, which seem to be an afterthought.
Nearly necessary for a Slavic restaurant, there is a full bar, and for a western-leaning Polish one, good beer on tap in the form of the widely available great-tasting Czech lager Pilsner Urquell served in both half-liter and steel-worker-size one liter mugs. If you really like the food, Polonia operates a small grocery store nearly adjacent to the restaurant.
www.examiner.com