New Warsaw

This place is not the same as when I lived in the neighborhood 15 years ago.  Not paying too much attention to the dingy looking old decor, my family and I settled in for a Sunday buffet. Some of the food looked like it was sitting there for a while and not everything was available.  Besides the golabki (stuffed cabbage) and the chicken, (which are fantastic), I thought everything else was really mediocre at its best.  I should've known that this was probably not the best place to eat when very few cars were in the parking lot at 1 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon.  I wouldn't have minded paying $100 for 5 people and a small child, but the food was not that great.    One positive was the owner's daughter, our host, whom was very accommodating.  I surely hope they get this place running back up to par as they were really great years ago.

Aye!!!!

Gads.  I shoulda known better, really, I shoulda.  When it's dinner time and there are three cars in the parking lot you have to ask the question.  When you walk in and it smells like an OLD building and dusty drywall, you should also take note.  But man, there were GOOD reviews on this place, so maybe the food is outta sight.

Yes, it's outta sight... there's none of it.  In the steam table buffet, there were scant amounts of food, the soup was nearly drained, and it all just looked tired, just plain worn out.  And this was at 6p.  I cannot imagine how bad it looked at 8p.

So, what I had was very average.  The meatballs with gravy were likely the best.  The mashed potatoes were obviously out of a box.  The cabbage soup was so mushy, it was almost embarrassing.  There were only 3 dumpings in the tray, and they seemed good, but very small.

Even with no business, I had trouble getting my bill from the staff.  I feel bad leaving a bad review like this, but this place is awful.

I caught this place at noon on a Sunday, when they were just ending breakfast and starting the dinner cycle, so everything was fresh and plentiful. The old steamtable in the middle of the dining room held pork ribs (boiled, with a little BBQ sauce brushed on top), breaded chicken thighs and drumsticks, pork stew/"goulash," breaded boneless pork chop, sliced pork loin in gravy, boiled potatoes with parsley, meatballs in a creamy dill sauce, stuffed cabbage, green beans, blintzes, saurkraut, kielbasa, dumplings, and 3 kinds of pierogis.  Plus there was another large bar with a bunch of prepared cold salads. Oh, and two soups, chicken noodle and barley. And pieces of ham and beef under foil on a carving station (which I didn't try because they looked a little dry).

The barley soup was extraordinary -- creamy, deeply flavored, and comforting -- a masterful rendition, obviously made from scratch, of a classic Polish American specialty. It had bits of dried mushroom, diced potato, bay leaf, allspice, finely shredded carrot, likely a little sour cream.  It was just a little too salty.  

The breaded chicken pieces were really flavorful and good, the way chicken SHOULD taste, as were the plump pierogi filled with spiced ground meat.  Everything else was typical of places like Sawa's or Bobak's (or the late, lamented Tatra Inn on Pulaski) -- somewhat heavy, much of it sitting in too much butter/ oil -- but still, you got the impression it was all prepared with care and a deep sense of Polish American tradition. More importantly, everything I sampled was tasty. There was no pizza, mac and cheese, or ersatz Mexican like you find on the local Chinese buffet troughs; no awkward concessions to the changing neighborhood (Bobak's is now making chorizo).  I'm sure everyone in the kitchen is Polish, and it's Polish food you come here to eat.

I had been wary of trying this place based on the earlier reviews.  Don't know if it would be as good on weekdays or off hours. It's one of those places that's rapidly becoming a little corner of the world that time forgot.  The decor is old fashioned, and the plates are this old Homer Laughlin variety -- commercial-heavy, off white, with a curvy gold pattern around the rim; check the photo I've posted -- that it seems like every "nice" restaurant on the South Side and south burbs had back in the 70s.  The clientele (and there wasn't much business for the large dining room; three or four tables) is older.  I suspect a lot of bachelors and widowers eat here.  There was, though, a larger gathering in the adjacent private room -- middle-aged and elderly, white haired Polish folks, the older men wearing what looked like suits and polyester ties they had purchased at the Ford City J.C. Penney back in 1979 but which they still wore with care and pride.  One old rooster was sporting what was apparently an old Polish military uniform.

Sunday Buffet was $13.  Surprisingly, I found a $5 check-in offer on Foursquare for using AMEX.  I couldn't have imagined anyone at this place would know about Foursquare, and I had even wondered if they took credit cards.

But I have to say, this was a delicious and satisfying (and, if you grew up in this area, nostalgic) meal. The place may look a little tired, but the food didn't reflect that.  You come here if you want authentic, stick-to-your-ribs, east European home cooking of the kind it's increasingly difficult to find.