Polka

A few years ago I had dinner at Warszawa , LA's prominent Polish restaurant. But, growing up in a Polish family, I found it unfathomable to pay a lot of money for a pierogi. This isn't the case at Polka (4112 Verdugo Rd.), a darling little restaurant serving delicious, homecooked Polish cuisine where you feel like you really ARE sitting in an authentic Warsaw restaurant (not like I would have any fucking clue what that was like!) Located in a strip mall near the border of Eagle Rock and Glendale, Polka has an endearing ambience with booths, candles and plenty of kitschy knick-knacs from Poland.

I was feeling rather sturdy today, so I ordered the Royal Plate which is a combination platter of three separate entrees: Pierogi, Golabki and Gulasz. The pierogi's, filled with potato and cheese, were right on the money as were the Gulaz (pork & potato dumplings). The Golabki (cabbage stuffed with pork, chicken & onion) was good enough to convince me that I should make this my single dish of choice on my next trip. Each entree also comes with a yummy, sweet cabbage soup to start. We also sampled the kielbasa and owner Katherine Dabrowski encouraged us to season it with paprika. We seasoned liberally and I dipped each bite in mustard too...what a delicious sausage! I suspect that Polka would have even impressed my Polish grandmother (may she rest in peace), an accomplished cook herself.

Polka is probably not the healthiest food to eat (even though a sign on the window says 'SO HEALTHY'), but if you ever get the urge for some pierogis or kielbasa, make Polka your next stop for some traditional, Polish cuisine. Be sure to bring your own bottle of wine, too. They don't serve alcohol and the corkage fee is just as reasonable as the menu's prices.