Polka Polish Cuisine

It’s chilly and rainy in LA right now. Yes, contrary to popular belief, it does actually rain here. Truth be told, I love nothing more than being at home on a dark, rainy day, curled up in a blanket on the couch.

On days such as these, one of my guilty pleasures is the show “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives” on the Food Network. It wouldn’t normally be the first choice of most vegetarians to watch a show that focuses on greasy spoons, but every now and then I discover a gem like Polka. It’s a family-run Polish restaurant in a tiny strip mall on the outskirts of LA and although it may be a bit of a distance for most people living here, I promise it’s worth the trek.

When you a walk in it feels as though you may have stumbled into your grandmother’s living room instead of a restaurant, as the walls and shelves are covered in chintzy knick-knacks.  Luckily, the hospitality is also something you might expect from a grandmother. The minute you sit down a waitress brings you a complimentary mug of soup. Any place that presents me with a steamy mug of  delicious spinach soup before they even get around to bringing water is something to remember.

For my entree, I had the potato-cheese Pierogi, or Polish dumpling, and Chase ordered a meat-filled version of the same dish. As soon as they set down our plates that were piled high with dumplings and vegetables we realized we should have split a meal rather than try to tackle two of them. The dumplings were delicious; tender without being mushy and flavorful without being overpowering in spice. I desperately wanted to try one of their desserts, but after only two of  my four dumplings I was already worried about how I was going to drive home when I already felt too stuffed to stand up.

At the end of the meal, our check was accompanied with Polish truffles. “Polish chocolate to finish your Polish meal” is what the waitress cheerily told us as she laid it on the table. On a rainy day like today, Polka might be one of the few restaurants that could get me out of the house so that I could curl up in a booth with some more of their dumplings.