Restaurant experiment: Krolewskie Jadlo

Krolewskie Jadlo (King’s Feast)

66-21 Fresh Pond Road at Palmetto Street

Ridgewood, NY 11385

718-366-6226

http://www.krolewskiejadlo.com/ (This is the link written on the business card I picked up, but there isn’t anything there.)

Even though I’ve eaten in Queens a decent number of times (the number can certainly be upped!), I’m still astonished by what values, edible-wise, are to be found in the people’s borough, as a girl I met referred to it. Value value value value. Manhattan needs more of that.

Krolewskie Jadlo reminds me of Medieval Times, but I have never been to Medieval Times, so it’s how I would imagine Medieval Times to be but on a much smaller scale. The first dining area is all high ceilings, knight’s suit of armor at the entrance, long wooden booths, chandeliers, and fake brick decorations. There is another seating area in the back. Tom and Wayne both ordered the sampler plate ($11) which included items like pierogis, stuffed cabbage, potato pancakes, and kielbasa. I wasn’t sure if my stomach was up for that hearty task, so I wimped out and played it safe with the beef goulash ($8) which came with mashed potatoes and a choice of two sides; I opted for the peas and carrots and cucumber salad. As we waited, bread came out, along with homemade pickles and a mysterious spread looking vaguely like condensed cream of mushroom soup. It was oily tasting but strangely addicting.

As I expected, Wayne’s and Tom’s plates were massive, and I don’t think they finished everything. I couldn’t even finish all of my goulash, even though I did fill up on the appetizer bread. The cucumber salad and peas and carrots were basic but pleasing, and I cleaned all traces of them from their plate. The goulash was quite tender, like something that had been thrown in the crock pot at low for eight hours. Its downfall was the lack of kick, of flavor, since I needed to shake salt all over that. A little too cautious for my tastes. The potatoes needed salt too. Maybe the cooks just forgot seasonings? Tsk tsk.

Regarding all the Polish places I’ve been to which happen to not be on the island (okay, only two), I’m going to have to go with Teresa’s over Krolewskie Jadlo. Lazanki, it’s time you and I got to meet up again, and by meet up, I mean eat up. I looked for noodles on Krolewskie Jadlo’s menu, but no noodles were to be located. Sad face.

Restaurant experiment: Teresa’s

Teresa’s

80 Montague Street at Hicks Street

Brooklyn, NY 11201

718-797-3996

Lily and I were down the street, getting our free wi-fi on at a polar climate Connecticut Muffin.  Seriously, it was the Arctic there.  When it came time for lunch, Lily suggested Teresa’s because a local friend of hers heaped high praise on it.  To thaw out, we sat on the patio on a brilliantly toasty day. 

I put “diner” down as a tag even though I’m not sure Teresa’s could be called your standard diner.  I only went inside to use the bathrooms (downstairs, for future reference), and it reminded me of Shoney’s in there.  That’s not a compliment.  But it didn’t matter as we were sitting outside anyway.  The lunch special for $8.95 makes you feel smart for ordering it, as you score soup/salad, an entree from a list, and coffee/tea.  I selected vegetable soup, lazanki, and tea.  The vegetable soup was mostly cauliflower in a light clear stock; nothing extraordinary.  Hot tea was Lipton.  I’d never tried lazanki before, and it was described as noodle[s] with ham, mushrooms, and sauerkraut, the latter maybe making me a bit leery, but I went for it.  When in Poland, do as the Poles do.  Lazanki=good.  Thin ribbon noodles are stir fried with the add-ins to the point of burning but that’s fine in my book since it adds a crunchy texture.  Mmm.  There was so much food that I had to take home the rest of the lazanki; I had filled up on bread.  Lily had the stuffed cabbage which looked like a burrito took a bath in tomato sauce.  She gave it a thumbs up.