Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.
Several of our loyal readers recommended a new restaurant in the neighborhood. Since we both love Polish food, we put it at the top of our list. One evening we jumped into the Mini-Mobile and headed out in search of kapusta pierogis. When we pulled into the parking lot, we spotted a sign over a storefront that said Polish Restaurant. We said to each other, “this must be the place.” We are referring to the Blue Cow Polish Restaurant in Lake in the Hills.
Blue Cow Polish Restaurant
2102 W. Algonquin Road
Lake in the Hills 60156
847-854-4051
www.bluecowpolishdeli.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 North to Algonquin Road East to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 16 minutes
It’s a relatively new restaurant that opened its doors in January. It’s a small venue with seven high top tables and eight regular tables. The décor is clean and basic.
On to our Polska feast! We saw that the Homemade Polish Chicken Noodle Soup ($3) was on the menu today and we had to have it. It was absolutely delicious. It had a rich broth and was packed with extra fine noodles. We found out that authentic Polish chicken noodle soup has no chicken in it because they use the meat in other dishes.
We started our feast with (2) Placki Ziemniaczane (Potato Pancakes) for $6. These were large, thick, and crispy, served with applesauce and sour cream. Jim really liked them, but I was more critical since I am the potato pancake connoisseur.
Nancy ordered the Pierogi Dinner (12) for $10. You get two choices from the five available types of pierogis: sweet cheese, potato and cheese, potato and onion, meat, and sauerkraut and mushroom. If you like they can be topped off with bacon, onions, or sour cream. She chose the potato with cheese, and the potato with onion pierogis, and added the bacon and onion toppers. Sadly, we were informed that they were out of the potato and onion pierogis, so Nancy changed her order to 6 Pierogis ($6) and she chose another entree to go with it. She wanted to try the Polish Sausage ($6) that was fried and came with either sauerkraut or sautéed onions. She went with the sauerkraut. Since Nancy makes the best homemade pierogis in the world, it’s hard to live up to her standards. She prefers her pierogis with more cheese flavor, luckily the addition of bacon and onions added a lot of flavor. NOTE: The bacon is not the kind you are accustomed to; it’s not the smoked variety. The Polish sausage was okay, and the sauerkraut was mild and not overpoweringly sour.
Jim is getting into the Polish theme since he was in a polka wedding band in his youth, so he chose the Taste of Poland ($15). This consisted of a Golabki (stuffed cabbage), a potato pancake, fried Polish sausage, and your choice of three pierogis with the same filling. He chose the sauerkraut and mushroom with the bacon and onion toppers. His favorite on the plate was the stuffed cabbage.
For dessert we had a taste for ice cream so we decided to pass on dessert here and go to Dairy Mart on our way home for a dipped cone.
To sum up our Polska feast… This restaurant offers a lot of authentic dishes at a reasonable price. Jim took home a doggie bag with some of my sausage and sauerkraut and half of his meal. A nice touch was when Joe, the chef/owner, walked around the restaurant asking patrons if they enjoyed their meals.
FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.
The price for tonight’s dinner was $46.44.
Jim’s take: My dish was really a taste of Poland. A variety of everything I like. I could almost hear “Little Wally” playing polkas in the background.
Nancy’s take: That Polish chicken noodle soup was out of this world. It was right up there with my homemade chicken soup, but I put the chicken meat in mine.
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.
