Old Poland Bakery & Restaurant

We are #1 Always...

That's what it says on the side of the awning at Old Poland Bakery & Restaurant. And yet, I couldn't help but wonder: #1 at what? Baking? Restauranting? Old Polishing? Inquiring minds and grumbling stomachs want to know, so we set inside to get some answers.First stop: the bakery counter, where OP sells assorted loaves (mostly rye), unlikely hybrids (challah baguette twists), and sweets. We bought half-a-loaf (ok, a bit salty), and spent another 80 cents on something that looked like a giant Boston Cream donut. It was more like a chocolate-dipped dinner roll stuffed with pudding. I love pudding, but not (it turns out) inside dinner rolls. I tried feeding it to a squirrel Ms. Slab to cut my losses, but she has grown wise to my shenanigans.Hopefully the #1 bit was referring to the food. So we headed to the back counter, where Pope John Paul gave us the green light: order here, G.
And order we did. Starting with a piping hot plate of Potato Pancakes ($4). They were big, fluffy, crispy, and chewy. Very chewy. As my buddy put it, “how do they get it so gummy?” Probably by over-mixing the potato starch... but I didn't really mind. I'll eat pretty much anything fried and served with sour cream. It's all part of my “two steps to svelte” diet.Up next: an old friend... Polish Platter ($7). I'm beginning to wonder if all these Polish Platters are making my jeans shrink. This one came with more potato pancakes, and a terrific slice of smoky, juicy grilled kielbasa. The bigos was a bit disappointing. It seemed to have all the right moves (big chunks of sausage, veal, pork, etc.), but the dominant flavor was, alas, tomato paste. Same deal with the stuffed cabbage... it looked great: plump and proud, calling out “eat me.” But the flavor just wasn't there. Maybe the meat needed more seasoning. Luckily, we saved the best for last: pirogies. The cheese and potato pirogies were creamy, savory and smooth. The skins had that toothsome quality of fresh pasta: not too chewy, soft and fresh. No two ways about it, this was a top-notch dumpling.
But was it #1?! We still had a few more items to taste. The salads were generally well-prepared, but didn't always drop the delicious. We really enjoyed the light, vinegary pepper salad, crisp mustardy cole slaw, and mild shredded purple cabbage. But the rich, creamy cucumbers were surprisingly sugary, and the cooked kraut lost all of it's cold cousin's zest and zing. It seemed to be a classic case of hit or miss, good reader.Speaking of which, take a look at the Fried Flounder ($6). The hit: perfectly cooked, nice light golden flour crust, moist and steaming flesh. The miss: the fish tasted faintly of ammonia, something that usually suggests less-than-fresh. This seemed to be one of the more popular dishes, so maybe we just caught them on a bad fishing day.Just when our spirits were starting to sink, we did the only sensible thing to do: ordered some pork. Specifically, the Spare Ribs with Cabbage Sauce ($6). They didn't let us down: fork-tender and meaty, hearty and homey, and baked in a slow-and-low cabbage-fortified sauce. All this with two scoops of mashed potatoes to boot... old friend pork wins again.And yet, our #1 still lay ahead. When all was said and done, tops on our list was... the Cutlet ($6). A reader recommended this a few weeks back, and we agree: it might well be Greenpoint's tastiest cutlet. Take a look at the pic, and you'll see what we're so worked up about: the golden-brown crunch of panko-thick breadcrumbs, tender juicy meat, fresh sauteed mushrooms... all served on a bed of addictive McDonald's-style fries. #1 with a bullet, indeed.

Kasia (l), owner Grazyna Pacek (r), and unidentified Chef-in-good-mood (back center)

So what to make of Old Poland? We liked it. Sure, the food is hit or miss, and I've had better rye in the area. But the environment is bright (unusual for these parts) and inviting, and they offer a few stand-out dishes. What's more, locals love it. Every day, chef-owner Grazyna Pacek starts prepping the food at 6am; and every day, folks pile in to eat whatever she cooks. For a decade and counting, the formula has worked. So while “#1 Always” may be pushing it, Old Poland still delivers enough hits to make it worth checking out.



Old Poland Bakery & Restaurant
(Restauracja Piekarnia Staropolska)
190 Nassau Avenue (at Humboldt St.)
Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY
(718) 349-7775

Our favorites: cutlets, spare ribs in cabbage sauce, pepper salad, cheese and potato pirogies