That’s some stringent self control on “left with” — I think I might leave with half the hot bar.
If I were going straight home, but I had to make a stop at the Housing Works dispensary and the greenmarket, so I was mindful of what I had to carry.
Do they have any seating inside given the extensive prepared foods? (she asks hopefully)
No, it’s a just a grocery store. There is a downstairs, but it’s not open to the public. Wait for a nice day - go sit in Washington Square Park.
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We went to Karczma in Brooklyn for my wife’s birthday, which, as all good birthdays should, involved food, atmosphere, and family. The place had a cool, rustic charm, the kind that suggests someone, somewhere, knows how to wield an axe properly. It was packed on a Sunday night.
The white borscht arrived in a bread bowl, which is, of course, the ideal way to serve soup, because when you’re finished, you can eat the container, and that’s just good, efficient eating. The soup was hearty, tangy, and came with a side of mashed potatoes and bacon, which is the sort of addition that suggests the kitchen understands the fundamental law of the food universe, everything tastes better with bacon. The bread bowl itself? Magnificent. A noble bread bowl. A bread bowl that, if it had legs, might stride off into legend.
Then came the sampler plate, which was, let’s say, a bit of a diplomatic incident. A review had called these the finest pierogies in all of New York City, but I have encountered superior specimens in the humble aisles of a Polish grocery store. The potato pancakes failed the great crunch test. I have met many a fine, flavorful kielbasa in my time (Omigod, where is michael Scott when I need him), and this was not one of them. The hunter’s stew at least had the decency to be interesting, whereas the stuffed pepper seemed to have taken a vow of silence.
I noticed a neighboring table taking a different approach: borscht bowls and a shared plate of fried pierogies. Now that, I suspect, is the true path to a modicum of happiness.
Best,
Ps the second photo is the building where my wife’s mother grew up in the neighborhood.
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Happy birthday, Patrice!
Happy birthday to mrs @vinouspleasure!
(Which Polish grocery store. so I can file away for later?)
any polish grocery store 
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Your kids or just the local neighborhood delinquents?
That platter looks terrible. Makes me miss Teresa’s.
Makes me miss the Kiev diner!
