Table for Six

Krakow, Poland

I’m typing this blog while we wait for our flight to Vienna in the Krakow Airport. I’m coming down with a bit of a cold so I crashed immediately after we got back from dinner last night and didn’t have time to update.

Dinner, however, was absolutely worth writing about. Since I wasn’t feeling well, we scratched our plans to have dinner in Kazimierz, the Jewish Quarter of Krakow. Parts of Kazimierz have, historically, been the predominant Jewish area in Poland until residents were forcibly relocated to Jewish Ghettos upon Nazi occupation. Lots of great restaurants are in the area, but I was not interested in walking so far after dinner in the dark, cold and rain.

Josh searched for something near our hotel and suggested Jarema - a restauraunt right outside the touristy Old Town area. Online, it said the restaurant specialized in cuisine from Kresy (Kresy being the geographic region of Eastern Poland, Southern Lithuania and Western Ukraine).

Things got off to a bit of an awkward start when we arrived without reservations near the end of the dinner rush. All the tables were full or reserved, however, the hostess told us she had just cleared a large table in the back. If we didn’t mind sitting at a table set for six, we were welcome to come in.

The inside of Jarema is decorated with pelts, handmade furniture, taxidermed birds, antlers and antiques. If the intention is make guests feel they are at home sitting fireside in some fancy Polish manor - then they are doing it right. Among the decor is a painting of the resturaunt’s namesake, 14th century Luthianan Prince Jarema.

The head chef, Elzbieta Walczyk, is a woman who hails from Krakow but has Eastern Polish roots. Her menu offered a wide selection but was still small enough not to overwhelm. There was a clear focus on game meats like wild boar, rabbit and venison, as well as an excellent selection of soups, stews and Lithuanian dumplings.

Though it was hard to pass on my last opportunity for delicious dumplings, we had already eaten lunch at a restaurant that specialized in pierogi/polish dumplings. So, I ordered the Ukranian Borscht (a beetroot soup with veggies, beans and potatoes) as my starter. I was honestly pretty nervous about this choice. But was pleasantly surprised by a warm, deep pink dish with light flavors, hearty vegetables and big dollop of clearly housemade sour cream. I imagined this is exactly what Polish grandmas make for their sick little grandchildren, like “here ‘kochanie’ eat your borscht.” I was certainly feeling a little better after I ate mine.

Josh ordered some kind of cabbage stew full of potatoes and served a big portion of - still on the bone - (we think) wild boar placed right on top.

Our entrees were even more delicious. I had the stuffed cabbage, which was steamed and filled with soft flavorful ground venison and buckwheat covered in a simple tomato sauce. It was so hearty and filling, I couldn’t even finish the second of the two cabbage rolls.

Josh had the duck with apples. This dish was listed as one of the chef’s specialities and it did not disappoint. The roasted duck breast was served in a brown sauce of apples and honey and cinnamon.

Josh is a big fan of duck and, y’all, this man ENJOYED his meal. I don’t think I have ever heard him compliment a dish so much. Literally, after every bite he was “mmm”-ing and “this is so good”-ing. He downright refused to let me have a taste at first! When he finally came around and offered a bite - I could see why he was hesiant to share. Delicious!

Dessert was was also ordered off the list of Chef Walczyk’s specialties with very little idea of what we were actually ordering. Though, after two courses of this amazing meal, I think I would have trusted her to cook a plate of pine cones.

When our dish - Lviv Nougat - arrived we were glad we decided to share as the portion was pretty big. Described on the menu as Kaymak waffles covered with liquid chocolate - what arrived was two rectangular waffled-wafer cookies crispy on the outsides but filled with a soft brown nouget that wasn't caramel and wasn’t fruit and wasn’t cream - but some how encompassed the best parts of all three. The whole dish was drizzeled with chocolate and topped with housemade whipped cream.

I thought I would have to be rolled out of the restaurant.