Przyprawa and Veal Ribs: Andrzej Grill Restaurant

Przyprawa and Veal Ribs: Andrzej Grill Restaurant

Was in Andrzej Grill Restaurant tonight.



On each table was an unexpected condiment: Przyprawa, produced by Winiary. I couldn’t get a shot of actual bottle because I didn’t want to blow my cover, but here’s a file shot:



It seemed some version of soy sauce, dark and salty, not what I'd associate with Eastern European chow, but I could see how it would work on, say, pierogis or other starchy things.

Something else somewhat uncommon I had tonight: veal ribs. I brought them home to shoot and eat.



Surprisingly tasty, these baby cow bones had a thin, surprisingly flavorful sheath of fat that made them much more interesting than I had imagined they would be.

Andrzej Grill Restaurant
1022 N. Western
773.489.3566

I wonder if that Przyprawa is something like Maggi Seasoning. From your taste description, it sounds similar. Maggi was used a lot in Switzerland (perhaps because it was a Nestle product).

Yes, pretty much the same stuff. I think there's an extensive Maggi thread here somewhere. Maggi gets around (Asia, the Caribbean, C. Europe) more than just about any condiment, save Tabasco, maybe.

Yes, "Przyprawa" literally means "seasoning" and is more-or-less the same as Maggi. The most forward flavor in Maggi is lovage. (Now, I'm not sure whether Maggi actually contains lovage or not, but the tastes are so similar that lovage is called maggi in Polish, maggikraut in German, etc. Looking it up, it doesn't seem that Maggi actually does contain lovage, but I will attest that the taste is quite similar.)

When did they add the fancy new awning? Did they change anything inside the place as well?
Jamie

Jamieson22 wrote:When did they add the fancy new awning? Did they change anything inside the place as well?
Jamie

Well, it's tough to say what changed, but I doubt much has changed in, say, the past 5 years or so: piles of newspapers, two dead video poker machines and what seems a dead jukebox on the north wall, dusty prints of mostly French bistros and cafes, ancient gumball machines, a ceramic statue of a cow in a toque, and room for about 18 people to sit very close to one another.

I was right next door yesterday at Mitch and Janina's buffet. It is a bit of a deli/Polish corner store, which I appreciate. Past this is a buffet and dimly lit restaurant space with walls covered in old Bulls posters and other Chicago news. It has a time-worn feel to it, and I sat across the room from the owner and his wife, who were chatting with the only other diner in Polish.

I began my meal with a tomato noodle soup, which was a homey, comforting start. I'd say it was the best part of the meal. The buffet held ribs, breaded fried pork, chicken, some sort of sausage in a sauce, mashed potatos, potato pierogies, and a few other items. The pierogies were dry, as were the mashed potatoes. Everything else was average but just had that sitting-for-hours feel to them. Perhaps had I come a few hours earlier it would have been better?

I was trying for Andrezj Grill, but it was closed. From what I hear, it sounds like it might be a better bet then Mitch and Janina's.
Kacie

papua2001mk wrote:I was right next door yesterday at Mitch and Janina's buffet. It is a bit of a deli/Polish corner store, which I appreciate. Past this is a buffet and dimly lit restaurant space with walls covered in old Bulls posters and other Chicago news. It has a time-worn feel to it, and I sat across the room from the owner and his wife, who were chatting with the only other diner in Polish.

I began my meal with a tomato noodle soup, which was a homey, comforting start. I'd say it was the best part of the meal. The buffet held ribs, breaded fried pork, chicken, some sort of sausage in a sauce, mashed potatos, potato pierogies, and a few other items. The pierogies were dry, as were the mashed potatoes. Everything else was average but just had that sitting-for-hours feel to them. Perhaps had I come a few hours earlier it would have been better?

I was trying for Andrezj Grill, but it was closed. From what I hear, it sounds like it might be a better bet then Mitch and Janina's.
Kacie

I went to Mitch and Janina's last night to buy some bread (a dense rye with caraway and poppy seed mixed in). It smelled really good in there. I got a takeout menu, and was intrigued by the line "Using our own traditional smokehouse." However, it doesn't seem like many of the buffet items would be smoked (maybe the sausage?).

I was in there last week and got some chlodnik (cool beet soup). It was delicious. Andrzej also gave me a new business card. There is a photo on the cards, showing Andrzej in a toque and chef's whites, brandishing some kind of frying pan. Of course, the really funny thing is that I have never seen Andrzej cooking in there -- it's always his wife and (perhaps?) mother-in-law.

This is still my favorite Polish restaurant, although I am disappointed to find out that the Cherry Master doesn't work.

Kasia wrote:I was in there last week and got some chlodnik (cool beet soup). It was delicious. Andrzej also gave me a new business card. There is a photo on the cards, showing Andrzej in a toque and chef's whites, brandishing some kind of frying pan. Of course, the really funny thing is that I have never seen Andrzej cooking in there -- it's always his wife and (perhaps?) mother-in-law.

This is still my favorite Polish restaurant, although I am disappointed to find out that the Cherry Master doesn't work.

Actually, Andrezej was in the kitchen last night, and he was lending a hand. I don't think it was his wife who was with him (I've seen her pix: she's a blonde -- at least in the pix -- and a larger woman than was there last night).

Take heart: Cherry Master may be merely unplugged.