It has been a CRAZY week at work. I know I've already posted Part I of my second week visits already. I promise to get Part II up tonight or tomorrow morning.
That being said, here are the two fish fries that I will be attending tonight. Please feel free to come along if you'd like.
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (5 to 7 PM)
755 South Cleveland Avenue
Mogadore, OH 44260
330-628-1333
Harbor Inn / Lighthouse Bar & Grill (5 to 9 PM)
562 Portage Lakes Drive
Coventry Township, OH 44319
330-644-1664
I plan on hitting up St. Nicholas right around 5 PM and the Harbor Inn at 6:30 PM. I've been told that homemade pierogi await me at both, so I'm excited to see what I find during tonight's adventure.
Showing posts with label pierogi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pierogi. Show all posts
Friday, March 9, 2012
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Lenten Project II: Week 5, Part 2 and Conclusion
Ah, gentle reader. It's been a slippery slope of mediocre to poorly fried fish, mostly commercially-available pierogi and less than stellar macaroni and cheese. Of course, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church did do its best to elevate the humble Lenten fish fry and honestly, while not exceptional, did an above average job across the board. That being said, I still had one final stop on my culinary Sisyphean journey; one final chance to discover fried fish and homemade pierogi redemption: the Polish American Club of Akron, Ohio.
Now, I knew ahead of time that the pierogi would be homemade. And that little beacon of hope was enough to sustain me through the weeks of eating the same monotonous pierogi that I can get EVERY SINGLE DAY at Giant Eagle or Acme. And just like pizza, even bad homemade pierogi are better than the mass-produced and marketed commercially-made frozen ones that are designed to appeal to all demographics. The question in my mind tonight as I pulled off of Route 8 onto Glenwood Avenue was whether the rest of the dinner would live up to those little potato dumplings.
According the to the U.S. Post Office, the Polish American Club was located at 472 East Glenwood Avenue, Akron, OH 44310 and questions about the Lenten fish fries can be directed to 330-253-0496. For the purposes of successfully getting you this fish fry, I have to tell you that the Polish American Club was not visible from the road as I turned onto Glenwood from Route 8. What you need to do is go to the very first intersection east of the exit (Dan Street) and make a right. Almost immediately on your right you will see this roadside sign:
Pull into the driveway packed with cars (this was a good sign that the food coming out of the kitchen might be fresher, but a bad sign that there might be a wait), find a spot, and walk to the rear entrance of the club:
Once inside, if it was as packed with people as it was on Friday night at 6:30 PM, you'll need to give your name and the number in your party to the person working the entrance. Fortunately, the Polish American Club was running like a finely tuned machine and within fifteen minutes, a table had opened up right in front of the kitchen and I took my seat anticipating what this final meal held.
The Polish American Club had quite the extensive menu and I quickly (and I thought discreetly) pulled out my camera and began snapping photos:
Apparently, my server saw the tail end of my less-than-nefarious photodocumentation and questioned me.
"Are you taking pictures of the menu?"
"Yes." (My standard answer which is usually enough to discourage further questions.)
After a slight pause, she said, "WHY are you taking pictures of the menu?"
At this point, I decided not to lie, but also not to give up too much information, too. "I'm a food writer and I'm covering local fish fries. This will be my last of nine locations."
"So do you work at the Beacon?"
"No, I'm an independent food writer."
She actually seemed excited that a food writer was sitting at her table. While I knew that giving away too much information might compromise the review (meaning in this case, receiving preferential treatment), at this point of the project, I was absolutely through with crappy fried fish. If this ensured that I got a pristine piece of fried fish, then so be it. I didn't specifically ask for it, so I honestly don't feel especially guilty about my revelation. Plus, that meant I didn't have to hide the camera to capture pictures of my meal. A trade-off, I suppose.
After careful consideration, I decided to go with the regular size Foster Lager Battered Cod Dinner and picked Coleslaw and Macaroni and Cheese as my two included sides. I also ordered an extra side of the homemade Potato Pierogi. Within a few minutes, bread and butter arrived at my table:
There wasn't anything special about this bread, but it was fresh and soft and I appreciated that.
Along with my bread came the Coleslaw:
While I didn't verify if this was homemade or not, the cabbage had been shredded quite finely and was different from the other coleslaws I had eaten prior to this one. It had a nice flavor to it, but it was nothing out of the ordinary.
A few minutes later, my Potato Pierogi came out of the kitchen:
These were large, obviously homemade, and HOT! My first bite was filled with the heat that had come from being fried on the flattop before being plated. I loved the fact that the outside was crispy (without being tough, which had been one of Our Lady of Guadalupe's issues) and the filling was pillowy and soft. The onions could have been caramelized a touch more, but the seasoning was decent. It wasn't until I isolated a bite of just the filling that I realized it was a touch underseasoned. Not as badly as the homemade pieorgi at St. Nicholas, but it definitely needed a touch more salt. To verify this assumption, I took a bite of the filling and sprinkled a bit of the salt on it from the shaker already on the table. Yep ... that fixed it.
I originally thought that the pierogi had made it to my table so hot and quickly because my server had said something to the kitchen staff. However, given that the wait for my fried fish and macaroni and cheese took just as long for me to get it as others around, I questioned that notion. However, while waiting for my main meal to arrive, the kitchen manager, who had obviously been tipped off by my server, came out to my table, introduced himself, and shook my hand. I won't go much into our conversation as it was quite similar to the original one I had with my server.
A few minutes after this impromptu conversation, the remainder of my meal finally arrived:
The "regular" dinner comes with four fish fillets. Had I known this ahead of time, I probably would've gotten the small, not so much to save money, but because this was my second dinner of the evening. Ah, well, I knew that they had take out containers.
I started with the Foster Lager Battered Cod:
All hopes of finishing out the Lenten Project on a high note vanished with the first touch of the coating: greasy. The kind of greasy where it didn't look greasy sitting on the plate, but the minute you put any pressure on the fish to cut it with your fork, the wet sheen of oil suddenly appears. After cutting into it, I took a picture of the interior flesh:
While this wasn't as dry as the previous meal of the evening had been, it also wasn't that juicy, lush, moist fish for which I had been pining since the beginning of the fish fry season. The seasoning was decent and I had confirmed with my server that both the fried catfish and the fried cod were being fried from frozen. That certainly isn't a death sentence, but it does mean you have to pay attention to making sure that the fish is properly fried. My guess is that with how greasy the fish was, either the kitchen had tried to fry too many pieces at once (thus lowering the temperature of the oil in the fryer) or the oil wasn't at the proper temperature to start with.
Additionally, and I will give the Polish American Club a pass on this one, the fish was a little warmer than lukewarm, not screaming hot like the pierogi had been. While I admit that it took a minute or two to photograph the fish and macaroni and cheese, it is possible that the cooled fish might be a result of my delay in tasting it. Thus, my final grade on the fish takes this into account.
After so many poor renditions of Macaroni and Cheese, I came upon my final version for the Lenten Project:
About fifteen minutes after placing my order with the server, the table behind me got re-sat and when the couple tried to place an order for macaroni and cheese, the server apologetically told them that they had run out for the evening. Apparently, I was one of the last few patrons to receive a portion. Having a seat so close to the kitchen, I could see that the kitchen staff was dishing up the macaroni and cheese out of a chafing dish being heated by Sterno. Knowing how poorly macaroni and cheese can hold up when served in such a manner, I wasn't entirely shocked to see the contents in the bowl that came with my fish dinner.
The sauce had been absorbed into the pasta and as a result was somewhat dried out on the outside. The texture of the pasta wasn't complete mush, but it also didn't have the nice toothy bite that both Annunciation and Slovak J's versions did. The cheese flavor was decent, but in a surprising twist, the pasta was slightly underseasoned. Just to make sure, I cleansed my palate several times with the water from my glass and re-tasted, just to be sure. Each time I came to the same conclusion. It wasn't wholly unsalted, but it still needed just a bit more. Who knows? Perhaps the same people who made the pierogi filling also made the macaroni and cheese.
My meal now at an end, I asked my server for a to-go box and proceeded to put the remaining food into it for a late snack last night (it certainly was edible and I wasn't about to throw out a pound and a half of leftovers). When my server dropped off my check, the total with tax had come to roughly $10.65. After giving her the cash for the check (plus tip, of course), I left one of my blog business cards with her and told her to look for the review on Sunday morning. I have no doubt that someone from the Polish American Club will read this review and I hope they take what I have to say, both positive and negative, in the light in which it was meant: constructive criticism. I suppose like most restaurant reviews, the people in charge can be upset with me for saying something negative, or they can take it, learn from it, and improve for next year.
Before I finish off with the final ratings for the 2011 Lenten Project, I will finish this review by saying that if you are looking for excellent homemade pierogi in the Akron area, the Polish American Club is the place to go. Which, knowing that pierogi are Polish in origin, I would rather hope and expect.
Here are the final rankings from best overall to worst overall as well as an individual grade for each of the major elements on the plate. Note that second and third place was incredibly close this year and I actually thought about having them tie for second place, but the inclusion of a very tasty dessert that was included in the price of the meal put St. Andrew at just a slight advantage over the Polish American Club.
1. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (Akron): Fish, B+; Macaroni and Cheese, B; Coleslaw, C; Roasted Potatoes, B; Baklava, A-
2. St. Andrew Ukranian Catholic Church (Parma): Fish, C; Macaroni and Cheese, C; Coleslaw, B; Pierogi, A; Honey Cake, B
3. Polish American Club (Akron): Fish, C; Pierogi, A-; Macaroni and Cheese, C+; Coleslaw, B
4. St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (Mogadore): Fish, C+; Jo Jo's, B; Pierogi, B-; Coleslaw, C+; Punchki, B+
5. Slovak J Club/Jednota (Akron) : Fish, D; Macaroni and Cheese, B-; Coleslaw, C; Hot Rice, B; French Fries, B-
6. St. George Catholic Church (North Canton): Fish, C-; Macaroni and Cheese, C-; Coleslaw, C+; Mamaliga, C
7. Queen of Heaven Catholic Church (Green): Fish, C+; Macaroni and Cheese, D; Roasted Potatoes, C; Pierogi, C; Coleslaw, B-
8. Our Lady of Guadalupe (Macedonia): Fish, B-; Pierogi, D+; French Fries, C; Coleslaw, C
9. St. Mary Church (Hudson): Fish, D+; Pierogi, C-; French Fries, B
Now, I knew ahead of time that the pierogi would be homemade. And that little beacon of hope was enough to sustain me through the weeks of eating the same monotonous pierogi that I can get EVERY SINGLE DAY at Giant Eagle or Acme. And just like pizza, even bad homemade pierogi are better than the mass-produced and marketed commercially-made frozen ones that are designed to appeal to all demographics. The question in my mind tonight as I pulled off of Route 8 onto Glenwood Avenue was whether the rest of the dinner would live up to those little potato dumplings.
According the to the U.S. Post Office, the Polish American Club was located at 472 East Glenwood Avenue, Akron, OH 44310 and questions about the Lenten fish fries can be directed to 330-253-0496. For the purposes of successfully getting you this fish fry, I have to tell you that the Polish American Club was not visible from the road as I turned onto Glenwood from Route 8. What you need to do is go to the very first intersection east of the exit (Dan Street) and make a right. Almost immediately on your right you will see this roadside sign:
Pull into the driveway packed with cars (this was a good sign that the food coming out of the kitchen might be fresher, but a bad sign that there might be a wait), find a spot, and walk to the rear entrance of the club:
Once inside, if it was as packed with people as it was on Friday night at 6:30 PM, you'll need to give your name and the number in your party to the person working the entrance. Fortunately, the Polish American Club was running like a finely tuned machine and within fifteen minutes, a table had opened up right in front of the kitchen and I took my seat anticipating what this final meal held.
The Polish American Club had quite the extensive menu and I quickly (and I thought discreetly) pulled out my camera and began snapping photos:
Apparently, my server saw the tail end of my less-than-nefarious photodocumentation and questioned me.
"Are you taking pictures of the menu?"
"Yes." (My standard answer which is usually enough to discourage further questions.)
After a slight pause, she said, "WHY are you taking pictures of the menu?"
At this point, I decided not to lie, but also not to give up too much information, too. "I'm a food writer and I'm covering local fish fries. This will be my last of nine locations."
"So do you work at the Beacon?"
"No, I'm an independent food writer."
She actually seemed excited that a food writer was sitting at her table. While I knew that giving away too much information might compromise the review (meaning in this case, receiving preferential treatment), at this point of the project, I was absolutely through with crappy fried fish. If this ensured that I got a pristine piece of fried fish, then so be it. I didn't specifically ask for it, so I honestly don't feel especially guilty about my revelation. Plus, that meant I didn't have to hide the camera to capture pictures of my meal. A trade-off, I suppose.
After careful consideration, I decided to go with the regular size Foster Lager Battered Cod Dinner and picked Coleslaw and Macaroni and Cheese as my two included sides. I also ordered an extra side of the homemade Potato Pierogi. Within a few minutes, bread and butter arrived at my table:
There wasn't anything special about this bread, but it was fresh and soft and I appreciated that.
Along with my bread came the Coleslaw:
While I didn't verify if this was homemade or not, the cabbage had been shredded quite finely and was different from the other coleslaws I had eaten prior to this one. It had a nice flavor to it, but it was nothing out of the ordinary.
A few minutes later, my Potato Pierogi came out of the kitchen:
These were large, obviously homemade, and HOT! My first bite was filled with the heat that had come from being fried on the flattop before being plated. I loved the fact that the outside was crispy (without being tough, which had been one of Our Lady of Guadalupe's issues) and the filling was pillowy and soft. The onions could have been caramelized a touch more, but the seasoning was decent. It wasn't until I isolated a bite of just the filling that I realized it was a touch underseasoned. Not as badly as the homemade pieorgi at St. Nicholas, but it definitely needed a touch more salt. To verify this assumption, I took a bite of the filling and sprinkled a bit of the salt on it from the shaker already on the table. Yep ... that fixed it.
I originally thought that the pierogi had made it to my table so hot and quickly because my server had said something to the kitchen staff. However, given that the wait for my fried fish and macaroni and cheese took just as long for me to get it as others around, I questioned that notion. However, while waiting for my main meal to arrive, the kitchen manager, who had obviously been tipped off by my server, came out to my table, introduced himself, and shook my hand. I won't go much into our conversation as it was quite similar to the original one I had with my server.
A few minutes after this impromptu conversation, the remainder of my meal finally arrived:
The "regular" dinner comes with four fish fillets. Had I known this ahead of time, I probably would've gotten the small, not so much to save money, but because this was my second dinner of the evening. Ah, well, I knew that they had take out containers.
I started with the Foster Lager Battered Cod:
All hopes of finishing out the Lenten Project on a high note vanished with the first touch of the coating: greasy. The kind of greasy where it didn't look greasy sitting on the plate, but the minute you put any pressure on the fish to cut it with your fork, the wet sheen of oil suddenly appears. After cutting into it, I took a picture of the interior flesh:
While this wasn't as dry as the previous meal of the evening had been, it also wasn't that juicy, lush, moist fish for which I had been pining since the beginning of the fish fry season. The seasoning was decent and I had confirmed with my server that both the fried catfish and the fried cod were being fried from frozen. That certainly isn't a death sentence, but it does mean you have to pay attention to making sure that the fish is properly fried. My guess is that with how greasy the fish was, either the kitchen had tried to fry too many pieces at once (thus lowering the temperature of the oil in the fryer) or the oil wasn't at the proper temperature to start with.
Additionally, and I will give the Polish American Club a pass on this one, the fish was a little warmer than lukewarm, not screaming hot like the pierogi had been. While I admit that it took a minute or two to photograph the fish and macaroni and cheese, it is possible that the cooled fish might be a result of my delay in tasting it. Thus, my final grade on the fish takes this into account.
After so many poor renditions of Macaroni and Cheese, I came upon my final version for the Lenten Project:
About fifteen minutes after placing my order with the server, the table behind me got re-sat and when the couple tried to place an order for macaroni and cheese, the server apologetically told them that they had run out for the evening. Apparently, I was one of the last few patrons to receive a portion. Having a seat so close to the kitchen, I could see that the kitchen staff was dishing up the macaroni and cheese out of a chafing dish being heated by Sterno. Knowing how poorly macaroni and cheese can hold up when served in such a manner, I wasn't entirely shocked to see the contents in the bowl that came with my fish dinner.
The sauce had been absorbed into the pasta and as a result was somewhat dried out on the outside. The texture of the pasta wasn't complete mush, but it also didn't have the nice toothy bite that both Annunciation and Slovak J's versions did. The cheese flavor was decent, but in a surprising twist, the pasta was slightly underseasoned. Just to make sure, I cleansed my palate several times with the water from my glass and re-tasted, just to be sure. Each time I came to the same conclusion. It wasn't wholly unsalted, but it still needed just a bit more. Who knows? Perhaps the same people who made the pierogi filling also made the macaroni and cheese.
My meal now at an end, I asked my server for a to-go box and proceeded to put the remaining food into it for a late snack last night (it certainly was edible and I wasn't about to throw out a pound and a half of leftovers). When my server dropped off my check, the total with tax had come to roughly $10.65. After giving her the cash for the check (plus tip, of course), I left one of my blog business cards with her and told her to look for the review on Sunday morning. I have no doubt that someone from the Polish American Club will read this review and I hope they take what I have to say, both positive and negative, in the light in which it was meant: constructive criticism. I suppose like most restaurant reviews, the people in charge can be upset with me for saying something negative, or they can take it, learn from it, and improve for next year.
Before I finish off with the final ratings for the 2011 Lenten Project, I will finish this review by saying that if you are looking for excellent homemade pierogi in the Akron area, the Polish American Club is the place to go. Which, knowing that pierogi are Polish in origin, I would rather hope and expect.
Here are the final rankings from best overall to worst overall as well as an individual grade for each of the major elements on the plate. Note that second and third place was incredibly close this year and I actually thought about having them tie for second place, but the inclusion of a very tasty dessert that was included in the price of the meal put St. Andrew at just a slight advantage over the Polish American Club.
1. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (Akron): Fish, B+; Macaroni and Cheese, B; Coleslaw, C; Roasted Potatoes, B; Baklava, A-
2. St. Andrew Ukranian Catholic Church (Parma): Fish, C; Macaroni and Cheese, C; Coleslaw, B; Pierogi, A; Honey Cake, B
3. Polish American Club (Akron): Fish, C; Pierogi, A-; Macaroni and Cheese, C+; Coleslaw, B
4. St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (Mogadore): Fish, C+; Jo Jo's, B; Pierogi, B-; Coleslaw, C+; Punchki, B+
5. Slovak J Club/Jednota (Akron) : Fish, D; Macaroni and Cheese, B-; Coleslaw, C; Hot Rice, B; French Fries, B-
6. St. George Catholic Church (North Canton): Fish, C-; Macaroni and Cheese, C-; Coleslaw, C+; Mamaliga, C
7. Queen of Heaven Catholic Church (Green): Fish, C+; Macaroni and Cheese, D; Roasted Potatoes, C; Pierogi, C; Coleslaw, B-
8. Our Lady of Guadalupe (Macedonia): Fish, B-; Pierogi, D+; French Fries, C; Coleslaw, C
9. St. Mary Church (Hudson): Fish, D+; Pierogi, C-; French Fries, B
Monday, April 4, 2011
Lenten Project II: Extra Helpings At St. Andrew
When I discovered that fellow food blogger Alicia from Poise In Parma was doing her own version of the Lenten Project up near her home, I was delighted and honestly, just a little bit flattered. While I am well aware of the fact that there are a ton of great fish fries out there, I am but one person, only able to cover a fraction of the churches, clubs, and organizations in the Akron area, much less others. Through a short Twitter conversation, Alicia thought it would be a fun idea to join forces and cover a church fish fry somewhere between Parma and Akron. I couldn't have agreed more.
I looked around the Internet for a church doing both fried fish and pierogi in the Richmond area (a city roughly halfway between us), but alas, I could find nothing. Knowing that my fried-from-frozen pierogi experience so far (with the exception of my visit to St. Nicholas earlier in the evening) had pretty much been devoid of any kind of homemade pierogi, I expanded my search and ended up finding two churches pretty much in Alicia's back yard that she hadn't covered yet. I presented both options and we both agreed that for my second meal during the fourth week in Lent, I would be attending the fish fry at St. Andrew Ukranian Catholic Church in Parma, Ohio.
St. Andrew was located at 7700 Hoertz Rd, Parma, OH 44134 and can be contacted at 440-886-3258. Parking was somewhat tricky as there was a cemetery between the church and the fellowship hall where the fish fry was hosted. My best advice to you, gentle reader, is to go up the main driveway and then once you are behind the church, take the exit to the back left of the parking lot, not the one that leads straight into the cemetery. I made this mistake and ended up having to backtrack to finally find the correct parking lot.
Here was a shot of the front of the building hosting tonight's fish fry:
Once inside, I met up with Alicia and her husband Hans as well as fellow food blogger Jill, from ClevelandRocksClevelandEats. We were warmly greeted and told of the award-winning pierogi (as judged by Cleveland Magazine three years ago) that we could expect to be served tonight. I knew that I was looking forward to it. While the general procedure at St. Andrew was to place and pay for your order before sitting down at the table, Alicia happened to retain one of the printed and laminated menus. Here was a shot of the menu:
I opted to go with the fried fish and pierogi dinner (clearly) and being in a good mood, decided to add a side of the macaroni and cheese as well. My total came to $11.50, which while a bit pricier than some of the other dinners I've had, wasn't crazy either. Once I ordered and paid for my dinner, I took my meal ticket and proceeded to make the rounds at the various stations inside the main room to pick up my food. Here was what I ended up with at the table:
Of course, the first place I started was with the Fried Fish:
By the time we arrived at paid for our meals, it was already close to 6:45 PM. Since the dinner ran only until 7:30 PM, almost all of the fish required for the remainder of the evening had already been fried and was simply being held in the kitchen and served as needed.
Here was a shot of the interior of the fish:
The outer coating was very crispy (initially a good sound and sign), but once we started to tuck into the fish itself, we discovered that it was decent to poor in terms of moisture. The flavor was fine, but both of my pieces were a bit dry. Alicia's husband, Hans, had one fillet that was moist and one that was not, but the rest of the diners tonight found the fish to be lacking in the moisture department.
After being a bit disappointed in the fried fish, I next turned my attention to the "award-winning" Pierogi:
Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a a winner! These were not only tender, but also incredibly flavorful. The filling was nicely seasoned and the fried onions and included packet of sour cream meant that I could truly savor my three potato-laden pockets of love tonight. THIS was what I had been craving during the past four weeks of Lent. Regardless of the other components on my plate tonight, the pierogi were enough for me to recommend St. Andrew.
I next moved onto the Macaroni and Cheese:
This had wonderful cheese flavor, but unfortunately, it was overcooked. I'd be curious to try this just after the dinner service started at 5 PM, but by 7:00 PM, the pasta had only a slight bit of texture. It was definitely homemade and clearly pasta doesn't do well being held for a long time, but in the grand scheme of things, the overcooked pasta made this a less-than-stellar version of this American staple.
As opposed to the woman at St. Nicholas who claimed that homemade coleslaw just wasn't possible for the masses during Lent, St. Andrew brought serious game to their version:
Clearly homemade, the slaw was tasty and refreshing. Just like the pierogi, I had grown accustomed to food-service coleslaw. Having the fresh stuff available was both surprising and welcomed. While it wasn't perfectly balanced between sweet and sour, it did go a long way towards satisfying my need for something made from scratch.
Finally, every meal included one of several sweet treats. Tonight I decided to go with a slice of Honey Cake:
While the cake definitely tasted of honey, it was just a touch dry (most likely due to the fact that it had been sitting out in the open air before I approached the dessert table and requested a piece). At the same time, I also ate the entire piece of cake fairly quickly, so clearly my objection to its dryness wasn't too overpowering. There were a selection of desserts available (poppyseed rolls, amongst them). Like my meal earlier in the evening, I liked being able to finish my meal with something small and sweet, but not overpowering.
I finished my meal tonight very happy with the pierogi, but somewhat disappointed in the fish and macaroni and cheese. That being said, I'm guessing that if you show up sooner rather than later, both of those issues might be corrected, at least somewhat.
Here are the current rankings so far from best overall to worst overall as well as an individual grade for each of the major elements on the plate.
1. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (Akron): Fish, B+; Macaroni and Cheese, B; Coleslaw, C; Roasted Potatoes, B; Baklava, A-
2. St. Andrew Ukranian Catholic Church (Parma): Fish, C; Macaroni and Cheese, C; Coleslaw, B; Pierogi, A; Honey Cake, B
3. St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (Mogadore): Fish, C+; Jo Jo's, B; Pierogi, B-; Coleslaw, C+; Punchki, B+
4. St. George Catholic Church (North Canton): Fish, C-; Macaroni and Cheese, C-; Coleslaw, C+; Mamaliga, C
5. Queen of Heaven Catholic Church (Green): Fish, C+; Macaroni and Cheese, D; Roasted Potatoes, C; Pierogi, C; Coleslaw, B-
6. Our Lady of Guadalupe (Macedonia): Fish, B-; Pierogi, D+; French Fries, C; Coleslaw, C
7. St. Mary Church (Hudson): Fish, D+; Pierogi, C-; French Fries, B
I looked around the Internet for a church doing both fried fish and pierogi in the Richmond area (a city roughly halfway between us), but alas, I could find nothing. Knowing that my fried-from-frozen pierogi experience so far (with the exception of my visit to St. Nicholas earlier in the evening) had pretty much been devoid of any kind of homemade pierogi, I expanded my search and ended up finding two churches pretty much in Alicia's back yard that she hadn't covered yet. I presented both options and we both agreed that for my second meal during the fourth week in Lent, I would be attending the fish fry at St. Andrew Ukranian Catholic Church in Parma, Ohio.
St. Andrew was located at 7700 Hoertz Rd, Parma, OH 44134 and can be contacted at 440-886-3258. Parking was somewhat tricky as there was a cemetery between the church and the fellowship hall where the fish fry was hosted. My best advice to you, gentle reader, is to go up the main driveway and then once you are behind the church, take the exit to the back left of the parking lot, not the one that leads straight into the cemetery. I made this mistake and ended up having to backtrack to finally find the correct parking lot.
Here was a shot of the front of the building hosting tonight's fish fry:
Once inside, I met up with Alicia and her husband Hans as well as fellow food blogger Jill, from ClevelandRocksClevelandEats. We were warmly greeted and told of the award-winning pierogi (as judged by Cleveland Magazine three years ago) that we could expect to be served tonight. I knew that I was looking forward to it. While the general procedure at St. Andrew was to place and pay for your order before sitting down at the table, Alicia happened to retain one of the printed and laminated menus. Here was a shot of the menu:
I opted to go with the fried fish and pierogi dinner (clearly) and being in a good mood, decided to add a side of the macaroni and cheese as well. My total came to $11.50, which while a bit pricier than some of the other dinners I've had, wasn't crazy either. Once I ordered and paid for my dinner, I took my meal ticket and proceeded to make the rounds at the various stations inside the main room to pick up my food. Here was what I ended up with at the table:
Of course, the first place I started was with the Fried Fish:
By the time we arrived at paid for our meals, it was already close to 6:45 PM. Since the dinner ran only until 7:30 PM, almost all of the fish required for the remainder of the evening had already been fried and was simply being held in the kitchen and served as needed.
Here was a shot of the interior of the fish:
The outer coating was very crispy (initially a good sound and sign), but once we started to tuck into the fish itself, we discovered that it was decent to poor in terms of moisture. The flavor was fine, but both of my pieces were a bit dry. Alicia's husband, Hans, had one fillet that was moist and one that was not, but the rest of the diners tonight found the fish to be lacking in the moisture department.
After being a bit disappointed in the fried fish, I next turned my attention to the "award-winning" Pierogi:
Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a a winner! These were not only tender, but also incredibly flavorful. The filling was nicely seasoned and the fried onions and included packet of sour cream meant that I could truly savor my three potato-laden pockets of love tonight. THIS was what I had been craving during the past four weeks of Lent. Regardless of the other components on my plate tonight, the pierogi were enough for me to recommend St. Andrew.
I next moved onto the Macaroni and Cheese:
This had wonderful cheese flavor, but unfortunately, it was overcooked. I'd be curious to try this just after the dinner service started at 5 PM, but by 7:00 PM, the pasta had only a slight bit of texture. It was definitely homemade and clearly pasta doesn't do well being held for a long time, but in the grand scheme of things, the overcooked pasta made this a less-than-stellar version of this American staple.
As opposed to the woman at St. Nicholas who claimed that homemade coleslaw just wasn't possible for the masses during Lent, St. Andrew brought serious game to their version:
Clearly homemade, the slaw was tasty and refreshing. Just like the pierogi, I had grown accustomed to food-service coleslaw. Having the fresh stuff available was both surprising and welcomed. While it wasn't perfectly balanced between sweet and sour, it did go a long way towards satisfying my need for something made from scratch.
Finally, every meal included one of several sweet treats. Tonight I decided to go with a slice of Honey Cake:
While the cake definitely tasted of honey, it was just a touch dry (most likely due to the fact that it had been sitting out in the open air before I approached the dessert table and requested a piece). At the same time, I also ate the entire piece of cake fairly quickly, so clearly my objection to its dryness wasn't too overpowering. There were a selection of desserts available (poppyseed rolls, amongst them). Like my meal earlier in the evening, I liked being able to finish my meal with something small and sweet, but not overpowering.
I finished my meal tonight very happy with the pierogi, but somewhat disappointed in the fish and macaroni and cheese. That being said, I'm guessing that if you show up sooner rather than later, both of those issues might be corrected, at least somewhat.
Here are the current rankings so far from best overall to worst overall as well as an individual grade for each of the major elements on the plate.
1. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (Akron): Fish, B+; Macaroni and Cheese, B; Coleslaw, C; Roasted Potatoes, B; Baklava, A-
2. St. Andrew Ukranian Catholic Church (Parma): Fish, C; Macaroni and Cheese, C; Coleslaw, B; Pierogi, A; Honey Cake, B
3. St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (Mogadore): Fish, C+; Jo Jo's, B; Pierogi, B-; Coleslaw, C+; Punchki, B+
4. St. George Catholic Church (North Canton): Fish, C-; Macaroni and Cheese, C-; Coleslaw, C+; Mamaliga, C
5. Queen of Heaven Catholic Church (Green): Fish, C+; Macaroni and Cheese, D; Roasted Potatoes, C; Pierogi, C; Coleslaw, B-
6. Our Lady of Guadalupe (Macedonia): Fish, B-; Pierogi, D+; French Fries, C; Coleslaw, C
7. St. Mary Church (Hudson): Fish, D+; Pierogi, C-; French Fries, B
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Lenten Project II: Week 4
Here we are, gentle reader, on the fourth Friday of Lent. So far this season, I haven't had a whole lot of success finding really solid Lenten fish fries. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church came close during week two, but other than that, it's been nothing but off-smelling and poorly fried fish, midland to awful macaroni and cheese, and nothing but a sea of Mrs. T's frozen pierogi, even those at times not executed well. While I wasn't sure about the rest of tonight's dinner, I did know one thing for sure: the pierogi at my dining destination would be homemade. Clearly a beacon of hope on my foggy culinary coastline.
As I pulled into the parking lot of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church at 755 South Cleveland Avenue, Mogadore, OH 44312, I found myself already greatly anticipating tonight's meal. Should you have questions about the fish fry at St. Nicholas, you can call 330-628-1333. Parking was in an ample lot just outside of the banquet facility (which is just north of and next to the church).
Here was a shot of the outside of the Banquet Hall:
Once inside, I was handed a paper menu for tonight's meal, but this larger-than-life cardboard copy also told the story of what I would find to eat at the service line:
Even at 5 PM, a line had already formed consisting of the fish fry early birds. As I stood in line waiting for my chance to approach the service line, I began to study the menu in my hand a bit more intensely so that I could figure out the best way to get the maximum number of tastes for the minimum price. I liked the fact that you could get the small fried fish dinner for $7 which included two pieces of fried cod or one piece of baked cod. I decided the easiest way to get the pierogi was to add a side for $3. Unfortunately, what I found a bit disconcerting about St. Nicholas's menu tonight was that beyond the basic dinner, everything else was extra. Dinner roll and butter? Extra $1, please. Sour cream for your pierogi? Extra $0.50, please.
It's not that I am above paying for these items, but the pay-as-you-eat plan just felt a little too like flying the "friendly" skies where you pay for the basic item and then any additional services cost you more and more. On top of that, my thinking was that if I ordered a side of pierogi, the sour cream should be included. I mean, where else in a fried fish dinner would you even use it?
Okay, okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. After making my way through the service line and paying for my meal (total of $10), I stopped to pick up a cup of water and found an empty table where I could spread out. Here was a shot of my dinner tonight at St. Nicolas:
Almost as soon as I pulled out my new camera (did I mention I bought a new camera, gentle reader?), one of the bussers approached me and asked me if I worked for the Akron Beacon Journal. I responded with a simple, "No." I figured he was looking for a more thorough response, but apparently didn't want to discuss it further as he moved on to another table. Ah well, I thought, question asked, question answered.
I turned my attention first to the Fried Cod:
Here was a shot of the interior of the fillet:
The fish was okay. While the coating was crispy, it was also a little bit greasy. However, this really wasn't the major offense. Even though the doors had opened only minutes prior, the fish was somewhat dried out. It wasn't the fish jerky I had experienced at St. Mary during my very first Lenten fish fry visit, but it also wasn't bursting with moisture either. On the plus side, there was no off fishy smell and otherwise, it was a decent-enough piece of fried fish.
One item that no other church in the Akron-Canton area had offered yet was Jo Jo's:
Jo Jo's, for the uninitiated, are potato wedges that are either dredged in seasoned flour (or not) and then fried (or baked). They seem to be a northeast Ohio specialty item and are often paired with fried chicken instead of fried fish. Tonight's version at St. Nicholas were decent enough, the wedges crispy on the outside while soft and creamy on the inside, with just enough spice to keep my taste buds entertained.
Next up was the moment I had been waiting for, the Homemade Potato and Cheese Pierogi:
I ended up eating these "naked," served only in the butter in which they sat in the chafing dish. One look at their irregular shape and I could tell that they were homemade. As I cut into the first doughy pillow, the slightly orange-ish hue of the filling told me that these were made with cheddar cheese and potatoes. I took my first bite and was rewarded with a wonderful texture from the dough wrapper. What didn't really please me, however, was the somewhat serious lack of seasoning in the filling. While one would normally think that adding cheese to the filling would take care of the seasoning issues, sadly, the filling of these pierogi lacked some necessary salt. Still, I would take these over Mrs. T's any day.
Next up on my plate was the Coleslaw:
As I was making my way through the service line, I stopped and asked the woman dishing up this all-too-common side dish if it was homemade. She paused for a moment, carefully considering her response, and finally said, "No. We just couldn't make that much coleslaw for these dinners. But, this is really good coleslaw. I'm a coleslaw person and I really like it." While I've heard this response more times than I can count, I have to question the validity of this answer. Seriously, what are you going to say to that question ... "Yeah, it's food service coleslaw and it does kind of suck."?
Fortunately for St. Nicholas, it didn't suck. In fact, it wasn't half bad. I enjoyed the bit of semi-spicy kick to it (almost like a mild horseradish had been added to it). Since the coleslaw already came with the meal, there was no reason not to get it should you decide to stop at St. Nicholas and have a meal.
In a surprise twist, fresh Punchki were being offered to anyone who purchased a meal:
While it seemed that two come per order, I only opted to have one of these sugar-covered fried donuts for my dessert. Punchki (this is the way it would be pronounced ... not the way it is properly spelled) are traditionally Fat Tuesday fodder, but I certainly appreciated the nod to this Lenten treat that stemmed from Eastern European tradition. I did note that tonight's version was unfilled, whereas most punchki contain a filling of fruit or custard. That said, the fried dough was done reasonably well and wasn't greasy at all. This was a nice way to end the meal.
As with most of the other churches I've visited so far during the Lenten Project II, St. Nicholas was a mixed bag. While there were several items off of their menu that I really liked, other staples like the fried fish were only so-so. The pierogi were definitely homemade, a big plus, but the filling needed more seasoning. Finally, a sweet treat that was included as part of the experience left me ready to recommend this dinner to others.
Here are the current rankings so far from best overall to worst overall as well as an individual grade for each of the major elements on the plate.
1. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (Akron): Fish, B+; Macaroni and Cheese, B; Coleslaw, C; Roasted Potatoes, B; Baklava, A-
2. St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (Mogadore): Fish, C+; Jo Jo's, B; Pierogi, B-; Coleslaw, C+; Punchki, B+
3. St. George Catholic Church (North Canton): Fish, C-; Macaroni and Cheese, C-; Coleslaw, C+; Mamaliga, C
4. Queen of Heaven Catholic Church (Green): Fish, C+; Macaroni and Cheese, D; Roasted Potatoes, C; Pierogi, C; Coleslaw, B-
5. Our Lady of Guadalupe (Macedonia): Fish, B-; Pierogi, D+; French Fries, C; Coleslaw, C
6. St. Mary Church (Hudson): Fish, D+; Pierogi, C-; French Fries, B
As I pulled into the parking lot of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church at 755 South Cleveland Avenue, Mogadore, OH 44312, I found myself already greatly anticipating tonight's meal. Should you have questions about the fish fry at St. Nicholas, you can call 330-628-1333. Parking was in an ample lot just outside of the banquet facility (which is just north of and next to the church).
Here was a shot of the outside of the Banquet Hall:
Once inside, I was handed a paper menu for tonight's meal, but this larger-than-life cardboard copy also told the story of what I would find to eat at the service line:
Even at 5 PM, a line had already formed consisting of the fish fry early birds. As I stood in line waiting for my chance to approach the service line, I began to study the menu in my hand a bit more intensely so that I could figure out the best way to get the maximum number of tastes for the minimum price. I liked the fact that you could get the small fried fish dinner for $7 which included two pieces of fried cod or one piece of baked cod. I decided the easiest way to get the pierogi was to add a side for $3. Unfortunately, what I found a bit disconcerting about St. Nicholas's menu tonight was that beyond the basic dinner, everything else was extra. Dinner roll and butter? Extra $1, please. Sour cream for your pierogi? Extra $0.50, please.
It's not that I am above paying for these items, but the pay-as-you-eat plan just felt a little too like flying the "friendly" skies where you pay for the basic item and then any additional services cost you more and more. On top of that, my thinking was that if I ordered a side of pierogi, the sour cream should be included. I mean, where else in a fried fish dinner would you even use it?
Okay, okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. After making my way through the service line and paying for my meal (total of $10), I stopped to pick up a cup of water and found an empty table where I could spread out. Here was a shot of my dinner tonight at St. Nicolas:
Almost as soon as I pulled out my new camera (did I mention I bought a new camera, gentle reader?), one of the bussers approached me and asked me if I worked for the Akron Beacon Journal. I responded with a simple, "No." I figured he was looking for a more thorough response, but apparently didn't want to discuss it further as he moved on to another table. Ah well, I thought, question asked, question answered.
I turned my attention first to the Fried Cod:
Here was a shot of the interior of the fillet:
The fish was okay. While the coating was crispy, it was also a little bit greasy. However, this really wasn't the major offense. Even though the doors had opened only minutes prior, the fish was somewhat dried out. It wasn't the fish jerky I had experienced at St. Mary during my very first Lenten fish fry visit, but it also wasn't bursting with moisture either. On the plus side, there was no off fishy smell and otherwise, it was a decent-enough piece of fried fish.
One item that no other church in the Akron-Canton area had offered yet was Jo Jo's:
Jo Jo's, for the uninitiated, are potato wedges that are either dredged in seasoned flour (or not) and then fried (or baked). They seem to be a northeast Ohio specialty item and are often paired with fried chicken instead of fried fish. Tonight's version at St. Nicholas were decent enough, the wedges crispy on the outside while soft and creamy on the inside, with just enough spice to keep my taste buds entertained.
Next up was the moment I had been waiting for, the Homemade Potato and Cheese Pierogi:
I ended up eating these "naked," served only in the butter in which they sat in the chafing dish. One look at their irregular shape and I could tell that they were homemade. As I cut into the first doughy pillow, the slightly orange-ish hue of the filling told me that these were made with cheddar cheese and potatoes. I took my first bite and was rewarded with a wonderful texture from the dough wrapper. What didn't really please me, however, was the somewhat serious lack of seasoning in the filling. While one would normally think that adding cheese to the filling would take care of the seasoning issues, sadly, the filling of these pierogi lacked some necessary salt. Still, I would take these over Mrs. T's any day.
Next up on my plate was the Coleslaw:
As I was making my way through the service line, I stopped and asked the woman dishing up this all-too-common side dish if it was homemade. She paused for a moment, carefully considering her response, and finally said, "No. We just couldn't make that much coleslaw for these dinners. But, this is really good coleslaw. I'm a coleslaw person and I really like it." While I've heard this response more times than I can count, I have to question the validity of this answer. Seriously, what are you going to say to that question ... "Yeah, it's food service coleslaw and it does kind of suck."?
Fortunately for St. Nicholas, it didn't suck. In fact, it wasn't half bad. I enjoyed the bit of semi-spicy kick to it (almost like a mild horseradish had been added to it). Since the coleslaw already came with the meal, there was no reason not to get it should you decide to stop at St. Nicholas and have a meal.
In a surprise twist, fresh Punchki were being offered to anyone who purchased a meal:
While it seemed that two come per order, I only opted to have one of these sugar-covered fried donuts for my dessert. Punchki (this is the way it would be pronounced ... not the way it is properly spelled) are traditionally Fat Tuesday fodder, but I certainly appreciated the nod to this Lenten treat that stemmed from Eastern European tradition. I did note that tonight's version was unfilled, whereas most punchki contain a filling of fruit or custard. That said, the fried dough was done reasonably well and wasn't greasy at all. This was a nice way to end the meal.
As with most of the other churches I've visited so far during the Lenten Project II, St. Nicholas was a mixed bag. While there were several items off of their menu that I really liked, other staples like the fried fish were only so-so. The pierogi were definitely homemade, a big plus, but the filling needed more seasoning. Finally, a sweet treat that was included as part of the experience left me ready to recommend this dinner to others.
Here are the current rankings so far from best overall to worst overall as well as an individual grade for each of the major elements on the plate.
1. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (Akron): Fish, B+; Macaroni and Cheese, B; Coleslaw, C; Roasted Potatoes, B; Baklava, A-
2. St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (Mogadore): Fish, C+; Jo Jo's, B; Pierogi, B-; Coleslaw, C+; Punchki, B+
3. St. George Catholic Church (North Canton): Fish, C-; Macaroni and Cheese, C-; Coleslaw, C+; Mamaliga, C
4. Queen of Heaven Catholic Church (Green): Fish, C+; Macaroni and Cheese, D; Roasted Potatoes, C; Pierogi, C; Coleslaw, B-
5. Our Lady of Guadalupe (Macedonia): Fish, B-; Pierogi, D+; French Fries, C; Coleslaw, C
6. St. Mary Church (Hudson): Fish, D+; Pierogi, C-; French Fries, B
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Lenten Project II: Week 3, Part 1
In the movie The Matrix, when one of the characters noticed the same cat cross the same doorway twice, it ultimately meant trouble for the small band of freedom fighters. Deja vu, or that sense that you've experienced some emotion, feeling, or experience before is something that I think everyone has had to deal with from time to time. The only two dinners on my list of destinations this year that are return visits include stops at the Slovak J Club and tonight's visit to Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in Green, Ohio.
While consistency is something for which any good restaurant strives, in the case of Queen of Heaven, I could've simply placed a link to last year's review and walked away. But, of course, I haven't given out the whole story quite yet. While consistency is a great thing, if you aren't consistently good, then that presents its own problem. At just after 5:00 PM today, I pulled into the parking lot for Queen of Heaven to discover an already full parking lot. When I went last year for my second dinner of the evening, I had a somewhat tricky time even finding a parking spot. Clearly this dinner was a popular Lenten destination.
Queen of Heaven Catholic Church was located at 1800 Steese Road, Uniontown, OH 44685 and can be reached at 330-896-2345. They also have a website. Like last year, the fried fish dinner was held in the Parish Life Center:
Being an experienced diner at Queen of Heaven this year, I knew that once inside the door, there would be two lines, one for placing take-out dinner orders and the other for dine-in only. As I approached the order and payment tables in the dine-in line, I took a snapshot of the menu:
As I wanted to make sure I sampled both the pierogi and macaroni and cheese (to see if they had improved from last year), I was happy to see that all dinners came with two sides. Since I had discovered the roasted potatoes from the previous week's visit to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, I decided to add an additional side of the potatoes. I paid my somewhat reasonable tab of $9.50, took my filled-in order form, and walked into the entrance of the gymnasium/cafeteria/fellowship hall. Once there, I was greeted and shown to a table.
After sitting for only a minute, one of the church volunteers approached me with a tray containing fresh bread slices and a choice between applesauce and coleslaw. I selected the coleslaw, placed my drink order, and proceeded to walk up to the front of the hall and queue up behind roughly fifteen other people.
After getting all of the food for which I had paid, I return to the table and began dutifully photographing all of it. Here was a shot of my entire meal:
The table at which I had been placed was already populated by two other sets of couples. When I began taking pictures, one of the other diners at my table sort of laughed/snickered and said, "I don't have to take pictures to remember what the food tastes like!" I briefly thought about engaging him, but then thought the better of it and just let the comment lie. You have to pick your battles and this was one I didn't feel was worth the effort.
The one thing I remembered as being outstanding from last year's visit was the bread. As you stand in line waiting to be served, you invariably ended up walking past the table where a volunteer was slicing the bread fresh and inserting each slice into it's own waxed paper envelop. This year's dinner was no exception. It was fresh, it was tasty, and it had a wonderful chew to both the crust and crumb. If Queen of Heaven succeeded nowhere else, they absolutely rule when it came to their choice in bread. Sadly, this was the high point.
Having enjoyed the bread, next up on the tasting docket was the Fried Fish:
I seem to remember the fried fish from last year being the second brightest point of that meal. This time around, the fish looked nicely fried and golden brown on the outside, but the slightest pressure or touch yielded very greasy fingers. The coating was crisp and nicely seasoned, but once I tasted the fish, I was longing for a bit of seasoning. While the standard fried fish dinner came with three pieces, I ate the first and about half of the second before giving up.
Here was a shot of the interior of the fish:
In an interesting turn of events, while the first piece of fish I ate was decent in turns of moisture, the second piece was much drier and less enjoyable. Considering that they had come from the same batch on the same side of the chafing dish, this was a little worrisome. Overall, I think the execution of the fish dropped a bit this year.
New on my plate this year were the Roasted Potatoes:
While I was excited to see some herbs sprinkled on these potatoes (the very thing for which I dinged Annunciation's version), sadly these had none of the magic that came from a properly roasted potato. The potatoes were lacking any crispy exterior, although the interior was definitely creamy enough. Additionally, these lacked seasoning. To their credit, they weren't unsalted, just undersalted. For a boiled or steamed potato, this would have worked well. Roasted? Not so much.
Next up on the plate was the Macaroni and Cheese:
This was the one item I was eager to see if it had improved from last year. I figured it really could only improve (I mean, I gave it a 'D' last year). As soon as the woman working the chafing dish scooped my portion and placed it on my plate, I knew that this was going to be deja vu all over again. And it was. Apparently, completely overcooked, mushy pasta was how they like to serve it at Queen of Heaven. While the macaroni and cheese had a decent cheese flavor, the pasta was BEYOND done. I took approximately two bites, one to register my first impression and the second to confirm it. I left the rest.
The next item I tried on my plate were the Pierogi with Fried Onions:
While the pierogi looked slightly different than the ones from last year, they also looked 100% uniform and resembled the standard Mrs. T's frozen product that I can get year round at the grocery store. One bite of these potato-filled dumplings confirmed my suspicions. The onions, while somewhat fried, still had a bit of raw crunch to them and didn't do that much in adding any sweetness to the pierogi. All in all, as was my assessment last year, average.
The final component on my tray tonight was the Coleslaw:
This dish intrigued me last year and it intrigued me this year. I asked my the woman delivering this side dish if it was homemade (I kind of guessed that it was last year) and she gave me the most incredulous look and said, "I have no idea if it is homemade." Still, based on the irregularity of the cut on the vegetables, it looks homemade. And, just like last year, the dressing was very light and sank to the bottom of the cup. It would be easy to think this was a mayonnaise-less dressing because it didn't taste heavy, but the scant milky dressing at the bottom of the cup would beg to differ with that conclusion. While this was certainly better than standard food service coleslaw, it didn't really sing either.
My meal now complete, I gathered my personal affects and headed outside, convinced that what I had experienced at Queen of Heaven's fish fry last year was indeed an accurate reflection. While the fish suffered a bit this year, the pierogi were still average, the macaroni and cheese was still sub-par, the coleslaw was still intriguing, and the fresh bread still remained the best part of the entire meal.
Here are the current rankings so far from best overall to worst overall as well as an individual grade for each of the major elements on the plate.
1. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (Akron): Fish, B+; Macaroni and Cheese, B; Coleslaw, C; Roasted Potatoes, B; Baklava, A-
2. Queen of Heaven Catholic Church (Green): Fish, C+; Macaroni and Cheese, D; Roasted Potatoes, C; Pierogi, C; Coleslaw, B-
3. Our Lady of Guadalupe (Macedonia): Fish, B-; Pierogi, D+; French Fries, C; Coleslaw, C
4. St. Mary Church (Hudson): Fish, D+; Pierogi, C-; French Fries, B
While consistency is something for which any good restaurant strives, in the case of Queen of Heaven, I could've simply placed a link to last year's review and walked away. But, of course, I haven't given out the whole story quite yet. While consistency is a great thing, if you aren't consistently good, then that presents its own problem. At just after 5:00 PM today, I pulled into the parking lot for Queen of Heaven to discover an already full parking lot. When I went last year for my second dinner of the evening, I had a somewhat tricky time even finding a parking spot. Clearly this dinner was a popular Lenten destination.
Queen of Heaven Catholic Church was located at 1800 Steese Road, Uniontown, OH 44685 and can be reached at 330-896-2345. They also have a website. Like last year, the fried fish dinner was held in the Parish Life Center:
Being an experienced diner at Queen of Heaven this year, I knew that once inside the door, there would be two lines, one for placing take-out dinner orders and the other for dine-in only. As I approached the order and payment tables in the dine-in line, I took a snapshot of the menu:
As I wanted to make sure I sampled both the pierogi and macaroni and cheese (to see if they had improved from last year), I was happy to see that all dinners came with two sides. Since I had discovered the roasted potatoes from the previous week's visit to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, I decided to add an additional side of the potatoes. I paid my somewhat reasonable tab of $9.50, took my filled-in order form, and walked into the entrance of the gymnasium/cafeteria/fellowship hall. Once there, I was greeted and shown to a table.
After sitting for only a minute, one of the church volunteers approached me with a tray containing fresh bread slices and a choice between applesauce and coleslaw. I selected the coleslaw, placed my drink order, and proceeded to walk up to the front of the hall and queue up behind roughly fifteen other people.
After getting all of the food for which I had paid, I return to the table and began dutifully photographing all of it. Here was a shot of my entire meal:
The table at which I had been placed was already populated by two other sets of couples. When I began taking pictures, one of the other diners at my table sort of laughed/snickered and said, "I don't have to take pictures to remember what the food tastes like!" I briefly thought about engaging him, but then thought the better of it and just let the comment lie. You have to pick your battles and this was one I didn't feel was worth the effort.
The one thing I remembered as being outstanding from last year's visit was the bread. As you stand in line waiting to be served, you invariably ended up walking past the table where a volunteer was slicing the bread fresh and inserting each slice into it's own waxed paper envelop. This year's dinner was no exception. It was fresh, it was tasty, and it had a wonderful chew to both the crust and crumb. If Queen of Heaven succeeded nowhere else, they absolutely rule when it came to their choice in bread. Sadly, this was the high point.
Having enjoyed the bread, next up on the tasting docket was the Fried Fish:
I seem to remember the fried fish from last year being the second brightest point of that meal. This time around, the fish looked nicely fried and golden brown on the outside, but the slightest pressure or touch yielded very greasy fingers. The coating was crisp and nicely seasoned, but once I tasted the fish, I was longing for a bit of seasoning. While the standard fried fish dinner came with three pieces, I ate the first and about half of the second before giving up.
Here was a shot of the interior of the fish:
In an interesting turn of events, while the first piece of fish I ate was decent in turns of moisture, the second piece was much drier and less enjoyable. Considering that they had come from the same batch on the same side of the chafing dish, this was a little worrisome. Overall, I think the execution of the fish dropped a bit this year.
New on my plate this year were the Roasted Potatoes:
While I was excited to see some herbs sprinkled on these potatoes (the very thing for which I dinged Annunciation's version), sadly these had none of the magic that came from a properly roasted potato. The potatoes were lacking any crispy exterior, although the interior was definitely creamy enough. Additionally, these lacked seasoning. To their credit, they weren't unsalted, just undersalted. For a boiled or steamed potato, this would have worked well. Roasted? Not so much.
Next up on the plate was the Macaroni and Cheese:
This was the one item I was eager to see if it had improved from last year. I figured it really could only improve (I mean, I gave it a 'D' last year). As soon as the woman working the chafing dish scooped my portion and placed it on my plate, I knew that this was going to be deja vu all over again. And it was. Apparently, completely overcooked, mushy pasta was how they like to serve it at Queen of Heaven. While the macaroni and cheese had a decent cheese flavor, the pasta was BEYOND done. I took approximately two bites, one to register my first impression and the second to confirm it. I left the rest.
The next item I tried on my plate were the Pierogi with Fried Onions:
While the pierogi looked slightly different than the ones from last year, they also looked 100% uniform and resembled the standard Mrs. T's frozen product that I can get year round at the grocery store. One bite of these potato-filled dumplings confirmed my suspicions. The onions, while somewhat fried, still had a bit of raw crunch to them and didn't do that much in adding any sweetness to the pierogi. All in all, as was my assessment last year, average.
The final component on my tray tonight was the Coleslaw:
This dish intrigued me last year and it intrigued me this year. I asked my the woman delivering this side dish if it was homemade (I kind of guessed that it was last year) and she gave me the most incredulous look and said, "I have no idea if it is homemade." Still, based on the irregularity of the cut on the vegetables, it looks homemade. And, just like last year, the dressing was very light and sank to the bottom of the cup. It would be easy to think this was a mayonnaise-less dressing because it didn't taste heavy, but the scant milky dressing at the bottom of the cup would beg to differ with that conclusion. While this was certainly better than standard food service coleslaw, it didn't really sing either.
My meal now complete, I gathered my personal affects and headed outside, convinced that what I had experienced at Queen of Heaven's fish fry last year was indeed an accurate reflection. While the fish suffered a bit this year, the pierogi were still average, the macaroni and cheese was still sub-par, the coleslaw was still intriguing, and the fresh bread still remained the best part of the entire meal.
Here are the current rankings so far from best overall to worst overall as well as an individual grade for each of the major elements on the plate.
1. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (Akron): Fish, B+; Macaroni and Cheese, B; Coleslaw, C; Roasted Potatoes, B; Baklava, A-
2. Queen of Heaven Catholic Church (Green): Fish, C+; Macaroni and Cheese, D; Roasted Potatoes, C; Pierogi, C; Coleslaw, B-
3. Our Lady of Guadalupe (Macedonia): Fish, B-; Pierogi, D+; French Fries, C; Coleslaw, C
4. St. Mary Church (Hudson): Fish, D+; Pierogi, C-; French Fries, B
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Lenten Project II: Week 1, Part 2
Having finished my first Lenten fish fry dinner for the evening at St. Mary Church in Hudson, I hopped back in my car and headed north on Route 91 to get to my second destination for the evening, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Macedonia. While I had budgeted about ninety minutes of times between the two dinners, between lingering at the first dinner and taking a phone call while I was sitting in the parking lot of the second, 6:30 PM came around much quicker than I thought it would.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church was located at 9080 Shepard Road, Macedonia, OH 44056 and can be reached at 330-468-2194 ext. 38. The church was set back a bit from the road, but fortunately a sign was placed near the street indicating the availability of tonight's fish fry. As I pulled around to the back of the church, I was greeted with an enormous parking lot. After parking and gathering my camera, I approached the rear of the church to discover fairly obvious directions:
This was similar to Queen of Heaven Church in Uniontown that I visited last year. I suppose this keeps the whole operation more efficient as you won't have people standing around waiting for their to-go food order. Once inside the church, I walked through a roped area to a podium where a woman greeted me warmly and asked if I was here for the dinner. When I responded that I was definitely here to get some fried fish and pierogi, she emphatically responded by praising their pierogi offering. She then handed me off to another gentleman dressed nicely in a suit who selected a half-empty table at which I could sit.
It seemed that the "restaurant" theme was prevalent in tonight's visits as Our Lady had been staffed by the youth of the church. After taking our drink orders, I got down to the business of capturing tonight's menu:
Once my order had been taken, I was surprised at how quickly my food arrived at the table. First up was my dinner roll for the evening:
I didn't bother with the margarine, but I did sample the roll and found it ... okay. It wasn't pristinely fresh, but it also wasn't stale either.
Next up was the coleslaw:
While this did have a nice acidity to it, it was clear that this was run-of-the-mill food service coleslaw. Let's just say that my socks have not been knocked off at this point in the meal.
While I was waiting for the main portion of the meal to arrive, the woman seated next to me engaged me in a small bit of conversation after she heard that I had ordered the pierogi dinner. "Oh, the pierogi are very good!" When I asked if they were homemade, she got a slightly pained look on her face and replied, "No, I don't think so."
It was actually cheaper (by about $0.75) to order the pierogi dinner and add a side of fried perch than the other way around. Here was a shot of the Pierogi Dinner with French Fries:
I'm not sure if the menu had a typo on it or not, but the menu said nothing of French Fries. Rest assured, it came with them. Sure enough, a not-so-close examination of the pierogi indicated machine made dumplings (more than likely Mrs. T's or something similar). While the fried onions had been salted (unlike St. Mary Church's version), the poor pierogi had been pan fried to within an inch of their lives. While I do enjoy the textural contrast of a crispy exterior to the creamy interior, these were dried out and hard to chew.
The French Fries were average. The good news was that they weren't greasy, but there were a few fries that were a bit limp.
My side of Fried Perch arrived on its own plate:
Examining the exterior of the fish, it appeared not to be greasy, the color of the batter was good, and there wasn't an abundance of flaked off batter like I had experienced earlier in the evening. After cutting into it, I found that while it wasn't the juiciest piece of fried fish I had ever eaten, it wasn't bad and certainly a step up from St. Mary's. Here was a shot of the interior of the fillet:
The only problem I had with the fish was that it had a slightly fishy smell to it. Not so strong that I would refuse to eat it, but definitely noticeable. The seasoning on the fish was done well.
It was at about this point in the evening that the same gentleman in the suit who had seated me earlier came over and inquired about my copious use of the camera. I make it a policy not to lie about what I am doing when directly asked. I produced a business card, explained that I was a local food blogger and had selected Our Lady of Guadalupe out of the Akron Beacon Journal's listing because they offered both fried fish and pierogi and told him that my review would be going up Sunday morning. Satisfied with that answer, he walked away. I suspect, based on what I've written here, that he probably won't be especially pleased should he actually visit the blog.
All said and done, I took my tab to the table outside of the eating area and ponied up my $8.50. Had I ordered the fried perch dinner and added a side of pierogi, it would've been $9.25. Not a bad price, either way you slice it. The service was quick and efficient and felt a little less assemby-line-ish than my previous dinner tonight.
Here are the current rankings so far from best overall to worst overall as well as an individual grade for each of the major elements on the plate.
1. Our Lady of Guadalupe (Macedonia): Fish, B-; Pierogi, D+; French Fries, C; Coleslaw, C
2. St. Mary Church (Hudson): Fish, D+; Pierogi, C-; French Fries, B
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church was located at 9080 Shepard Road, Macedonia, OH 44056 and can be reached at 330-468-2194 ext. 38. The church was set back a bit from the road, but fortunately a sign was placed near the street indicating the availability of tonight's fish fry. As I pulled around to the back of the church, I was greeted with an enormous parking lot. After parking and gathering my camera, I approached the rear of the church to discover fairly obvious directions:
This was similar to Queen of Heaven Church in Uniontown that I visited last year. I suppose this keeps the whole operation more efficient as you won't have people standing around waiting for their to-go food order. Once inside the church, I walked through a roped area to a podium where a woman greeted me warmly and asked if I was here for the dinner. When I responded that I was definitely here to get some fried fish and pierogi, she emphatically responded by praising their pierogi offering. She then handed me off to another gentleman dressed nicely in a suit who selected a half-empty table at which I could sit.
It seemed that the "restaurant" theme was prevalent in tonight's visits as Our Lady had been staffed by the youth of the church. After taking our drink orders, I got down to the business of capturing tonight's menu:
Once my order had been taken, I was surprised at how quickly my food arrived at the table. First up was my dinner roll for the evening:
I didn't bother with the margarine, but I did sample the roll and found it ... okay. It wasn't pristinely fresh, but it also wasn't stale either.
Next up was the coleslaw:
While this did have a nice acidity to it, it was clear that this was run-of-the-mill food service coleslaw. Let's just say that my socks have not been knocked off at this point in the meal.
While I was waiting for the main portion of the meal to arrive, the woman seated next to me engaged me in a small bit of conversation after she heard that I had ordered the pierogi dinner. "Oh, the pierogi are very good!" When I asked if they were homemade, she got a slightly pained look on her face and replied, "No, I don't think so."
It was actually cheaper (by about $0.75) to order the pierogi dinner and add a side of fried perch than the other way around. Here was a shot of the Pierogi Dinner with French Fries:
I'm not sure if the menu had a typo on it or not, but the menu said nothing of French Fries. Rest assured, it came with them. Sure enough, a not-so-close examination of the pierogi indicated machine made dumplings (more than likely Mrs. T's or something similar). While the fried onions had been salted (unlike St. Mary Church's version), the poor pierogi had been pan fried to within an inch of their lives. While I do enjoy the textural contrast of a crispy exterior to the creamy interior, these were dried out and hard to chew.
The French Fries were average. The good news was that they weren't greasy, but there were a few fries that were a bit limp.
My side of Fried Perch arrived on its own plate:
Examining the exterior of the fish, it appeared not to be greasy, the color of the batter was good, and there wasn't an abundance of flaked off batter like I had experienced earlier in the evening. After cutting into it, I found that while it wasn't the juiciest piece of fried fish I had ever eaten, it wasn't bad and certainly a step up from St. Mary's. Here was a shot of the interior of the fillet:
The only problem I had with the fish was that it had a slightly fishy smell to it. Not so strong that I would refuse to eat it, but definitely noticeable. The seasoning on the fish was done well.
It was at about this point in the evening that the same gentleman in the suit who had seated me earlier came over and inquired about my copious use of the camera. I make it a policy not to lie about what I am doing when directly asked. I produced a business card, explained that I was a local food blogger and had selected Our Lady of Guadalupe out of the Akron Beacon Journal's listing because they offered both fried fish and pierogi and told him that my review would be going up Sunday morning. Satisfied with that answer, he walked away. I suspect, based on what I've written here, that he probably won't be especially pleased should he actually visit the blog.
All said and done, I took my tab to the table outside of the eating area and ponied up my $8.50. Had I ordered the fried perch dinner and added a side of pierogi, it would've been $9.25. Not a bad price, either way you slice it. The service was quick and efficient and felt a little less assemby-line-ish than my previous dinner tonight.
Here are the current rankings so far from best overall to worst overall as well as an individual grade for each of the major elements on the plate.
1. Our Lady of Guadalupe (Macedonia): Fish, B-; Pierogi, D+; French Fries, C; Coleslaw, C
2. St. Mary Church (Hudson): Fish, D+; Pierogi, C-; French Fries, B
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Lenten Project II: Week 1, Part 1
For my first official fish fry, I was excited to be given the opportunity to return to the one church which had canceled during a Friday in last year's Lenten Project, St. Mary Church in Hudson, Ohio. It seemed that between the snow that had fallen between Thursday night and Friday morning and the impending second snowstorm that was prepared to dump even more snow on Akron that Friday evening, St. Mary cried, "Uncle!" and decided to err on the side of caution. As they were still serving fried fish and pierogi (my two basic criteria for selection) this year, I was glad that I would finally be able to see if they were worth the wait.
St. Mary Church was located at 340 North Main Street, Hudson, OH 44236 and can be reached at 330-650-0722 ext. 244. Since the church was on the corner of North Main and West Prospect, I came in the back way to avoid the downtown Hudson traffic on a Friday night. Parking was in the extremely ample lot off of Prospect. Promptly at 4:55 PM, I got out of my car and approached the back of the church, where the following sign had been planted into the snow:
Apparently the Lenten dinners are handled by the St. Mary Men's Club and upon walking through the entrance to the back of the building, it was apparent that the men were definitely running the show. Immediately upon entering the room where the dinner was being served, a gentleman handed me tonight's menu:
The first thing that popped into my head was, "Wow! That's an ambitious menu for a church fish fry. I know restaurants that offer fewer options." That should've been my first clue that something was going to be amiss. I was ushered to the left front side of the room where another gentleman was waiting to show me pictures of all the fish products available tonight. While I thought it was an interesting touch, it confirmed that every single seafood product was a food service, fried-from-frozen product (the corporate label on each of the photographs was a pretty good tell).
After showing me the pictures, he asked if I knew what I wanted. After responding that I was interested in the beer battered fish and the pierogi, he exclaimed, "Oh, the pierogi are really good!" After inquiring if they were homemade, he responded, "Well, no. But I had some just the other day and boy did they hit the spot." Um, okay. Not exactly the kind of thing a pierogi-lover likes to hear, but you never know.
Once a spot had opened up at the ordering table, I placed my order for a beer-battered fried fish dinner, a side of pierogi, and a bottle of water. As I got my wallet out to pay, the man taking my order pointed to a table next to the current one where I had to pay. As I walked over to the paying table, a laser printer spat out a copy of my order, which came to $13.70. After paying the tab, the man instructed me that the kitchen at the other side of the room would call my name when my order was ready. I just had to show him the receipt and I could take my food and sit wherever I liked.
In addition to the food service window, there was a condiment / silverware / napkin table to the left and a beverage dispensing table to the right. After about three or four minutes, my name was called. I took the tray, added whatever condiments and cutlery I thought I needed, collected my drink and sat down at a table near the back of the room where I knew I wouldn't bother anyone with my picture taking. Here was a shot of my dinner tray tonight:
After unloading everything onto the table, one of the men working the room came over and helpfully removed the tray from my table. For tonight's dinner, I decided to start with a standard assortment of condiments: sour cream for the pierogi, ketchup for the French Fries, and tartar sauce for the fried fish:
Sadly, high fructose corn syrup reigned supreme as it was within the first couple of ingredients in both the ketchup and the tartar sauce. As expected, when I tried the tartar sauce, it was too sweet for my taste.
The first box I opened was the Beer Battered Fried Fish:
The above was a bit deceiving since there was an additional fillet of fish underneath the one you can see. In fact, it turned out to be the thicker end of the fillet. While the fish had been fried so that it wasn't greasy, a lot of the beer battered coating had flaked off. When I finally got around to getting a nice thick piece of fish on my fork, I was disappointed to find that it had been fried to within about an inch of becoming fish jerky. The flavor wasn't objectionable, but even with an application of tartar sauce to introduce some moisture, this fish was well done.
Here was a shot of the interior of the fillet:
Dry, dry, dry! The pumpernickle dinner roll, however, while more than likely food service in origin, was actually fresh and tasted good.
The only side that my fish dinner came with tonight was French Fries:
These were clearly also fried-from-frozen, but they weren't half bad. Some of the fries were a little limp, but most had a nice crunch to them and they weren't greasy.
When I finally got to my pierogi, I was rewarded with ... yep, you guessed it, gentle reader, Mrs. T's (or an analogue):
Interestingly, the sauteed onions appeared to be homemade because the onions were cut to different shapes (uniformity usually means machine processing). When I tried a bite of the nicely caramelized onions, I was rewarded with the sweetness from the caramelization, but revolted by the fact that they were wholly unsalted. Now, an astute reader out there might say, "But, Tom! Perhaps they were purposely unsalted because of all those folks out there watching their salt intake." A valid argument, for sure. However, given the fact that the ONLY thing that seemed to be made from scratch tonight were the onions, every other product I tasted was definitely salted. So, that argument doesn't fly for me.
So how were the pierogi? Average. Okay. Basically, what I would expect from a commercial product and what I could get in the freezer section of my local supermarket. I ate about half of the serving with the onions and sour cream before pushing back from the table in order to leave room for my second dinner of the evening. As I sat there pondering the food I had just eaten, I realized that St. Mary's fish fry was exactly the opposite of what I was craving. Sure, I realize that fried-from-frozen fish can be good if done correctly, but tonight's meal just reinforced the notion that just because you can serve food service products, doesn't mean you should. I mean, isn't Lent the time to pull out the big guns and do it from scratch?
I'm sure it didn't help that the menu was gargantuan. For goodness sake, they had Lobster Ravioli! How about this ... pare the menu back to one or two fish offerings, a basic list of sides, and some honest-to-goodness homemade pierogi? More does not necessarily mean better and if I needed a real world test of this theory, St. Mary Church would be it. I really don't feel that they have anything unique going for them except the breadth of the menu. Additionally, $13.70 seemed a bit on the pricey side for everything I ate tonight.
Starting with this post and continuing for the remainder, at the end of each review, I'm going to give my rankings from best overall to worst overall as well as an individual grade for each of the major elements on the plate.
1. St. Mary Church (Hudson): Fish, D+; Pierogi, C-; French Fries, B
St. Mary Church was located at 340 North Main Street, Hudson, OH 44236 and can be reached at 330-650-0722 ext. 244. Since the church was on the corner of North Main and West Prospect, I came in the back way to avoid the downtown Hudson traffic on a Friday night. Parking was in the extremely ample lot off of Prospect. Promptly at 4:55 PM, I got out of my car and approached the back of the church, where the following sign had been planted into the snow:
Apparently the Lenten dinners are handled by the St. Mary Men's Club and upon walking through the entrance to the back of the building, it was apparent that the men were definitely running the show. Immediately upon entering the room where the dinner was being served, a gentleman handed me tonight's menu:
The first thing that popped into my head was, "Wow! That's an ambitious menu for a church fish fry. I know restaurants that offer fewer options." That should've been my first clue that something was going to be amiss. I was ushered to the left front side of the room where another gentleman was waiting to show me pictures of all the fish products available tonight. While I thought it was an interesting touch, it confirmed that every single seafood product was a food service, fried-from-frozen product (the corporate label on each of the photographs was a pretty good tell).
After showing me the pictures, he asked if I knew what I wanted. After responding that I was interested in the beer battered fish and the pierogi, he exclaimed, "Oh, the pierogi are really good!" After inquiring if they were homemade, he responded, "Well, no. But I had some just the other day and boy did they hit the spot." Um, okay. Not exactly the kind of thing a pierogi-lover likes to hear, but you never know.
Once a spot had opened up at the ordering table, I placed my order for a beer-battered fried fish dinner, a side of pierogi, and a bottle of water. As I got my wallet out to pay, the man taking my order pointed to a table next to the current one where I had to pay. As I walked over to the paying table, a laser printer spat out a copy of my order, which came to $13.70. After paying the tab, the man instructed me that the kitchen at the other side of the room would call my name when my order was ready. I just had to show him the receipt and I could take my food and sit wherever I liked.
In addition to the food service window, there was a condiment / silverware / napkin table to the left and a beverage dispensing table to the right. After about three or four minutes, my name was called. I took the tray, added whatever condiments and cutlery I thought I needed, collected my drink and sat down at a table near the back of the room where I knew I wouldn't bother anyone with my picture taking. Here was a shot of my dinner tray tonight:
After unloading everything onto the table, one of the men working the room came over and helpfully removed the tray from my table. For tonight's dinner, I decided to start with a standard assortment of condiments: sour cream for the pierogi, ketchup for the French Fries, and tartar sauce for the fried fish:
Sadly, high fructose corn syrup reigned supreme as it was within the first couple of ingredients in both the ketchup and the tartar sauce. As expected, when I tried the tartar sauce, it was too sweet for my taste.
The first box I opened was the Beer Battered Fried Fish:
The above was a bit deceiving since there was an additional fillet of fish underneath the one you can see. In fact, it turned out to be the thicker end of the fillet. While the fish had been fried so that it wasn't greasy, a lot of the beer battered coating had flaked off. When I finally got around to getting a nice thick piece of fish on my fork, I was disappointed to find that it had been fried to within about an inch of becoming fish jerky. The flavor wasn't objectionable, but even with an application of tartar sauce to introduce some moisture, this fish was well done.
Here was a shot of the interior of the fillet:
Dry, dry, dry! The pumpernickle dinner roll, however, while more than likely food service in origin, was actually fresh and tasted good.
The only side that my fish dinner came with tonight was French Fries:
These were clearly also fried-from-frozen, but they weren't half bad. Some of the fries were a little limp, but most had a nice crunch to them and they weren't greasy.
When I finally got to my pierogi, I was rewarded with ... yep, you guessed it, gentle reader, Mrs. T's (or an analogue):
Interestingly, the sauteed onions appeared to be homemade because the onions were cut to different shapes (uniformity usually means machine processing). When I tried a bite of the nicely caramelized onions, I was rewarded with the sweetness from the caramelization, but revolted by the fact that they were wholly unsalted. Now, an astute reader out there might say, "But, Tom! Perhaps they were purposely unsalted because of all those folks out there watching their salt intake." A valid argument, for sure. However, given the fact that the ONLY thing that seemed to be made from scratch tonight were the onions, every other product I tasted was definitely salted. So, that argument doesn't fly for me.
So how were the pierogi? Average. Okay. Basically, what I would expect from a commercial product and what I could get in the freezer section of my local supermarket. I ate about half of the serving with the onions and sour cream before pushing back from the table in order to leave room for my second dinner of the evening. As I sat there pondering the food I had just eaten, I realized that St. Mary's fish fry was exactly the opposite of what I was craving. Sure, I realize that fried-from-frozen fish can be good if done correctly, but tonight's meal just reinforced the notion that just because you can serve food service products, doesn't mean you should. I mean, isn't Lent the time to pull out the big guns and do it from scratch?
I'm sure it didn't help that the menu was gargantuan. For goodness sake, they had Lobster Ravioli! How about this ... pare the menu back to one or two fish offerings, a basic list of sides, and some honest-to-goodness homemade pierogi? More does not necessarily mean better and if I needed a real world test of this theory, St. Mary Church would be it. I really don't feel that they have anything unique going for them except the breadth of the menu. Additionally, $13.70 seemed a bit on the pricey side for everything I ate tonight.
Starting with this post and continuing for the remainder, at the end of each review, I'm going to give my rankings from best overall to worst overall as well as an individual grade for each of the major elements on the plate.
1. St. Mary Church (Hudson): Fish, D+; Pierogi, C-; French Fries, B
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
