Ski's, the Toledo area's newest Polish-American restaurant, offers conclusive proof that you don't need expensive Bordeaux, foie gras, caviar, prime steak, and pheasant under glass to make a memorable feast.
Here I was with a cold soda pop in front of me, a fat kielbasa link on one plate, and "chicken a la Ski bake" on the other. The kielbasa was juicy, and the chicken bake overflowed with chunks of breast, peas, cheddar cheese, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Sopped up with a slice of buttered rye bread, the dish was sensational; I couldn't have been more satisfied.
This is comfort food at its nostalgic, all-American best, combined with Polish dishes that draw not only old-time Poles from the city's Lagrinka and Kuschwantz neighborhoods but people of all stripes eager to sample kielbasa, galabki, pierogi, latkes, szynka, and kluski z kapusta - in order, Polish sausage, cabbage rolls, dumplings, potato pancakes, Polish ham, and Polish noodles and cabbage. Who could resist?
I grew up on Lagrange Street, where the Poles who once dominated the neighborhood we knew as "Duketown" feasted not only on Polish specialties, but also Friday night fish fries and cold beer at local taverns up and down the street, along with the kind of comfort food that Ski's turns out daily - homemade meat loaf, mashed potatoes and lots of gravy, chicken dinners, stuffed peppers, burgers, and chicken soup with thick dumpling noodles.
Ski's, owned by local businessman Jack Sparagowski, is located in the shopping strip between Monroe Street and Alexis Road in Sylvania. It's a modest place with red booths on either side and tables in the center, the official eagle's crest of Poland on one of the stark red-and-white walls, and at every booth, pictures of well-known people with Polish roots, among them Pope John Paul II, actors Harvey Keitel,
Linda Kozlowski, and Loretta
Swit, and singers Pat Benatar and Bobby Vinton.
Customers are greeted by smiling servers and continuous polka music piped through the speakers. At the entrance is the cashier's counter and copies of the Lagrange St. News, free for the taking. No alcohol is served.
Appetizers in the $5 to $6 range include sauerkraut balls with diced ham, tomato bread, cranberry sauce and cream cheese with walnuts, and a big helping of creamed herring with crackers. Among the soups ($1.99/$2.99) are the delicious house specialty, dill pickle with cream, carrots, and potato bites. And on Fridays and Saturdays only, czarnina - called duck soup but made with beef blood, noodles, and vegetables - is available at $4.99 a bowl.
First-timers would do well to order Ski's Polish platter ($8.99) which, like most dishes, costs about $3 more at dinner. The platter is a panoply of hearty Polish fare: kielbasa; deep-fried pierogi with a choice of veal, pork, or potato fillings; galobki in tomato sauce; sweet and sour cabbage; green beans, and mashed potatoes and gravy.
Sandwiches ($6 to $7) include a thick Polish club, salmon burger, good grilled fried bologna, and plump whitefish on Texas toast.
Other entrees we doted on were the aforementioned, very addictive chicken bake ($8.99), shepherd's pie ($9.99) with ground beef, vegetables, and the ubiquitous mashed potatoes, and homemade meatloaf ($8.99), two walloping slices covered with rich, dark brown gravy. Not tried were Polish stew in a bread bowl and peach chicken with peach sauce.
A good conclusion to the meal are pies, including luscious lemonade and caramel cheesecake which, like just about everything else at Ski's, are homemade.
Contact Bill of Fare at fare@theblade.com
First Published August 9, 2007, 10:08 a.m.
