| rev:text
| - This place is wonderful, and--in my opinion--puts so many things I love about Pittsburgh into one tiny location. The ethnic pride. The chaos. The friendliness. The great food.
I'm half Polish, though I didn't really grow up eating too much Polish food (or, at least, too much authentic Polish food). My wife and I stopped at a killer, real-deal Polish restaurant in Montreal a few years ago, though, and that started my quest for amazing Polish food. Which quickly led us to S&D in the Strip.
It's a pretty narrow place, and it always seems packed (even on weekdays). The space is pretty evenly divided between retail, deli, and a small dining space. You can order food and eat it, and boy is it good. I've tried about four different dishes there, all incredible. (Personal recommendation: the pork stew on dumplings is tops. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!) This is all authentic stuff, folks, and, the folks in the tiny kitchen whip it up quickly. There's limited space to eat, though, and even then the tables are wobbly and kind of gross. This might be the only qualm I have with the place, and it's really a minor one.
There're a lot of Polish and Eastern European household goods jammed into the back of the shop, too--everything from teas to pottery to chocolate to frozen pierogi. Lots of kitschy "Kiss Me, I'm Polish"-style shirts adorn the walls, of course, but they also have some lovely glassware and the like. Some of the imported goods are wonderful, too. I picked up a box of Herbapol mint tea once on a whim and now I'll never touch drink anything else.
The good folks there--all family, I think--are super friendly, switch back and forth between English and Polish for effect. There's always a huge link snaking past the deli meat and cheese display, and customers are always so good-natured. I love it, and I love this place. Hope you will too!
|