Jewish-Style Polish Food, Krakow

We have now returned home from Poland, bringing memories and many photos, material for several follow-up blog posts. I'm starting with my most fascinating food experience, eating at the Ariel restaurant in the former Jewish quarter of Krakow. We traveled to Krakow from Warsaw Saturday morning on a very early train, and returned Saturday night.

Beetroot soup with dumplings

Len's photo of me taking a photo of Sara's soup

The food was all delicious, and we were delighted to have a beautiful sunny day to sit outside. In a neighboring restaurant a band was playing a variety of music to set the mood for eating old-style Polish Jewish food. Of course there are very few Jews left in Krakow, and I think the cooks, servers, and singers are all non-Jews. The music is selected for the American and Israeli tourists, so they play a lot of selections from "Fiddler on the Roof," and old Jazz hits like "Bei Mir Bist Du Shoen."

Goose neck stuffed with liver. Side dish: kugel.
I have often read of this dish, a delicacy in prewar Eastern European Jewish cooking.
I had never tasted it before, and I loved every delicious bite! 

We were with a group of seven friends who had
been at the same conference as Len.

And we enjoyed both the sunshine and animated conversation.
In green shirt: our host Michal.

Each of us picked a different dish and we shared a few bites all around. Clockwise from upper left:
"Jewish" pirogis stuffed with mashed potatoes, chicken livers, duck with potatoes and cranberries,
 "Jewish" style roast beef with kugel, more pirogis and kugel, stuffed cabbage.

Inside the restaurant is also quite beautiful. Here: the courtyard.