Polish food in the heart of New Britain

Recently, during the process of driving around Newington and getting succeeding in getting lost in the suburbs, my friend and I felt the need to rally our failing spirits with some hearty fare. Our first thought was that we must be somewhere need the German club (http://www.hartfordsaengerbund.org/) and the thought of a mug of beer, bratwurst and saurkraut had instant appeal. We did eventually find it, but arrived to find the doors locked and the interior dark. Our disappointment was only slightly alieviated by the poster on the door for an upcoming event titled, "Vienna Night" that peaked our interest. We changed gears and directions, and decided the next best thing would be to jump on the highway and have some Polish food instead. While I am partial to Hartford's Polish Home, my friend suggested instead that we go to New Britain and visit one of her favorites, a place called Cracovia.

Well we found what we were looking for in Cracovia, and more. Walking into the restaurant is a combination of walking into a time warp, with the restaurant's lunchcounter feel on the left side, and then on the right hand side, neatly lined tables sheathed in thick plastic tableclothes. The walls are adorned with Polish folk art.

I really started to smile though when I opened my menu and read at the top: "Receipt for Happiness" which went as follows : "Four cups of love, Two cups of loyalty, Three cups of forgiveness, Cup of friendship, Two spoons of tenderness, Four quart of faith, And barrel of laugh, Join love with loyalty, and mix well with faith, Flavour of goodness, tenderness and lenience. Splash by laugh then add friendship and love. Bake on the sun. Big portion serve every day."

We were instructed by our waitress that to eat Polish food, you should also drink like you are Polish. We decided it was only right to tap into our eastern european roots and follow her advice, so we agreed to take her beer suggestion and make the most of our dining experience. I was even more tickled to see the vintage soda glasses that were brought to sip our beer from.  

Despite many interesting offerings on the menu such as barley and pickle soup, or roast pork stuffed with plums, I couldn't bring myself to deviate from what I had been craving all afternoon. Kielbasa and onions with mashed potatoes, and a side of spicy saurkraut. It looks like a modest portion, but was 100% filling!

My friend chose to try one of the weekly specials, potato dumplings stuffed with fried meat, and a side of cucumber salad. Sadly, I didn't get a photograph of the salad because we ate it so quickly. Thin strips of cucumber smothered in yogurt with dill. The dumplings were also incredibly filling and served for lunch the following day.

Cracovia is the kind of place that is just special. It, and restaurants like it from all different ethnicities showcase not only provide us with the chance to sample new cuisines, but they also preserve a cultural heritage and national pride that can be shared through one of the most translatable formats on the planet, which is food! These places along with their social clubs (french, italian, jamaican, polish, etc) are in danger of disappearing all together as we move towards globalization and a homogenized world and they become less useful to the groups of people who relied on them. My advice to you? Enjoy them while you still can.

Cracovia, 60 Broad St New Britain, CT 06053 (860) 223-4443 http://cracovia.homestead.com/