Most of Connecticut’s Polish eateries seem to be concentrated in Hartford County, New Britain especially. But one restaurant I have enjoyed since 2002, when I first wrote about it, is the improbably named Pirate. Located on Wall Street in Norwalk, Pirate sits adjacent to Fat Cat Pie Co. and across from Meigas.
Rather than being done up in a Polish theme, Pirate is decorated in a nautical scheme, with a dining room ceiling reminiscent of a captain’s cabin, wall decorations styled like portals, and even a rascally pirate or two.
I probably enjoyed this visit to Pirate even more than prior visits because I was accompanied by my Polish condo-mate, Aleksandra. When you dine at a foreign restaurant, having a companion with an intimate knowledge of the cuisine adds another dimension to the experience. (It also adds another dimension to dine with someone hot.) Here you see Allie posing with owner Vieslawa Polak, not to mention the lusty pirate bearing off armfuls of loot.
Retracing meals past, I began with Pirate’s hearty white borscht soup served with hard-boiled egg and smoked Polish kielbasa. If sharing a condo with Allie is any indication, hard-boiled egg is a real passion in Poland.
On this occasion, Allie was in the mood for breaded pork cutlet served with mashed potatoes.
With readers in mind, I ordered the Polski talerz. This combination platter featured typical Polish fare, including three pierogies, grilled kielbasa, stuffed cabbage, bigos and a potato pancake. Sour cream and applesauce were served on the side.
For those unfamiliar with Polish food, pierogies are half-moon-shaped dumplings. Their three fillings were meat, potato-and-cheese, and sauerkraut-and-mushroom. Continuing the vocabulary lesson, bigos is a meat and cabbage stew (Allie says it should be more cabbage than meat) that cooks slowly to allow the flavors to blend. It’s said to be best when reheated.
While recently reading Gorky Park, a great detective procedural set mostly in the Soviet Union, I encountered the observation that every Russian house smelled vaguely of cooked cabbage. I’m guessing the same is true of Polish residences. As for the Russian-Polish connection, Allie says that when she was growing up in Poland, everyone had to take Russian in school—and everyone resisted learning it. These days, Russian is an elective.
Dessert, too, is an elective, one of my favorites. Pictured above is Allie’s Polish-style apple pie à la mode. Pictured below is my delicious, not-overly-sweet walnut torte.
Pirate’s food is good and hearty, its price points reasonable. It’s a rousing place to dine—even if you don’t bring a Polish hottie. And in keeping with the Pirate theme, I suppose you can always carry off someone else’s woman.
Pirate, 7 Wall Street, Norwalk