My uncle from San Francisco is in town tonight, and since his wife is from Canton and they cook Chinese and Asian food all the time, he wants to try something different. So we’re going to a place in Yorkville that has Hungarian cuisine.
I’ve eaten the odd goulash here and there and had paprika chicken, but I’d like to try something different and authentic. I don’t like fish or blazing-hot spices, but otherwise I’m pretty game. Any aficiandos out there who can tell me what to try besides, well, goulash and paprika? (and if there’s a good way to order those, let me know!)
Also, what sort of drinks does one order with such food?
Thanks! I already know I’m eating a light lunch because Hungarian food is good filling peasant grub, like Russian.
I forget the name of the dish but my father loves it. It’s a layered dish with potatoes, sour cream and sausage. Yes, it’s a heart attack on a plate. In general, Hungarian sausages are top notch.
Not to sidetrack this thread, but I live near a Polish deli that I’ve never been to, and keep meaning to try. What kinds of foods would they have there, and what would people recommend?
I don’t know if it has an English name, but the Hungarian name is Rakott Krumpli - literally ‘layered potatos’.
The blintz/crepes are indeed palacsintas.
You can sometimes get these as a main course. They are filled with meat, usually diced ham filling, and then deep fried. Very bad for you of course, but oh so tasty.
There is a very good fish soup called hala’sz leves. ‘Fisherman’s soup’.
It’s made from the flesh around the head which makes it so good. It’s very authentic, the soup might stare back at you due to fishheads. :eek:
Bull’s blood wine is an inexpensive but good, dry red wine. Egri Bikave’r.
mmmm - all this talk of Hungarian food makes me wanna visit family & have their cabbage rolls too - and drink lots of Egri Bikave’r (Bull’s Blood wine).
I love the meat palacsintas too - my grandma Alice used to make these all the time.
Polish food is one of my favorite types of food. You would probably find…
pierogies. Dough filled with any one or more of lots of different things, mainly potato or cheese. Make sure the ones you get have something you like in them. Most people eat them with sour cream, but I prefer them without. There’s also dessert pierogies with fruit filling.
kiebasa - or polish sausage great with a bit of mustard. Some people like saurkraut, but I don’t so it’s up to you.
They may serve cabbage rolls, meat and rice with an outer layer of cabbage, usually served with a kind of tomato sauce
dumpling soup is pretty good, basically chicken soup with small dumplings instead of noodles or rice.
Damn. Probably too late to the thread. Ask him if he ever ate at Paprikash Fono(spelling?). It was in San Francisco, in Ghiradelli(sp) Square. I’m not sure if there today.
If i’m not mistaken, you said that you don’t like fish.
Yep, a little too late. But we ended up at Mocca on 2nd Ave., and had a grand old time.
We started out with sausage, leek, potato, and tomato appetizers, and yep, a nice bottle of Egri Bikave’r. Mmmm. Menu, between four people (one ate spinach moussaka, so forget her! No, it wasn’t me) was fish soup, beef goulash, and chicken paprika.
Finished up with apricot and cheese palacsintas and coffee and tea. Great meal.