Qulinarnia takes different approach to Polish food
MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. (WLS) -- The intricate plating, micro greens and modern surroundings suggest this is not your typical Polish buffet. Housed in a strip mall in Mount Prospect, Qulinarnia is attempting to lure diners eager for inventive Eastern European dishes that just happen to be Polish.
"Because Polish cuisine is more about pierogis and cabbage, stuffed cabbage, sausage. We have variety of different great cuisines, great dishes and we decided to bring them to the table," said owner Agnes Janowska.
Pork tenderloin is one example. Pan-roasted, it's served over grilled asparagus and beets that have been first roasted then seared in a skillet. Bacon is probably unnecessary at this point, but a hearty, homemade gravy and a square puck of mashed potatoes provide the usual starch to soak it up. Pan-roasted cod is another surprise; the giant filet is served over a pair of homemade potato pancakes, surrounded by a creamy porcini mushroom sauce and then topped with sauteed spinach, a welcome sign of green in an otherwise brown landscape.
But don't think for a moment that modern Polish means they killed the pierogi.
"We have one with potato and cheese, so that's the traditional one, and the other one is with spinach and lobster meat so that's the modern twist of pierogis," Janowska said.
Embedded with bits of bacon and served with sour cream, it's a reminder of how good tradition can taste.
"That's the old, traditional recipe my mom was bringing from her mom, her mom from her mom, so it's something I remember me making as the teenager before Christmas Eve," she said.
So weekend entre specials, monthly wine dinners and yes, they do have traditional pierogi, but the fact that there are dishes like cod over potato pancakes prove that Qulinarnia is not your typical Polish restaurant.
The restaurant does take reservations and they are closed on Mondays.
Qulinarnia
1730 Golf Rd., Mount Prospect
847-981-0480
