In need of a pierogi or potato pancakes? Try Smakosh

April 21, 2015 12:00 am • Last Updated: May 19, 2015 12:09 pm

By Jill Blanchette

If you’ve ever said to yourself, “I wish I knew of a decent all-day breakfast joint around here that also served a fine pierogi,” well, then your wish has come true.

Tucked into an unassuming shopping plaza on Route 32 in Uncasville, you will find Smakosh Restaurant, a Polish-American diner of sorts where, if you can abide the somewhat less than effervescent service, you will find what you seek.

On a recent Tuesday for a late lunch, we perused the good-sized menu and specials board and pondered our options. Among the lunch choices were Fish N’Chips, $8.95; a Monte Cristo sandwich, $10.95; and a 6-ounce cheeseburger, $6.50. For an extra buck, we could transform the latter two into platters, adding our choice of homemade potato salad, coleslaw or French fries. On the Polish side were potato and cheese pierogi served with kielbasa and sauerkraut, $10.25; and golombki, homemade stuffed cabbage with mashed potato and rye bread, $10.95.

We also considered breakfast: A selection of omelets, $5.75-$8.95; pancakes and waffles, $3.95-$5; and breakfast sandwiches, $3.50-$5.50. The Smakosh (which, according to the website, means connoisseur) was very tempting, two scrambled eggs, kielbasa, scallions, roasted red peppers and cheese in a wrap, $5.50.

Then there was the “Smakosh Polish Specialties” section of the menu, an array of crepes — fluffy crepes, plain crepes, crepes with Nutella (to which, for an additional $1.25, you could add a banana — yum) — and, go no further, potato pancakes.

We immediately decided to share an order of those, and we chose the option that came with applesauce and sour cream, $5.25. For myself, I had to go for the pierogi, while my dining companion chose from the specials board a crabmeat, spinach, dill and cheddar cheese omelet, with homefries and toast $10.

Despite the late hour — it was around 1:30 — the lunch crowd lingered, two or three tables keeping our stern waitress busy. But she brought our coffee — decaf, steamy hot and freshly made — quickly and soon followed with the rest of our order.

The omelet was mediocre — a bit dry, with a couple of spinach leaves and a generous portion of cheddar cheese and bland crab. We couldn’t detect any dill. The homefries were good, darkly crisp and punctuated with fried onions.

The potato pancakes, on the other hand, were spectacular. There were three of them, each the size of a large saucer, thin, fried dark brown with wide, super crispy edges and creamy centers. The applesauce on the side was homemade, chilled, perfectly tart and sweet. There was plenty to accompany the cakes, but if they’d served two or three times as much, we would have eaten it all. These were a bargain — you could eat an order yourself for breakfast or lunch and walk away full. They are a reason to go to Smakosh.

Then there were the pierogi, five of them, tender, pillowy, cheesy dumplings, piping hot and sprinkled with fried onions. When I was a kid, my mom would get together with a family friend and, using her grandmother’s recipe, would spend a couple of days making pierogi. Smakosh’s are that good. So were the sides, a pile of tart, richly brown sauerkraut and a log of smoky, garlicky kielbasa — decidedly not the ubiquitous store brand. If the potato pancakes don’t get you to Smakosh, then the pierogi should.

Rest assured, I’ll be going back to Smakosh. If I can stop myself from ordering the potato pancakes again, then I’m going to try the golombki.

j.blanchette@theday.com

Twitter: @2Petunia