OT: Best Gołąbki in WNY

[Doohicksie]

I'm gonna say at Aunt Mary Jane's.   She's a much better cook than her sister (my mom).

[MattPie]

My gramma's house, early 90s, Babcock St.

(not for me though, I never really liked it; MsPie loves it though)

[Night Train]

Gramma Mora's. 

[Doohicksie]

16 minutes ago, Night Train said:

Gramma Mora's. 

Cabbage enchiladas.

26 minutes ago, MattPie said:

My gramma's house, early 90s, Babcock St.

(not for me though, I never really liked it; MsPie loves it though)

To be honest I wasn't a big fan when I was a kid.  I love it now though.

[mphs mike]

Unavailable since Mom died in 2011

[msw2112]

I've never heard of this food.  It doesn't look like something I'd like although it does look like something my grandmother from the old country would make when she was still alive and able to cook.  She did a lot with cabbage.  Go Sabres!

[Indabuff]

I would kill for a homemade one right now. 

[MattPie]

36 minutes ago, msw2112 said:

I've never heard of this food.  It doesn't look like something I'd like although it does look like something my grandmother from the old country would make when she was still alive and able to cook.  She did a lot with cabbage.  Go Sabres!

Not sure I'd recognize it from the spelling; phonetically we always called it "gwum-kee".

[sabresparaavida]

1 hour ago, MattPie said:

Not sure I'd recognize it from the spelling; phonetically we always called it "gwum-kee".

Haha thanks for this. My Mom’s side is Polish, so I’ve had it quite a bit, was going to look it up to see if it was “Gwum-Kee” as I’ve never seen it spelled out.

[Wyldnwoody44]

I make them, they're yummy. Polish Villa used to serve them, but they're not around many places. I spent a bunch of time in Poland and they're everywhereeeee. The main issue I have at most places is that the rice/meat mix is usuly too hard on the inside. 

[PromoTheRobot]

Peter Ks on Harlem before they closed.

[Stoner]

Anybody else clean their screen?

[...]

Recently been to Sto Lat and The Polish Nook looking to find a good Polish place. Each place has their redeeming value: Sto Lat having more flavor overall while the Nook by far is bang-for-the-buck. Nothing tops my babcia's cooking back in the day. As it happens her gołąbki remains unsurpassed. 

Been a while since I've been to the Polish Villa and there's Gadawski's in the Falls I have yet to visit. There's Pott's Deli in Cheektovegas that I have never been to but their sauce for their gołąbki looks too much like the Nook's (and which I don't care for).

The restaurants tend to make the filling bland. I would be interested to read @Wyldnwoody44 describe the gołąbki he had in Poland.

[Wyldnwoody44]

3 minutes ago, ... said:

Recently been to Sto Lat and The Polish Nook looking to find a good Polish place. Each place has their redeeming value: Sto Lat having more flavor overall while the Nook by far is bang-for-the-buck. Nothing tops my babcia's cooking back in the day. As it happens her gołąbki remains unsurpassed. 

Been a while since I've been to the Polish Villa and there's Gadawski's in the Falls I have yet to visit. There's Pott's Deli in Cheektovegas that I have never been to but their sauce for their gołąbki looks too much like the Nook's (and which I don't care for).

The restaurants tend to make the filling bland. I would be interested to read @Wyldnwoody44 describe the gołąbki he had in Poland.

It was much softer there, kind of how I make it internally. The sauce is more traditional and orangish in color. More of a sweet and sour/tangy flavor. I see that a bunch of places around here use more of a spaghetti sauce looking base. The insides had a minimal seasoning, which I liked because it allowed the sauce to take center stage. 

[...]

6 minutes ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

It was much softer there, kind of how I make it internally. The sauce is more traditional and orangish in color. More of a sweet and sour/tangy flavor. I see that a bunch of places around here use more of a spaghetti sauce looking base. The insides had a minimal seasoning, which I liked because it allowed the sauce to take center stage. 

My grandmother made a much tangier, acidic sauce not unlike a can of stewed or diced tomatoes flavored a little and cooked for a while to render it into a sauce.

She also flavored the filler, but I think it was simply with salt and pepper and may have browned the meat over a high heat to bring out its flavor.

And your complaint of the softness is spot on. Again, my grandmother's were tender. I think the Nook did a fine job with that but they have that tomato soup-esque sauce which nearly wrecks it. Sto Lat has the texture wrong (too firm) but their sauce is good.

Edited October 24, 2023 by ...

[Wyldnwoody44]

2 minutes ago, ... said:

My grandmother made a much tangier, acidic sauce not unlike a can of stewed or diced tomatoes flavored a little and cooked for a while to render it into a sauce.

She also flavored the filler, but I think it was simply with salt and pepper and may have browned the meat over a high heat to bring out its flavor.

And your complaint of the softness is spot on. Again, my grandmother's were tender. I think the Nook did a fine job with that but they have that tomato soup-esque sauce which nearly wrecks it. Sto Lat has the texture wrong (too firm) but their sauce is good.

I find that a lot of places that make meatballs also have this problem. I usually mix a little cooked down sauce in with my mix to keep it soft and that is really the trick to it. Without that it just becomes hard and wrapped in cabbage lol. 

[...]

I made some a couple of months ago and made sure the pan had plenty of sauce and that seemed to work as well. I don't make them often enough; they are deceptively simple and ultimately the kind of dish that requires practice to get just right. 

[Doohicksie]

4 hours ago, MattPie said:

Not sure I'd recognize it from the spelling; phonetically we always called it "gwum-kee".

We pronounced the u as a long u:  gwoom-kee.  The l with the slash through it is pronounced like a w; that much I know.  Why the b sounds like an m.... no clue.

[Doohicksie]

The one Polish restaurant I've been to in DFW (an hour's drive from my house but only a couple of miles from my son's house) makes theirs with pork (and rice).  It's delicious but I've never had gołąbki with anything other than ground beef & rice filling in Buffalo.

[Pimlach]

Lots of Poles in Buffalo.  Very unique to see Polish restaurants and cooking.  My wife is half Polish and makes a few of the traditional dishes.