Pierogi Place an interesting alternative to fast-food chains

The Northwest suburbs are looking up in terms of options for quick, inexpensive yet interesting food.

Yes, we still have miles of McDonald's doling out millions of clone burgers, tons of Taco Bells serving up dumbed-down Mexican fare and way too many Jimmy John's with their bland sandwiches.

But now we also have some good, fast, casual spots offering real flavor and more ethnic variety, such as the new Pierogi Place in Rolling Meadows.

As informal as a hotdog stand, with counter service and a menu on the wall, the little eatery offers 15 kinds of pierogi, a quartet of Polish-style dinner plates and a variety of soups and other add-ons.

Mustard-colored walls lined with rustic wooden beams and contemporary prints, a tile floor, and shiny, polyurethaned wood tables with wood-and-iron chairs provide nice-enough surroundings for those who care to eat in. Food arrives on disposable plates with rather nice plastic silverware (although I'd like to see larger spoons available for the soups).

Tom Stec, who launched Pierogi Factory in Chicago's Lake View neighborhood, opened Pierogi Place this summer, grafting old-fashioned, traditional Polish fare into a new, streamlined format. He's already got plans for a second location in Algonquin, with a third, and possible franchising, down the road.

Pierogi stands from coast to coast -- wouldn't that be something?

The main part of the menu here offers 10 kinds of savory pierogi, stuffed round Polish dumplings served boiled or crisply deep-fried.

The thin, dough wrappers come filled with sauerkraut, kraut and mushrooms, mashed potato, potato and mild white cheese, potato and cheddar cheese, cabbage, spinach, mushrooms, meat, or meat and spinach.

You get six of one variety for $4.99 or 12 for $7.99.

They're served with an earthy, satisfying topping of fried onions and bits of bacon, plus sour cream on the side and, if you like, a squiggle of "spice sauce," a remoulade-like dressing you can add from a squeeze bottle at the counter.

If available, the blackboard special offering a combination of six different kinds of pierogi, served with the soup of the day, makes a great way to go.

The deep-fried pierogi come out hot and crisp, lightly blistered and almost brittle; the boiled versions are appropriately tender. I'd prefer the counterpoint of softness and crustiness that comes with pan-frying, but that would take things out of the realm of quick service.

I'm hard-pressed to choose between the mushroom and the meat and spinach as my favorite version, but all of the pierogi I tried had great flavor, and even the relatively plain potato variety had more taste than most fast-food-chain offerings.

For starters, Pierogi Place's everyday soups are chicken noodle, red borscht (with or without "Polish ravioli"), zurek (white borscht) and flaczki (tripe soups), plus there's a changing option, such as a rich and zesty tomato-rice soup, flecked with dill.

Besides pierogi, the restaurant offers several Polish potato dumplings: pyzy (stuffed with cheese or meat), finger dumplings and Silesian dumplings, as well as really excellent potato pancakes, three large, thin, crisp pancakes to an order, with sour cream and applesauce.

Stuffed cabbage, zapiekanka (described as "Polish pizza bread") and Polish sausage with onions also figure among the add-ons and alternatives.

If you can't decide, you might want to opt for the Polish plate, a combination featuring a plump, meat-stuffed cabbage roll under silky gravy, fried red potatoes, a trio of pierogi and a Polish sausage (cut and, apparently, deep-fried), all resting on a bed of fragrant, caraway-speckled sauerkraut.

You can also get beef goulash, served atop Silesian dumplings, or Polish Highlander-style, on a potato pancake, and a breaded pork cutlet and fried potatoes.

Dinners -- all cost $9.99 -- come with soup.

During weekday lunch hours, from opening time until about 2 p.m., Pierogi Place also serves scrambled eggs, omelets and French toast. A grilled-chicken sandwich and a Polish-sausage sandwich are also available.

Sides include several salads (to which you can opt to add grilled chicken), baked potatoes and handmade french fries.

Besides serve-yourself fountain drinks, there's a cooler full of bottled beverages, including glass bottles of imported Coca-Cola, made with real sugar in Mexico.

Save room for dessert! As good as they are, the sweet cheese blintzes, served with a dusting of powdered sugar, a few puffs of whipped cream and a dollop of applesauce, if you like, run second to the sweet pierogi. These also come filled with sweet cheese, or plums, strawberries, cherries or blueberries, also given a sprinkling of sugar and a garnish of cream.

Alas, there's no dessert assortment, but the blueberry type -- full of plump round berries, fresh-tasting and barely sweetened -- really sing.

So get out of the burger rut. Introduce the kids to something a little different and pick up some pierogi. I won't say this is the best Polish food in the world, but for a fast lunch or a quick weekday supper, it's a wonderful addition to area choices.

Pierogi Place

Marketplace of Rolling Meadows, 1665 Algonquin Road, Rolling Meadows, (847) 734-6811, www.pierogi-place.com

Cuisine: Polish, with an emphasis on dumplings

Setting: Very casual, counter-service spot in outlot strip near Wal-Mart

Price range: Appetizers $2.99 to $3; entrees $4.99 to $9.99; desserts $3.49 to $7.99

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Accepts: Major credit cards; no reservations

Also: Free parking