S for Sioux

Sioux in Poland? It was a restaurant chain and one of its places used to operate in the city where I lived. The food was great there. The menu included a variety of different types of dishes, however, its main part was the Pol-Mex meals. Pol-Mex = meaning Mexican food made in a Polish way. 

The names on the menu were typical for the Mexican type of food, but they had not much in common with the Tex-Mex cooking, besides the ingredients. As I said, it was all delicious.

Another thing that I liked there was the interior. The restaurant had two floors, with western-like furniture, lamps and other decorations. Booths that looked like wagons were downstairs and saloon-type furniture upstairs. The walls were decorated with murals and photograph of Native Americans. 

The restaurant waiters were friendly and helpful. It was a really nice place to be regarding all sorts of meetings, and simply to have good and not too expensive food.

There was another Sioux place in a nearby city, Sopot. The menu offer was equally tasty there, but the restaurant was much smaller than our favorite spot in Gdynia.

 

The chain headquarters used to be in Poznań, a city in central Poland. More than a decade ago, my mom and I happened to visit Poznań. Then, we also went to their local Sioux place. To our great disappointment, their food was awful. You could think it should have been the opposite, considering the fact that the chain executives were so close. Well, maybe that was a sign that something wrong was going on and that was why the chain did not last.

When we came back to Poland, regrettably, we learned that our favorite Sioux place in Gdynia (+ most of them in the country) had been closed.

 

 
PS

Google says that the restaurant still operates in only two cities in Poland.

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"My Polish Alphabet" is about things, places, and people that come to my mind when I think about Poland.

E for Easter Basket

 

 

People in Poland prepare Easter baskets on Easter Saturday (which is part of the Polish Easter customs). Traditionally, pieces (samples) of foods that are eaten/shared by a family at breakfast on Easter Sunday are placed in a nicely decorated basket. In our family, it was some bread, butter, salt and pepper (mixed together), white sausage, a slice of ham, a hard-boiled egg, and some yeast cake. Besides it all, there was always a decorative lamb in the center of the basket.

 

On Saturday morning, the baskets are taken to church to be blessed by a priest. They were placed on a special table, usually in the church hall, and blessed after a short prayer/ceremony. 

When we were little, we enjoyed watching other people's basket contents - chocolate bunnies and eggs covered with colorful tinfoil happened. However, wooden eggs beat everything.

As for the eggs - after a dilemma: "shelled or unshelled hard-boiled egg" in the basket, we chose the latter option. It seemed more OK to us not to toss the "blessed" shell in the trash later.

Our Easter basket lamb - always the same

After the blessing of the baskets, we usually stepped into the church for a short prayer and to visit Christ's grave (church holiday exposition of course). 

When we were old enough to walk to church (at primary school), either my sister or I took the basket to church. Some kids tended to sample the basket foods on their way back from church to their home. Well, I did not do that.

Embroidery by my grandma

When back at home, the basket content went to the fridge. It came back in the basket on the Easter Sunday breakfast table.

How the breakfast started - Mom cut the food samples into pieces and each person sitting at the table took a piece of each sample. Then we ate more - more eggs, more sausage, and more of everything else.

Mazurek - my favorite Polish Easter cake

Fish Fry

Our thanks to the volunteers of the Doss Fire Department for the annual fish fry event. So well organized, and the food was great! We did enjoy the live music as well.

Ton's Mongolian Grill

Ton's Mongolian Grill in Grand Prairie is a place where we like to visit from time to time, when we happen to be in the area. The reason is the food which we enjoy having there and quite reasonable prices as well.
If you have never been there, it is a type of buffet place where you can choose what you like to eat and you can have as much as you like. Then, it is cooked/grilled on a hot stove top.
If you fancy meat - there are thinly sliced, frozen pieces of beef and chicken, some fish and sausage. If you are vegan or vegetarian you can choose your vegetables only option. I personally like adding some beans sprouts to my plate (besides other things of course). 
Nevertheless, no matter what you crave for on a certain day, it is important how you spice it and the proportions of the seasoning you pour into your bowls. I have noticed, some people tend to flood their food with a lot of oil, which results in high flames of fire when it all is placed on the grill. Obviously, it makes the meal burnt and spoils its taste. Not to mention that it can be also dangerous to the cooks.
I usually take one (only one - even if I happen to have two bowls) measure/ladle of sesame oil, one measure of cooking cherry and soy sauce. At the very end, I top it with one scoop of garlic. To add some extra flavor, I also choose one or two rings of jalapenos.
After that, go to have it cooked - with some rice and an egg - or with double rice portion/ without anything - it is up to you. Mind your place in the line though. Once it happened to me that some guys messed up with the queue - they changed their places, skipping us - and I ended up with a plate of somebody else's meal. That person got mine. Well, to make the matters worse, the girl started eating 'my' food with her fingers. That was why I had no other choice but doing my 'bowl and food run' again. And had it all cooked again.

Since, a few portions of food are grilled at the same time, sometimes it happens I find on my plate carrots or some other pieces which are not of my choice. They just accidentally get mixed during the cooking process. It does not bother me though, usually there are only just a few of 'not mine stuff', I put them a side if I do not like them.
The meal is followed by vanilla ice cream and a Chinese fortune cookie. We like having them both at the same time, they just match so well! Despite being rather plain, the dessert tastes really good (according to us) and both of us enjoy having it.
What else? When you arrive and you are showed to your table, you can also order a soup or an additional portion of rice. We have tried the soups. I neither recommend the hot and sour one nor the egg drop. Not of my taste at all.

The interior of the place is simple but pleasant enough. Personally, I find the Chinese landscape printouts quite nice. The waitresses are usually attentive and diligent. When there are more customers, it is obvious, they are not able to be at all the tables at once.  Anyway, the service has never been a problem there.

We generally like the place but, frankly speaking, it has one disadvantage - the toilets could be improved. On the other hand, I have seen worse restrooms in much more expensive restaurants which I do not name here.

All in all, whenever we are nearby the Ton's Mongolian Grill and we have enough time to stop there, we do. The meal is always a kind of a treat. You can have more than one helping (we sometimes get more ice cream) or if you do not like your lunch/dinner (on the contrary to a regular food place), you can make yourself another portion of a different food selection. All for a good price.

Fredericksburg Brewery

Fredericksburg Restaurant and Brewery, established in 1994, is our favorite food place in this charming town of Texas Hill Country.

Due to their delicious meals and top quality beer, the place is popular with visitors and always full of customers eager to indulge in the tastes of Fredericksburg Brewing Co. That is why, whenever we happen to be there, we are ready for some waiting time before we are seated at a table. The waiting room, nicely decorated with flags from all over the world and German inn style wall paintings, is also a beer chamber where you can order the drink, sit on a wooden bench and await till your dining time comes.

I was pleased to see the Polish flag there...

While waiting, it is also a good time to take pictures.

Flags decorate also the restaurant room.

European 'section'

US area

The restaurant offers various meal options, including German dishes, Southern style ones, sandwiches, salads, appetizers and sides (see their menu here). It is difficult to make up your mind and choose one - all is so delicious! I usually order a German dish for dinner, as it is something I can get in Fredericksburg only. Besides, it reminds my familiar tastes of Europe too.

The quality of the meal is certainly worth waiting.

One of my favorites: Jager schnitzel. The bread is so good too!

What is also special about Fredericksburg Brewing Co. - amazing beer is made there. The place reminds me some inn in south Germany which I have happened to visit. There, I could also see big and shiny beer tanks which where part of the brewery/inn interior.

Five kinds of medal awarded beer are made by the Fredericksburg Brewing Company. My number one is Enchanted Red Rock Ale.

Santa stopped at the Brewery too.

Our lunch meal treat.

All in all, there is no visit in Fredericksburg without having a meal at the Brewing Co. restaurant place. Whenever you plan to go to the Texas Hill Country, put it on your 'things to do and see' list too.

Fredericksburg Brewing Co. website

Our other posts related to Fredericksburg:

Fredericksburg TX & Its Main Street 

Fredericksburg - Side Streets & Roads

Fredericksburg - National Museum of The Pacific War

Christmas Spirit in Central Texas

 

My Texas Alphabet: S for Southern Cuisine

The idea for this alphabet post series comes from ' The Alphabet of My Emigration' by Dee Dorota L., a member of The Polish Ladies Abroad Club, who has relocated to England.
I have also decided to join the project and write about My Texas Alphabet twice a week.

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so I think it is the right time to mention Southern Cuisine in my alphabet. I do like traditional Southern dishes as they taste similar to what I had at home in Poland. My favorite one is fried catfish with fries and coleslaw. I had never eaten catfish before coming to Texas. Since I used to live by the Baltic Sea, we most often had cod, herrings, or other cold sea fish. On the other hand, I have always liked coleslaw (it is a popular side dish in Poland too), but I did not know it is a Southern thing. Anyway, I am glad I can have it here.

In Texas, hushpuppies are usually served with fried fish. At first, I had no idea what they were. Later I learned they are little cornmeal balls, deep fried in hot oil and I got used to them too. Hush puppies are crunchy and sometimes a bit spicy so they improve the taste of the fish meal.

Hush puppies, catfish with French fries and coleslaw - my favorite Southern meal

Although I enjoy eating out, in my opinion, home made food is the best. And usually healthier as well.  That is why I have learned to make quite a few Southern dishes from scratch. I follow traditional Southern recipes but sometimes I alter them a bit (e.g. I coat the meat - before frying it - with a thinner layer of batter).

 

Some examples of my Southern cooking achievements:

Dinner

Cornbread Dressing

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Baked Beans

Baked Mac & Cheese

Southern Style Shepherd's Pie

Chicken & Dumplings

Chicken Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes & Cream Gravy

 

Bread & Muffins

Irish Soda Bread

Sugar Donut Muffins

Cinnamon Rolls

White Bread

Dinner Rolls

 

Desserts 

most Southern cakes and pies are often very sweet - so, if possible, I try to make them less sugary

Oatmeal Cookies

Banana Pudding

Cherry Cheese Pie

Texas Sheet Cake

Carrot Cake

Pecan Pie

I enjoy cooking and baking for us. It is time for me to make our Thanksgiving cake now.
So, off to see the the kitchen/baking wizard! :)

You will find more on my cooking and baking adventures in The Kitchen with Tobo.

Other 'S' entries by Polish Ladies Abroad:

Karolina: S jak Smutek i Plotkara