Last Supper in Poland: Stuffed Cabbage

In Poland, one should strive to eat like a Pole

The other day I realized that I've been in Poland for more than one week and I had not yet eaten what I consider to be the definitive Polish dish: stuffed cabbage,

The natives call it "golabki." But whatever you call it, this was the most delicious stuffed cabbage I have ever eaten.

When you find yourself in Krakow, I highly recommend dining at the Restauracja Smakołyki. Two cabbage rolls and a half-liter draft beer (dark) for only 32 zloty. That's only about $8 U.S.

How can they afford to sell such delicious stuffed cabbage for such a low, low price? I do not know. But the cabbage leaves were stuffed with ground pork (not beef). And the tomato sauce had just the right amount of piquant. It brought a little spice, a little heat, that complimented the pork and cabbage perfectly. Best meal in Poland.

For dessert, I went in search of the ice cream place, Tiffany, from the day before. They did not have the Brazil nut, so I ordered the saffron flavor.

Yes. Saffron-flavored ice cream. You know what it tasted like? Saffron. Or, more specifically, saffron rice. Only as an ice cream. It worked. It was quite tasty. Although I cannot see ever ordering it again if the opportunity were ever to present itself.

Walking back to the hotel I caught this cool-looking statue. I have no idea who Artur Grottger is or what he deserved to have people prostrate at his statue base like that, but I like it.

One last look at the Market Square before heading home:

One last look at the children crawling out of the eye socket of Eros Bendato.

One last hansom cab photo:

And that's all from Poland. Early morning flight out of town should get me back to Las Vegas by the afternoon. Where to next? Could be Chile. Could be Finland. Could be Morocco. Could be North Dakota. It all depends on the state of the world in the COVID era the next time I get to travel.

Dinner at the Frank Zappa Caffe

I ate dinner at the Frank Zappa Caffe. I had no clue Frank was reknowned for his food and drink, but I do remember that he was sophisticated and surprisingly erudite, so why the heck not?


Interesting little pub. Some pictures of Mr. Zappa on the wall, but it wasn't a Hard Rock style memorabilia museum, by any means. Just someone who wanted to pay an homage to the late Mr. Zappa by naming hi cafe for the gentleman. I had the chicken ragout soup with tarragon (lots of tarragon) and a the cabbage roll with sour cream:

I didn't know sour cream and stuffed cabbage would play well together, but I decided to trust Mr. Zappa's sophistication as to culinary matters. It was quite good. It was very spicy, probably loaded with hot Hungarian paprika. The heat made the sour cream and welcome and necessary addition. There would be a jazz band playing that night. I stayed for a song, but then decided to explore the street festivities:

There was a beer festival going on in the blocks of this neighborhood. That's one of the great things about Budapest. Both times I've been here there is some sort of organized festival happening in the streets geared for the residents and not the tourists. It really adds to the atmosphere of the place. I had a locally-brewed amber from this stand that was quite tasty. 500 forint (about $2.25) for a 0.3l drink.