Restaurant Review: Warszawa

OK, I'll admit that when I heard there was a "Polish Restaurant" in Los Angeles, I pictured plates of beets being served by stooped over old women in babushkas. I've clearly demonstrated my ignorance regarding Polish culture and cuisine.

Their web site has some historical prose on it, claiming that "Polish cuisine occupies a distinctive place among Slavic food...Ancient merchants traveling the famous amber trail from Byzantium through Poland brought exotic spices like cinnamon and cloves, while invaders from Asia brought steak Tatar, and Bona Sforza." Well I was already hypnotized by that description, as well as the surprisingly fresh and varied menu offering everything from crisp salads to pierogies to duckling, chicken, lamb, etc. We booked a reservation for 7pm.

I ordered the red and green leaf romaine salad with tomatoes and marinated mushrooms. Warszawa has to have ones of the BEST salad dressings I've ever tasted, hands down! I think it was a combination of plain yogurt, lemon and fresh dill. My guy had the shrimp and avocado salad which had the same dressing ladled on tender baby greens, juicy shrimp and avocado chunks. The sourdough bread basket was always replenished and was accompanied by a delicious black olive tapenade that was more lemony and mild, not as bitter as most olive pastes. For dinner I had the salmon poached in chardonnay with an exquisite sorrel sauce. It also had some baby carrots (a favorite of mine) , dreamy mashed potatoes and some broccoli florets uniquely flavored with what I believe was some caramelized pecans. Wow! My guy had the chicken schnitzel, which was a generously-sized chicken breast with a crispy breaded outside and a pocket of oozing herbed butter inside. I found it to be slightly on the dry side...I imagine without the butter inside it would not be too great. Maybe they can try poking a few holes in to let the butter disperse throughout the chicken a bit more while it cooks?

I had also heard their Bison Grass vodka is legendary; unfortunately they were out so I opted for another one (promise I will call them to get the name!). I don't normally drink straight vodka, but this was so delicious, smooth, and...dare I say...sweet? And absolutely ice cold. Very refreshing and crisp...a nice change from wine.

The dessert was so-so. We split some kind of espresso-ice cream concoction. It was not memorable but I do appreciate that it was a great deal less sweet than most restaurant desserts. I wish they all made them that way!

Finally, our service was very good and the restaurant overall had a cozy, romantic atmosphere. We really enjoyed ourselves and we did NOT experience what we call "the post-restaurant blues" which is a horrible feeling of being overstuffed and nauseous. This has happened to us at a number of restaurants even when we didn't eat a lot, and I think it has something to do with the cook just using way too much butter or oil or something. We felt quite satisfied, happy and energetic after eating at Warszawa.

No I actually didn't try a pierogie! I will next time...and there will be a next time very very soon.


4.5 out of 5 Babooshkas!

Warszawa Restaurant
1414 Lincoln Avenue
Santa Monica, CA
310-393-8831
http://www.warszawarestaurant.com