Friday, June 24, 2016

St. Andrew Ukrainian Kitchen

-Grubbing in Chicago (land)
Church Food

One day while browsing thru Yelp reviews I came across a church with a perfect score. Except I wasn't browsing places of worship but rather food spots. My curiosity ensued and I soon learned of a spot in the Western Burbs where the Pierogi are supposedly second to none. I was soon on my way.

 Bloomingdale, IL

St. Andrew's Ukrainian Church is an absolute beauty. Built in 1970 it sits hidden from the road as you ride toward it only to be revealed once you pull into it's lot. That's about where my knowledge of it ends as I'm not a big church going guy. That said I do love me some locally prepared foods and on Saturday's you can stop into their kitchen opposite the church. It's here where food is sold every Saturday from 8a until about 2p though the food has been known to sell out way before closing time. Everything is prepared fresh in the church kitchen by both the Sophia Sisterhood and the St. Andrew Brotherhood. The recipes used are long time family preparations of a few Eastern European classics.

 Menu (Click Pics to Expand)

When I stopped in this past winter there was a nice sized line of people who were there to pick up their orders. These were orders of 100+ pierogi and such so it's easy to see why they sell out so fast. Aside from the pierogi and prepared foods which we'll get into in a minute they also sell fresh baked rye bread as well as Polish Sausage made by members of the congregate. When I visited in March it just so happened to be St. Patrick's Day weekend and the rye bread I purchased from here was perfect paired with the corned beef my mom cooked for us. I didn't get a chance to try the sausage.

Sausage and Bread for sale

When it came time for me to order I was bit nervous as I saw one of the lady's behind the counter getting annoyed that people were asking for a mixed order of pierogi (kraut, cheese, potato). That lady denied the customers the chance to split their order up but the nice woman who took my order had no problem doing so. Thus I got to try four of each as these are served in orders of 12 ($6). I said yes to onion and soon had my to-go bag ready to roll after paying. I took them to the hood of my car and immediately got a powerful whiff of grilled onion, the type that makes your mouth drool.

St. Andrew Kitchen Pierogi 

What I ended up with were easily the best pierogi I've had in my home state and some of the best anywhere. First thing I noticed with these is just how smooth the skin was. It was so smooth I dropped one upon picking it up. The fillings were pretty standard but I mean that in a good way in that they were what you expect. I liked the cheese option best but all were enjoyed. What really sets these apart in my mind is the onions. The diced product was one of the most potent batches I've ever come across and when paired with the pierogi it was a match made in heaven. Also excellent were their cabbage rolls which came swimming in sauce and stuffed with meat. Cash only. Worth the ride.

Cabbage Rolls 

St. Andrew Ukrainian Kitchen
300 E Army Trail Rd
Bloomingdale, IL 60108
(630) 893-2827
Website

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