Polish Pierogies and Kielbasa from My Grandmother's Table
Tastemaker
Missing Grandma this season? If you can’t visit her, you can take some serious comfort in the food coming out of Jozef Zebediah and Nick Easton’s Charlevoix restaurant, My Grandmother’s Table.
Named in honor of Zebediah’s late grandmother, Martha DeMarino, the ever-changing poly-ethnic eatery is inspired by her approach to cuisine: “My grandmother lived in a very culturally diverse neighborhood, and she loved inviting neighbors over for dinner,” says Zebediah.
“If they were from Japan or Africa or Poland — or even if they were from America, she’d ask them, ‘What is a food you miss from home?’ Then she’d gather the ingredients for these dishes and do her best to recreate them.” Jamaican Jerked Chicken, Russian Kotleti, Thai Orange Chicken, Ukrainian City Chicken, Japanese Tonkatsu, Israeli French Toast, Cuban Black Bean Soup have all appeared on the menu (and many have become mainstays), but it’s the Polish Pierogi and Kielbasa ($16) that takes our editor right back to Busia’s carpeted Detroit dining room.
The pierogies — soft dumplings of tender, butter-crisped dough stuffed with pillowy potato and cheese and just the right touch of seasoning — could stand well enough alone. But paired, as they should be, with the smoky, salty bang of well-done Polish sausage, itself crowned with the cool contrast of creamy dill-cucumber salad, the dish is as divine as it a portal back in time. Find My Grandmother's Table at 115 Bridge St. in Charlevoix. (231) 437-3132, my-grandmothers-table.com