We did not hit up this restaurant by accident (unlike many other times during our travels). We really DID want to give it a try because of what we read about it. Accordingly, Polish cuisine is exquisite because it is a mixture of Eastern European and German culinary styles. By saying Eastern European, we mean cooking styles of the Hungarian, Belarusian, and Jews. Sometimes, depending on the man behind the kitchen counter, Polish cuisine is influenced by Italian and Turkish cooking styles too.

Now, can you see why we were interested in finding out more about the dishes that we were about to devour?

The meals were extremely hearty, deep, different, intriguing and keeps you guessing about the ingredients. There were herbs and spices that I have never even heard about when looking through the menu, so, basically I winged it and hoped for the best. Because of how beautiful the décor is, the restaurant finds a place on the National Register of Historic Places listing.

So, we were essentially killing two birds with one stone – satisfy our curiosity about the Polish culture and eating our hearts out. If you are worried about the timing, don't. They are open seven days a week, sunshine or storm, they are steadfast about their timing. Upon closer look, we saw that they had a grand ballroom with a gorgeous balcony too...which reminded me about a scene from 'Sound of Music'.

The place is exceptionally clean and the well-mannered staff made us feel like absolute Polish royalties! That was also the first time I tried the Pierogi, which is a kind of dumpling which is sweet and VERY savory. Golumpki is another must-have because it reminds me of how the Chinese ate their stewed vegetables and chicken. You get a cabbage leaf and then stuff it all up with as much minced meat and rice that you can handle, and then pop it into your mouth.

The list of favorites is endless, so, I am going to leave it to you to try it out.

The Polish National Home of Hartford, Inc. can be found along 60, Charter Oak Ave, Hartford CT.