Our latest discovery in this category is the Polish Villa II on Harlem Road. It’s embarrassing to call it a discovery, because both this Villa and its sister spot, Polish Villa I on Union Road, are extremely well-known. The dining room was full when Ruth, Dan, John and I dropped by the Polish Villa I on a Saturday night.

It’s very cute inside, with a mannequin dressed in traditional Polish garb near the door and the room decorated for Christmas. The tables are fairly close together but the chairs are offset so you don’t feel as if you have strangers sitting with you, although given the general welcoming nature of this place, that would work out, too.

The menu is cheap-eats friendly, with only the generous Polish platter over $10 — and we agreed that the platter could probably serve two. But everything else, from pork chops to chicken to fish to Polish offerings, was under $10. A selection of sandwiches and burgers was even cheaper.

We started with three pierogi ($2.10 each), one potato, one farmers cheese, one sauerkraut. Each plumply filled pocket’s dough was tender and utterly fresh, quick fried for extra flavor. All three were excellent, although the sauerkraut was stellar.

A cold, crisp salad and a bowl of beef vegetable soup (included with the dinners) were next, along with a warm plate of slightly tangy rye bread, offered with plenty of butter. The soup was brimming with vegetables and a few noodles; the broth was long-simmered and deeply flavored.

All four of our dinners were excellent. The lazy pierogi ($6.95), a casserole of spiral noodles, farmers cheese and sauerkraut in a mushroom gravy, was an oversized portion in a large bowl. The combined flavors and tender noodles were an excellent cold-weather comfort food.

A kielbasa platter ($7.75) included two segments of the sausage, one smoked and one fresh. Both were extremely good, with the fresh one a bit spicier and the smoked one more mellow in flavor.

A special of the night was wiener schnitzel ($8.75), a breaded and fried veal patty. The meat was tender and the breading was light and grease-free. It was excellent. Both the wiener schnitzel and the kielbasa platter were served with a choice of potato — we both selected potato pancake, of course. It was a great selection; the good-sized pancake was moist inside, with a crisp, crunchy exterior.

The most unusual dinner was the beef cake plate ($7.45). This serving of tender sliced roast beef was sandwiched between two potato pancakes, with gravy between the layers and on top. This dinner was also available with turkey. We’d never seen this before, and were suitably impressed.

I’ve saved the best for last, though. The sweet and sour cabbage, served with every meal except the lazy pierogi, was nothing short of awesome. Made with green cabbage rather than red, it was cooked until the cabbage was yielding without being mushy. It tasted sweeter than most and had intriguing hints of subtle sour spice. If there’s a hall of fame for sweet and sour cabbage, this dish should be in it.

THE VILLA

(3.5 out of four pennies)

“Excellent Polish specialties” WHERE: 1085 Harlem Road, Cheektowaga (822-4908)

Website Editor's Note:  Article Updated With Newer Location, Hours & Contact Information