Pierogi Porn: Veselka vs. Odessa

Supple… innocent and inviting …. luscious.

I give you… the pierogi.

The East Village Podcasts blog proudly presents another food fight of doughy goodness pitting two East Village of New York City, Borscht-belt shrines.

Pictured on the left, from the southeast corner of Second Avenue and 9th Street, the robust pierogies of Veselka. And on the right, from Avenue A between 7th and 8th Streets in 10009, the pierogies of Odessa Restaurant.

With ties to the roots of the very beginning of my East Village existence - both are great places to sober up and eat greasy food - I relished the opportunity to re-discover which restaurant served the best pierogi.

Rules of the Pierogi

This East Village Podcast writer placed an order to-go for the following:

• A small sample of meat and cheese pierogies.
• All pierogies were boiled, not fried, in order to save the pierogies from any pain or suffering.
• Sour cream was chosen as the required side sauce rather than the apple version.
• Neither restaurant knew I was going to talk about them behind their back.

Begin the Beguine

Veselka’s curvaceous, yellow-olive pierogies with attractive dimples were first and checked-in at $6.42 for 2 each of the meat and cheese varieties. I was impressed by the steaming water (it was as if the pierogies were bathing) in the serving dish combined with the cooked onions which provided an agreeable presentation and resulted in me stabbing one of the meaty doughballs.

I bit. Tender skin, but of course. And then, the meat flavor followed - a bit dry, coarse but hearty and appropriate for a bitterly cold, winter night. Surely, only pierogies can help one stay warm and Veselka’s satisfied like a warm winter blanket. The cheese-only pierogi was just as delish. Sweet, cooked onion paired with a creamy, ricotta-like cheese made me consider a new substitute for my Cialis prescription.

Odessa, Oh Yessa

At $4.50 and 5 pierogies instead of 4, the Odessa offering was off to a fast start. I plunged a fork into the quivering, boiled, eastern european dumpling and began to chomp. This time, a saltier, pureed meat prevailed beneath the ashen pierogi skin. The meat was so finely whipped that I silently wondered if this meat was best left unidentified. I swallowed. A bit gamey, I thought. Another bite. Ahh yes…. slathering the sour cream helped immensely.

The Odessa cheese pierogi proved oddly fruity in comparison to its Veselka brethren with a pierogi skin layer (PSL) a hair tougher than Veselka’s. By far, though, Odessa’s extra sour, sour cream was superior.

The Pierogi Porn Star

This competition was much closer than other, similar food group contests. The Proof: I finished off both dishes of combatants and was still looking for more when I asked myself, “Was it an apple on which Eve feasted - or a pierogi?” Survey says: pierogi.

The Odessa pierogies were just fine. I appreciated the price and the 5 full, pierogies received in my tin dish. But, the skin was a little tough, and the pierogi a little heavier.

Veselka’s meat and cheese pierogies had all bases covered with presentation, onions, superior skin and softness along with hearty meat and cheese innards.

And, the winner is… Veselka.

 

January 4th, 2008

Entry Filed under: Food - Competitive