Eating my Way Across Poland - Part 2 Kalisz, Poland

During the summer of 2023 I had the unique opportunity to accompany my wife on a nine-day business trip to Poland. During the trip while she was working, I spent my days taking in all the food and cultural experiences that Poland had to offer. This entry documents the second leg of our trip when we visited Kalisz, a town that often is not a destination for tourists visiting Poland. Kalisz is located in central Poland is often considered to be the oldest city in Poland. Little did I know one of my favorite culinary experiences of our entire trip was about to occur. After checking in at our hotel, Hampton Inn by Hilton. I was very impressed with this hotel as it had a huge outdoor courtyard with restaurants and bars and the most impressive fitness center/weight room that I have ever seen in a hotel.

After settling in we asked the hotel manager if he could suggest a good restaurant and he said that one of Poland's best pierogi restaurants resided in Kalisz, so we headed downtown in search of the Pierogarnia Stary Mlyn Kalisz. Having spent eight years in central Pennsylvania, I was very familiar with pierogis. However, my prior pierogis experiences would pale in comparison to what I was about to encounter. 

 After winding our way through downtown Kalisz and walking through a back alley we found this pierogi mecca in a simple store front window, with several outdoor tables and chairs. The menu featured all pierogis! The first thing that caught my eye was the 50-pierogi challenge as visions of Man vs Food episodes raced through my head. However, Melissa serving as the voice of reason explained to me how miserable I would be the rest of the night if I ate 50 pierogis so I opted for the less glamorous pierogi sampler.

The pierogi sampler featured one each of their best pierogis which included: 1. Roasted chicken with cheese and champignons 2. lamb marinated in dried cranberries and orange juice 3. roasted pork marinated in black cumin, carrots and onions 4. Local potatoes, onions, and bacon 5. Traditional black pudding with onions stewed in butter and cinnamon 6. Stewed beef with pickles peppers and onions 7. Roasted duck leg marinated in gooseberries and apples 8. Smoked mackerel with pearl barley, tomatoes, and potatoes in black dough. I would opt to wash all of this down with a local honey beer, which was so impressive that we would later track down the brewery and stop in for a visit.

After dinner we made our way back to our hotel to enjoy the ambience of the outdoor courtyard with some cocktails and a post dinner cigar.

The next morning, "yes please" was the quick answer as to whether we would be partaking in the hotel’s hot /cold bar breakfast. I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of scrambled eggs and baked beans combo and am surprised how well they complement each other. I love the assortment of cheeses, meats, sausages, and pickled vegetables on the cold bar. Very filling breakfast! 

Only a quick 24 hour stop in Kalisz and then onto our next stop Krakow via a pit stop at the Staropolski Brewery in Zduńska Wola, Poland the home of that delicious honey beer that I enjoyed!