Veselka

[Pan]

I've been reading Chowhound a lot lately, and it seems to be an article of faith there to praise and recommend Veselka. I decided the place sucked years ago, with overly salty soup and just nothing much that seemed more than barely passable, except for the raspberry knish. Granted, I'm not a burger person and can't express an opinion on Veselka's burgers, but my main point in starting this thread is that I generally know you all better than the people who post at Chowhound (though there's some overlap), and I'd like to see whether and how some of you might defend Veselka.

[Luckylies]

Let's just say the fact that the delvier the food in East Village Veternary bags says it all! Really though, it's mediocre and fine. The perogies and borscht are still good, and my boyfriend likes the turkey burgers but it's really no better that okay. I'm under the impression that mostly what people like about it are the percieved "ye old east village" vibe and covenience.

[adrman]

We usually enjoy breakfast there on the weekends. The pancakes and French toast are really very good. I also think they make a very good bacon cheeseburger. Thumbs up as well to the pierogi, Ukrainian meatballs, kielbasa and bigos. The service (especially outside where I usually sit) can be painfully slow, but everyone is very nice and they're extremely dog friendly. Dr. Sally Haddock (sp?) from St. Marks vet is married to the owner, hence the delivery bags.

[Nathan]

People on chowhound never give a negative review to any restaurant with entrees under $10.

joking (well not really) aside, its ok and worth going to once....or put differently, its not that Veselka is a bad Eastern European restaurant, it's that Eastern European food sucks.

[Eatmywords]

People on chowhound never give a negative review to any restaurant with entrees under $10.

joking (well not really) aside, its ok and worth going to once....or put differently, its not that Veselka is a bad Eastern European restaurant, it's that Eastern European food sucks.

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making statements like that is what got you thrown off Chowhound....

it may not be as refined as other cuisines but it has it's place........great when your jonesing simple comfort food.......good pirogis and blintzes go a long way in my book and it's not a given that they all make them well.

Btw, I never thought the wait's at Veselka were warranted. I think Theresa's blows it away.

[Nathan]

"it may not be as refined as other cuisines but it has it's place........great when your jonesing simple comfort food"

fair enough...I'm a fan of bureks myself...speaking of which, does anyone know where I can find a decent one in Manhattan?

[H. du Bois]

Veselka was probably the place I most frequently ended up in at the end of the evening, back when my social life revolved around the east village art scene. (Which really dates me). It wasn't a place I'd seek out for great cooking, but it was a great place to catch a bite after a long night of it. I still associate the taste of mushroom barley soup with too much carousing.

[Pan]

[...]Btw, I never thought the wait's at Veselka were warranted.  I think Theresa's blows it away.

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I've felt that way for over 10 years.

I definitely disagree that "Eastern European food sucks." For a man of Poilisher (Polish), Litvaker (Lithuanian), and Ukranian descent, dem's fighting words!

Edited July 27, 2006 by Pan (log)

[BryanZ]

Stopped by here for a late-night, semi-tipsy meal after a show in Greenpoint. Considering all the time I spend in the EV, it's perhaps surprising I hadn't made it to this 24-hour spot yet.

All in all, it's simple but quite good. My dining companion described it as "happiness," and I'm wont to agree. The cultural identity strikes an unlikely chord with me--my grandmother made Eastern European staples and I have many friends with an Eastern European Jewish background--so that probably added to this happy effect.

Together we split a simple yet filling meal of the deluxe meat combination platter and the blintzes. On the most base level, this is pretty much Eastern European diner food, but it worked. The borscht was particularly rich and delicious. The meat platter included various pierogies, a cabbage roll, and some kielbasa. All quite tasty. The blintzes were deceptively simple, and just sweet enough to push the savory-dessert boundary. I was a fan through and through.

While I wouldn't necessarily seek this place out for dinner, it's a great late-night option for this out into the wee hours who want more than a Papaya dog or a falafel.

[oakapple]

Josh Ozersky ("Mr. Cutlets") raves about the burger at Veselka (see here). If you google "Veselka burger," you'll find plenty of raves all over the web. I wouldn't ordinarily go out of my way for this kind of place, but it's definitely on my radar now.

[Pan]

I guess I should say that I decided to go to Veselka one late night a couple of months ago or so. I had I think a cup of hot borsht and an order of raspberry blintzes (which is what I meant in the thread-starting post, not knishes, of course). The meal was perfectly OK, though I still think Ukrainian East Village a few doors down is way better. Teresa's, sadly, is gone from the East Village.

[weinoo]

Josh Ozersky ("Mr. Cutlets") raves about the burger at Veselka (see here). If you google "Veselka burger," you'll find plenty of raves all over the web. I wouldn't ordinarily go out of my way for this kind of place, but it's definitely on my radar now.

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One night, johnder, ms. johnder, ms. weinoo, donbert and I went to Veselka, pretty much specifically for the burgers and based on Ozersky's reviews and my prodding.

They, the burgers, sucked. I don't think a single one was cooked to our spec, but beyond that, they just weren't that good.

Usually, the blintzes and borscht are very reliable.

[snutteplutten]

I find Veselka's e. European food only OK, but the sad fact is that there are many fewer places to get this kind of food in that neighborhood than there used to be.

When I lived on 1st Avenue in the late 80s (more than 20 years ago, gulp), the consensus of my roommates and I (fledgling gourmands w/ huge appetites and less than no money) was that Veselka was the least good (and most yuppified, even then) of what at the time were at least 1/2 a dozen options in a few block radius for borscht, pierogis, blintzes, kielbasa etc. (The old original pre-any-makeover or menu expansion Christine's was the best -- I mourn it still). So we never went there...

Until recently, I would go to Teresa's, when that pierogi and kielbasa craving hit me, but that's gone too.

So now, when I want that kind of food, which I do find very comforting, I usually end up at Veselka -- I'm never blown away, but I'm not usually disgusted either. (I do have to get to Greenpoint and do some eating there). I did try the burger once and thought it was only pretty good despite the hype, and if I go to Veselka and want to eat something fattening and artery clogging, it's going to be pierogis with butter fried onions and sour cream! I'll take my burger cravings elsewhere.

[Steve R.]

I find Veselka's e. European food only OK, but the sad fact is that there are many fewer places to get this kind of food in that neighborhood than there used to be.

When I lived on 1st Avenue in the late 80s (more than 20 years ago, gulp), the consensus of my roommates and I (fledgling gourmands w/ huge appetites and less than no money) was that Veselka was the least good (and most yuppified, even then) of what at the time were at least 1/2 a dozen options in a few block radius for borscht, pierogis, blintzes, kielbasa etc.  (The old original pre-any-makeover or menu expansion Christine's was the best -- I mourn it still).  So we never went there...

Until recently, I would go to Teresa's, when that pierogi and kielbasa craving hit me, but that's gone too.

So now, when I want that kind of food, which I do find very comforting, I usually end up at Veselka -- I'm never blown away, but I'm not usually disgusted either. (I do have to get to Greenpoint and do some eating there).  I did try the burger once and thought it was only pretty good despite the hype, and if I go to Veselka and want to eat something fattening and artery clogging, it's going to be pierogis with butter fried onions and sour cream!  I'll take my burger cravings elsewhere.

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But, back in Brooklyn, Teresa's thrives.

[Pan]

I find Veselka's e. European food only OK, but the sad fact is that there are many fewer places to get this kind of food in that neighborhood than there used to be.

When I lived on 1st Avenue in the late 80s (more than 20 years ago, gulp), the consensus of my roommates and I (fledgling gourmands w/ huge appetites and less than no money) was that Veselka was the least good (and most yuppified, even then) of what at the time were at least 1/2 a dozen options in a few block radius for borscht, pierogis, blintzes, kielbasa etc.  (The old original pre-any-makeover or menu expansion Christine's was the best -- I mourn it still).  So we never went there...

Until recently, I would go to Teresa's, when that pierogi and kielbasa craving hit me, but that's gone too.

So now, when I want that kind of food, which I do find very comforting, I usually end up at Veselka -- I'm never blown away, but I'm not usually disgusted either. (I do have to get to Greenpoint and do some eating there).  I did try the burger once and thought it was only pretty good despite the hype, and if I go to Veselka and want to eat something fattening and artery clogging, it's going to be pierogis with butter fried onions and sour cream!  I'll take my burger cravings elsewhere.

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I really miss Leshko's, which was a mainstay for super-cheap, excellent pierogies in those days. Shortly after I moved down here in 1996, they closed (maybe 2 years later or so) and were replaced by an upscale Leshko's that I refused to patronize. I miss the old Ukrainian coffeeshop with the really tough-looking Ukrainian men and cheap pierogies, although I surely don't miss the level of crime and menace that used to exist on Avenue A.

Steve, I think the meat quality may have been higher at the East Village Teresa's location. Do you have an opinion about that? Otherwise, the food is the same at the Brooklyn location.