Bar Dobre

POLE POSITION: Sauerkraut, kielbasa, kale and potato pancakes.
By Matthew Korfhage

I fear saying good things about a still-obscure Polish spot like Bar Dobre. The last time WW brought attention to one (Grandpa's Cafe), it made itself membership-only. Well, fingers crossed: The pierogi ($6) at Bar Dobre are perfectly serviceable, but this new Italian-Polish locale also sports quite simply the best kielbasa plate I've had this side of Chicago. The $12 plate will serve as anchoring paperweight for two, and includes spicy house-stuffed sausage, seared kale ensconced in plentiful bacon, an airy potato pancake and warmly brined sauerkraut. The 12-inch pizzas ($12)—apparently a hand-me-down from the Italian side of the chef-owner's family—feature sauces simple and fresh as a breeze, but after a hearty pie with kielbasa, greens and egg, you'll be loath to move from your seat. Luckily, the bar is a cozy place to slowly digest—whether Polish, pizza or a lovely roasted-beet salad ($7)—and rich in apéritifs, with a drink menu that takes its vodka extraordinarily seriously. With its deep-toned wood panels, framed mirrors and cast-iron chandelier, the bar's dim space is the front room of your alcoholic grandma's house. And she's serving unfiltered Belvedere vodka, vodka-champagne cocktails ($9) and whiskey with Krupnik honey liqueur that's like a toddy without the tea ($9).

  1. Order this: Kielbasa plate and pierogi to split between two, paired with a Boleslaw (vodka of choice, ice, cucumber, lemon).
  2. I’ll pass: Polish beers. The entire country never quite figured out how to brew. 

EAT: Bar Dobre, 3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 477-5266, bardobre.com.  5-11 pm Monday-Thursday, 5 pm-midnight Friday-Saturday. $.

WWeek 2015

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