Zofia’s Kitchen specializes in pierogi, but diners should come to the table with an open mind. Chef Ed Hardy strays from sauerkraut and potatoes and fills his dough bundles with quirky abandon. One mimics a crab rangoon, another stars gravlax, cream cheese, and everything seasoning. Hardy was inspired to “bring comfort food to a populace that needed comforting” during the pandemic and began researching one of Eastern Europe’s greatest contributions to the food world. The most surprising thing he found in his research was “the sour cream fight.” Some dough recipes call for it, others don’t.
Zofia’s Kitchen fully launched in December 2020 inside the Ballston Quarter food hall. “Zofia is a made-up paternal grandmother,” Hardy says. “Your Polish grandmother you didn’t know you wanted or needed.”
If you have to pick one flavor to try first, make it pastrami and Swiss cheese ($12.99) matched with a creamy mustard sauce. Hardy cures and smokes the brisket in house. All pierogi come eight to an order. You select whether you want them sautéed, steamed, or fried to a golden crisp. Sautéed is the answer for the pastrami variety.
You may find the look of them a bit surprising. Because Zofia’s Kitchen cranks out as many as 800 pierogi per day,