Don’t be fooled by the outside of Crocus’ 13th Streetlocation: The forbidding exterior gives way to a warm interior. Crocus offers abar at the entrance and two dining rooms, though one is used mainly for specialevents. Décor consists of prints of people dressed in Polish folk costumes anda collection of dolls near the kitchen entrance. The chairs at the tables are“banquet hall” basic, but the charming booths offer more comfort.
Appetizers and salads are nonexistent on a menu thatonly strays from Polandfor a few seafood entrees and the Friday fish fry. The Polish options, listedin English and Polish, include pierogi, blintz and bigos. Bigos is a sauerkrautand meat stew.
The menu lists two soups, but they are usuallybypassed since entrees include a soup of the day. The optional soups includebeef tripe (Warsawstyle) and czarnina, a soup of prunes and duck blood. Outside of the Fridayclam chowder, the soups tend to be vegetarian. There are Ukrainian borschtsmade with beets or cabbage plus a host of other vegetables. While thecauliflower soup has the main ingredient outnumbered by carrots and pasta, donot shy away from the sauerkraut soup: It is one of the best options, with bitsof smoked pork, potato, carrot and barleynot at all salty and just a bit tart.On some days you might find dill pickle soup, which is the most requestedrecipe. It has a base of beef broth plus cabbage, potato, celery and leek. Thepickles add a hint of tartness in this memorable soup.
Vegetarians will find few options, but meat eaterswill be in their element. One of the best items is the zrazy wolowe, alsocalled beef roll-ups, in German rouladen. Thin slices of beef, so tender a forkcan cut them, are wrapped around pickle and bacon. Rich gravy with mushroom andonion adds to the flavor. There are also small flour dumplings that look likean oversized version of spaetzle. Golabki ($8.50) is stuffed cabbage filledwith rice and minced meat. They are topped with a mild tomato sauce and includea side of boiled potatoes.
Pierogis ($10.50) are filled dumplings that aresteamed before they are quickly pan-fried. The menu lists several choices forfillings: seasoned minced beef; sauerkraut and mushroom; sweet cheese; and aRussian-style preparation with a blend of cheese and potato. They are servedwith a small dish of sour cream.
Friday seems to be the busiest day, thanks to thepopular fish fry. The fry of choice is the yellow perch ($10.75), with filetsthat have a light, slightly seasoned batter. The excellent potato pancakes, asthin as crepes, help to balance a dull side of coleslaw and tartar sauce thatis too sweet. Be warned that at times the kitchen does run out of the perch.
The priciest dinner entrée is pork chops a la Crocus at $13.50, so thisis a very affordable place. The smaller lunch menu features entrees in the $8to $11 range. It may seem like a meat-and-potatoes restaurant, but keep in mindthat, with the exception of the fish fry, virtually nothing is deep-fried,adding a healthy aspect to the meal. Service is always pleasant, and someservers even have a trace of an authentic Polish accent. This is one of thebest places to experience the flavors of ethnic Milwaukee.