Rob Has a Lithuanian Feast

One of the occasional pleasures that comes along with being a restaurant critic is to enjoy some ethnic cuisine that is not commercially available in Austin. Such was the case last weekend as we dined at the home Audrey and Dan Lunecki in Barton Creek West.

Audrey’s mother Lydia had once owned a Lithuanian restaurant in Chicago. She’s a fan of my show on 590 KLBJ-AM and told Audrey that she’d like to have my wife and I over for some authentic Lithuanian chow. So the two of them whipped up a feast of epic proportion last Friday evening and we dined with mutual friends Carol and Skip Weed and Greg and Barbara Smith.

Lithuania, located north of Poland, has a rich culinary tradition that has been re-energized since the demise of the Soviet Union.

Normally we’d be dining at a local restaurant on a Friday night so this was a real treat.Home cooking with an ethnic flourish! The dishes were indeed authentic and seriously tasty. The home made sausage and sauerkraut was a delight. The sausage had a smooth texture and a mellow flavor that offset by the tangy kraut. The Meat Dumplings were my downfall. Resembling the Polish pierogi, they had a robust flavor and wonderful texture. Lydia said that the Meat Dumplings (served with a dollop of sour cream) were the most popular item on the menu when she had her Chicago restaurant. I could readily see why. Also terrific were the Lithuanian Potato Pancakes, resembling latkes, I’ve been trying to low carb things lately but these were simply too good to pass by, The taste was a nice blend of sweet and salt and the bacon that accompanied this dish was nothing short of amazing.

We topped things off with a rousing side of Lithuanian ham served with green beans. Tender was the operative word here. Dan Lunecki chose the wines and we had a nice Pinot Grigio, a Reisling and a Pinot Noir, all of which went well with the various dishes.

As the feast came to a close with authentic Lithuanian sweet kolaches, I realized that a meal like this, in the company of friends, is about as good as it gets. Food that I couldn’t get elsewhere in Austin, fellowship, and that terrific vibe that comes from an evening well enjoyed.

By he way, I’m going to see if Lydia is interested in giving the restaurant business another go. I can still taste those meat dumplings!