A Taste of Home by Way of Langos

Currently in Slovakia visiting my grandfather, I have every possible Slovak food specialty at my disposal.  Langos, a fried dough delicacy, which actually hails from Hungary is also quite popular in this region, and I remember it fondly from my childhood.

Having a hard time finding authentic langos in Bratislava, I actually stumbled upon it in a small town called Pezinok, about 25 minutes North of the country's capital.  MM+K cafe, which housed this magical fry bread looked pretty ordinary, but had the word "langos" on its exterior signage, so I thought it was a sure thing.  I walked inside, asked about it and sure enough it was on the menu, with about 5 different varieties of toppings.

Atmosphere:
Situated in Pezinok's city center, which is quite humble and small, MM+K cafe is perfect for just stopping in quick and grabbing a hearty bite to tide you over.  That's just what I was doing as well, since I had some time before taking the train back to Bratislava.

There are a few tables and chairs in the front room (I'd say about 3) and more seating in a separate room that's off to the right.  The counter display shows off their supply of fresh veggies and the very impressive spit that holds all the gyro meat they serve throughout the day.  That's actually what this place is known for - kebabs and doners, which luckily also showed up in the langos offering.

Langos:
While I first thought I'd keep it simple and get the "classic" langos with garlic, I instead chose a fancy variety called "Turka," which was graced with gyro meat, cheese, a creamy white sauce and some fresh veggies.  After taking a quick look at the meat, I knew I couldn't pass it up and knew this would be a big hearty lunch to remember.

I was happy to see that everything was prepared fresh, including the langos of course, which was fried about a few seconds after I placed my order.  The whole thing was a tower of deliciousness, and I loved the pairing of salty, juicy meat with the soft and slightly crunchy langos.  Really needing the freshness of the veggies to cut all that richness, the whole thing felt like a really balanced and indulgent meal rolled into one.  Basically, it was everything I wanted and more, and I may have to make a suggestion to Koliba to perhaps do more of these.

Service and Cost:

Since the place wasn't crowded, as today is still technically another non-working day (2nd day of Christmas), I had their staff's undivided attention.  My langos was done in about 2 minutes time, and I felt comfortable to hang around for a bit before my train came.

For a pretty sizable meal, the cost was pretty minuscule, setting me back only 3 Euro or approximately $4.  That's what I call, great European value, which is pretty hard to find these days.

3 Mmmms

MM+K Obcerstvenie - Polubyho 26, Pezinok Slovakia
+421 904 594 211 

Koliba's Langose are In!

It's no secret that I love my Eastern European food.  And that's why Koliba remains one of my favorite restaurants in Astoria (and maybe of all time).  This little, mom-and-pop Slovak restaurant always dishes out some of the most amazing comfort foods that never lack flavor and delicious ingredients such as to-die-for thick-cut bacon. 

Meg and I had dinner there last week and while there isn't much that I haven't tried, we spotted a new item that made us stop in our tracks. Langos! 

I'm familiar with langos from my youth when my grandmother and I used to make them by hand.  Resembling a tortilla, our langose consisted of potatoes and flour, cooked on a hot griddle and then topped with some butter.  I later found out that this is the Hungarian way of making this dish.  The Slovak way is completely different and goes something like this:

Langos - The way Koliba's menu describes these delicious appetizers is by calling them "raised bread topped with cheese." What they really mean is that a langos is basically a hearty zeppole - instead of sweet fried dough, you've got a savory one instead.  All of this is topped with a mild shredded cheese, which if eaten fresh, melts slightly.  Overall, the langos is light and fluffy, albeit fried and a great way to start your meal here.  Just make sure you split it with at least two people, as this fried delicacy is pretty large.

Cost:
A generous piece of langos will only set you back $5.

Koliba - 31-11 23rd Avenue, Astoria, NY 11105
718.626.0430
N/W Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)
www.kolibarestaurant