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You haven't truly lived until you've seen a grown man dressed up as pierogi, or that what Chicagoist's parents always told us when we were growing up. Take the trip to Whiting, Indiana this weekend for Pierogi Fest and we can guarantee that not only will you see a life-sized pierogi walking around, but you will also eat lots and lots of pierogi. The little doughy dumplings can be prepared in a number of ways with a variety of sweet and savory fillings, but Chicagoist is a classicist when it comes to pierogi; we like our filled with cabbage, potato or cheese. No strawberries for us!
If you aren't heading to Whiting (and really, you should), Chicago's food media has been on the pierogi beat in the city this week. Time Out Chicago goes on a pierogi-eating mission with Steve Zavesky, two-time pierogi eating–contest champion at the Fest. Zavesky's verdict? Smak-Tak on 5961 N. Elston Ave. “These are dripping in butter," he told TOC. "This is as close to my mom’s as any we’ve tried.”
The Sun-Times' list of pierogi places doesn't tell you when is the best (or worst), so use with caution (there is nothing worse that a doughy yet dry polish dumpling). Chicagoist has been to a few of these "gems" and we are sad to report that not all of them or worth returning to.
Where do you head to when you want to eat pierogi like grandma used to make?
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I went to the Fest a couple of years ago and had a good time.
I dunno. I love a good pierogi, but I'd feel a bit awkward about pumping money into the economy of a city that's showing such a glaring disregard for its neighbors along the lake.
It isn't the city, Pantagrapher. It's BP. Go down, protest, have a pierogi and make it worth the while.
I know. I know. I need to learn to relax.
Ironic BP pseudo-pro-environment ad scrolling at the top of this comment thread.
Good arguemnt, except the people of whiting didn't oppose the permit for BP. I enjoy my pierogi's with extra sludge and dipped in ammonia, and it doesn't hurt to have the aftertaste of mercury. Screw Whiting.
Somebody needs to knock out some t-shirts asap:
I love Pierogi!
but I hate BP!
I too am having a hard time sympathizing with Indianans these are people who elected Mitch Daniels.
Are you people kidding me? You're going to take a HUGE stand against Pierogi Fest by actively boycotting it and Whiting, IN because the people there didn't oppose the permit for BP. Nobody opposed it? Not even the small businesses who set up shop there? None of the people who live there opposed it? Do you think that maybe the lobbyists and government officials who are in bed together had a bigger hand in this?
@Guest Comment #6: do you live in a box outside the Chicagoland area? If you say "Screw Whiting" because of this BP dumping issue how do you sleep at night with all the shit that goes on in Chicago? Besides posting a douche bag comment on Chicagoist, what else are you doing in "protest" of this BP story?
My friends and I look forward to Pierogi Fest every year. It's a great way to mark the middle of summer with a couple of beers, some great food, and some decent music. I'll be heading down there tonight after work as I have done for the last 3 years to support the community. I invite everyone else to head down there this weekend or mark your calendars for next year.
Yeah did you guys miss the whole BP thing all together?
This is like telling people to go to three mile island for to try the pizza they have there.
Well not that bad, but come on. How can you write this article and not mention the BP scandal?
"Are you people kidding me? You're going to take a HUGE stand against Pierogi Fest by actively boycotting it and Whiting, IN because the people there didn't oppose the permit for BP."
well, yes.
Please don't hold anything against the people who actually LIVE in Whiting. They have nothing to do with BP's decision. In fact, they are ones who are most negatively affected by it. By the way, I am not from Whiting nor do I have any ulterior motive to be a Whiting booster.
On another note, each of you should visit Whiting at least once. The Pierogi Festival is a good time to do it. However, if you can't make it, stop by some time on the way to the Dunes or to Harbor Country or to anywhere east of Chicago.
Just get off the Skyway at Indianpolis Blvd and head south a short distance. You will not be disappointed. Whiting is very well preserved, like a 1920's industrial town that's been frozen in time. The main street is loaded with quaint historic buildngs. Adjacent streets have a vintage library and high school.
The atmosphere is made more interesting by the towering steel mills, refineries and massive petroleum-product tanks that border the town. Whiting is really a hidden gem.
They have pizza at Three-Mile Island?
yes it's fresh forever.
Punctuation-challenged matty wrote:
"Yeah did you guys miss the whole BP thing all together?"
Um, the chicagoist did an entire post on the BP deal yesterday, just scroll down a bit.
I'm just waiting to see who's going to pledge to boycott Chicagoist because of the proliferation of BP ads on the site.
The ads are blocked on my browser. It's good to know, however, that whatever revenue they supply didn't stop Chicagoist from writing critically about the company.
adblock plus + firefox ftw! no BP ads here kids.
About the BP ads: Chicagoist doesn't generally subscribe to censorship. This place is a forum for people to express their opinions, engage in lively debate, and get to know one another, as well as the city better. Seriously, the pennies that the site gets (and that keeps it up and running) from those ads aren't enough to buy us off. In fact, we reserve the right to slam people, positions, and corporations we don't agree with on our site, even if they are advertising here.
Boycotting Whiting over this is the silliest thing. The governor, Mitch Daniels was the main player that approved the permits, not the people of Whiting, who are trying to get by in life like the rest of us. There is no organized effort to try and deprive the city of revenue because of this, so the only people being punished by boycotting Pierogi Fest are those that don't show up.
As for pierogi, I don't generally go out for them. I have enough Polish friends that make them for me when we are hanging out that I can get the real deal plenty. That said, if I had a car, I'd probably head down to Whiting this weekend for the party. Then we'll go have a few beers at Kenny's.
i don't know why, but the BP post on chicagoist was the first time i've gotten off my lazy ass and written to my legislators in a couple of years. i'm THAT pissed about it.
truthfully, as a native michigander who has to drive through effing gary every time i visit my parents (and as someone who spent years 10-23 on the illinois/indiana border in danville, illinois) i wish they would just move the whole damn state below the mason dixon line where it belongs. i LOATHE indiana, i don't care how much potato and cheese yumminess they have there.
BP is doing a terrible, terrible thing - I don't care how many BS banner ads they put up. and to think i was actually buying into those "it's a start" ads and buying gas there over other stations for a while.
oh, wait - we were supposed to be talking about pierogis, huh?
#18: Why do you think the NFL put the Colts in the AFC South? =)
Guest 18: Actually, for your proposal to make sense, they would have to move most of Illinois, as well as parts of Wisconsin and all of Missouri--and parts of Iowa and even slivers of Minnesota--down below the line.
Not saying you are wrong. You just didn't go far enough (and neither did I, probably, as I left out swaths of Ohio, the majority of Kansas, etc.)
first off, u people who r commenting on this page from illinois should first worry about what YOUR OWN COMPANIES r dumping into lake michigan. gov blagojevich should worry about the things happening in his own state hmm like...the BUDGET. blago is the MAIN reason y i moved out of illinois and moved to schererville, indiana. frankly, i think whatever blago says, indiana should do the complete opposite of.
even though i am completely AGAINST what bp is doing with the dumping of ammonia into the lake, from what i've read it's still quite below the fed standards and still lower than some of the companies in illinois. i think people from illinois r just mad because while job employment in illinois has slowly went down, northwest indiana job employment is going up at a much faster rate...and that might also explain all the recent residents who've moved to my neighborhood who r also from illinois.