Varenyk House

Ukrainian Borscht, and Support, at Varenyk House | The New Yorker

"On a corner in Ridgewood, Queens I discovered a year-old deli and grocery, Varenyk House, a takeout-only spot run by Stepan Rogulskyi, who emigrated from western Ukraine in 2008 and has been deeply affected by Russia’s invasion—he said, “I think... that this war is the only chance for Ukrainians to get a final freedom.” The solidarity has brought an uptick in customers (one person drove two hours), and Rogulskyi has been collecting donations to send home and organizing volunteers to make special blue-and-yellow–dyed varenyky whose proceeds will be donated. The varenyky, made to his wife Natalya’s specifications (half-moon and relatively elongated, not “beer-bellied” like pierogi), are filled with juicy shredded pork, soft curds of farmer cheese mixed with mashed potato and onion, or plump sour cherries; they can be ordered à la minute, boiled or pan-fried, and are also sold frozen in two-dozen packs. From the steam table I had cabbage leaves stuffed with barley and mushrooms in mushroom gravy, a succulent pork chop smothered in fried onions, and golden, craggy ground-chicken schnitzel—each served with a choice of rice, barley, or mashed potatoes—and sampled cold salads of tart shredded beets, cucumbers in sour cream, and radish coins with farmer cheese and scallions. The borscht was an earthy, sweet-and-sour red broth, luscious with fat and thickened with cabbage, white beans, potato, and bits of pork (a vegetarian version is available), and a chewy six-inch black loaf of rye and whole-wheat, par-baked in Ukraine and finished in the kitchen, was warm recently. Rogulskyi, who worked in butcher shops before opening, also sells sausage, bacon, and ham; I picked a dense pink loaf of ground pork and beef, aggressively seasoned with garlic and paprika, that sliced like pâté and tasted of home—most dishes run $5–$12." - Hannah Goldfield