Sean Corbett photo

Yup, that's a lot of Polish meat

Warsaw Deli
149 Main St. Stamford. (203) 323-5141

Given the scarcity of non-Italian delicatessens in Fairfield County, I nearly cried "eureka!" when I caught a peripheral glimpse of the Warsaw Deli while crossing Washington Boulevard and Main Street in Stamford.

Sure enough, there was a well-stocked refrigerated counter — but no seating. Warsaw Deli is primarily a take-out place and Euro-Baltic grocery store with enticing garlic and cabbage aromas wafting in the air.

As its name suggests, it houses a large variety of Polish specialties, including multifarious breads and pastries, such as sernik (cheesecake), as well as goblaki (stuffed cabbage rolls) and other assorted entrées.

On our visit we could not resist sampling a loaf of Brooklyn-baked Ukrainian rye bread. And although it was not baked on premise, it was very fresh and flavorful.

Since we were tyros on Polish cuisine, we limited our meat purchases to items that have become commonplace in American diets. Thus we passed on golonkas (pigs' knuckles), instead opting for kielbasa zwycza (Polish sausage), parowki cielece (frankfurters), Kanadyjs (Canadian bacon) and bologna.

We found ourselves exploring every aisle. Our finds included all kinds of unusually flavored syrups (from nooni berry to black currant); a large assortment of preserves, jams and jellies; a sizable selection of Polish beers, mineral waters, and fruit drinks; and even a rack of international magazines.

On a scale of one to five pierogis, everything was a four or five. The pork and veal bologna was not only fresh and flavorful, it also differed from supermarket varieties by being natural-loaf-shaped versus cylindrical. It had a non-rubbery, pleasing texture. Warsaw Deli's hot dogs possessed all of the characteristics of true champions, including the requisite natural casings that make 'em snap when bitten. Even more noteworthy, they are 100 percent veal. Many of the meats are available in both fresh (unsmoked) and smoked versions, with the fresh meat delivered every Tuesday.

Grocery item prices are commensurate with most specialty markets. Surprisingly, the meats were comparatively inexpensive, from $2.79 to $6.79 a pound.