Perogie Lili: Persuasively pirouettes onto our plates

[Cette critique resto vous est offerte en anglais. Pour une version en français, cliquez ici.]

Un article de Michael Kowalsky

Located at 126 Fairmount Ouest, Perogie Lili is a stone throw away from renowned bagels and gnocchi. 

I sat with entrepreneurs-slash-chefs Greg Bedik and Nestor Lewyckyj to gain insight into the delectables awaiting you when you pass through the door of this authentic eatery. 

The Menu

It’s a no-nonsense affair that will cater to diners on a fixed timeframe. First up, the true stars are the traditional perogies, known to some Ukrainians as varenyky. These are simple bitesize, plump, mouthwatering, potato and cheese. Served without any side dishes, the toppings are the ultimate compliment with a choice of sour cream, fried onions, green onions, dill or bacon. 

An innovative specialty dessert perogie is dubbed le cheesecake. As Bedik boasts, “picture this, a sweet farmer’s cheese filled perogie, doused with crème fraîche, then topped with reduced sour cherries, sprinkled with brown sugar, coated in syrup and graham cracker crumble”. It’s more than a dream-come-true for any sweet tooth.

The decor

A quaint floorplan leaves space for about a dozen stools at a counter and a single round table in an alcove.  The mint-green coloured backdrop paint and chrome countertop screams 1950s Baba’s kitchen, with a nod to Wilensky’s legendary deli a couple blocks over and should make many visitors feel right at home. 

The wallpaper is bona fide, imported from the old country with a scarlet and black tree of life motif. However the eye is drawn to a stylized chalkboard on the east wall that will punctually feature a rotating series of works by Ukrainian visual artists. 

Bedik and Lewyckyj describe the first iteration of this ever-evolving tableau as a meteorological calendar of Ukraine, containing references to traditions, seasonal observances and festivities by painters Fedir Kurchki and Alexandra Kulinenko. 

The dream

Eventually, Bedik and Lewyckyj aim to offer experimental fare like foie gras or duck confit perogies. They wax poetic about the romantic history of the perogie, its role to nomadic, horse-mounted people for over a thousand years far prior to the new world importation of the potato to Europe from Central and Southern America. It was an envelope of dough, containing buckwheat, ground berries, game meat or anything else that you can stuff inside the pocket and eat on the go. Indeed, the gents underscore the rich history of the perogie. 

The promise

2% of sales will be donated to humanitarian relief efforts through the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. At $10 per plate, Bedik and Lewyckyj want to accommodate a couple out for dinner and beverages for under $30. An old expression says ‘cheap like borscht’, and this is an ideal restaurant for a memorable date on any budget.   

Final review

They generously offered me a plate of potato perogies at the interview’s conclusion, and I admit that this recipe direct from Ludmyla’s (Nestor’s deceased mother, and the namesake of the restaurant via the cutesy diminutive ‘Lili’) cookbook collection rivals the finest perogies I’ve ever encountered. My tastebuds danced a kazachok.