Nosh Pit
Restaurant visit occurred February 2020.
Hamtramck, MI
Like a moth to a flame, I was instantly drawn to Nosh Pit’s vegan paczki offering. For those neither Polish nor Michigander, a paczki (poonch-kee) is a delicious jelly-filled pastry devoured on Fat Tuesday.
I had Nosh Pit on my must-try hit list for some time and Paczki Day was just the catalyst I needed to get myself to Hamtramck (Polish neighbor just north of Detroit). Ever the planner, I called to inquire about the pre-ordering situation. Raspberry filled was available for pre-order, but vanilla custard (be still my heart) was available walk-in only. So on glorious Paczki Day I strolled into the Nosh Pit just before noon, with my eye on the custard prize.
Hopes dashed. The guy I passed in the threshold snagged the very last custard filled paczki.
Ever the pouter, I took a few moments to wallow. Why didn’t I just order the raspberry? Fruit filled paczkis were much better than none at all! Why didn’t I just get down here earlier? Really, did I need to do six Duolingo sessions before getting in the car? Okay, enough Mary, enough. The universe is saving your waistline, be a bit thankful. So I pulled myself together, nodded to the universe, and vowed to enjoy my Nosh Pit lunch experience.
You have probably caught on by now, I rarely order just one item. Call it my food assessor civic duty, but I always like to get a sampling at any new place. It might have been my lingering sorrow, but I limited myself to only two items: my first choice (Reuben sandwich) and the server’s reco (Iris burger).
I am super keen on Reubens. I don’t think I’ve ever had a meat version, but give me any vegan sandwich smothered in Thousand Island-type dressing and I’m onboard. This version was unique – corned beets (points for cuteness!), sauerkraut, dressing and cheese. The first bite delivered hints of both warmth and tang, a unique combination that I quite enjoyed.
I now turned my attention to the burger. Listen, I don’t know Iris but damn did she get this burger right! A beet-potato latke together with Thousand Island dressing, pickles, and cheese - all in perfect harmony. (And I know what you are thinking… Mary, this sounds an awful lot like the ingredients in the Rueben. Same bricks, different architecture!) I really thought Impossible Burger had ruined handmade veg patties for me forever. Well, this beet-led burger has blown that theory right out of the water! I’ve never been more thrilled to be wrong, wrong, wrong.
As I was basking in the afterglow of my burger and making friends with the three-year-old behind me, a stranger approached. He offered my new little buddy a paczki! It may have been the look of sheer desperation in my eyes or my good karma coming back around (let’s just go with the latter), but this kind man then turned to me and offered his last extra jelly-filled roll! The giddiness boiled up in me like hot lava. What a guy! What a turn of events!
Big lessons today, folks, thanks to the Nosh Pit. Never underestimate the kindness of strangers. Or the power of beets.
