“You can taste the family.”
The manager of the punnily named Wurst Behavior made this rather startling—if ultimately accurate—statement while a friend and I visited this restaurant that’s located in Chicago’s Old Irving Park neighborhood.
Husband-and-wife restaurateur duo Chef Artur Wnorowski and Gosia Pieniazek opened Wurst Behavior last November, curating a lineup of the “wurst” sausages, brats and dogs while staying true to traditional Polish sausage-making techniques. In particular, Wnorowski “borrowed” the kielbasa recipe taught to him by his grandfather back on their family farm in Poland.
In addition, the restaurant boasts of taking no shortcuts—and that includes everything from choosing the fresh local ingredients to cautiously smoking the sausages in-house.
Although the street corn that I wanted wasn’t available on the evening a friend and I went there, Wurst Behavior had more than enough delightful items for me to heartily recommend the spot.
BTW, if you think this restaurant only has options for carnivores, that’s not true. Any of the sausage, brat or dog dishes can be substituted with vegan smoked seitan sausage, and there are separate dishes such as zapiekanka (a sandwich with mushrooms, onion, provolone and green onions), crispy Brussels sprouts, wedge salad and potato pancakes.
And those pancakes are absolutely huge (at least, compared to another place my friend and I visited), with generous amounts of sour cream and applesauce; they were also quite delicious. The other selections we made were all meat-based—and just as tasty, of course. The kielbasa-and-onion platter pretty much stole the show, and the perfectly cooked sausage ideally reflected the co-owners’ heritage. (Granddad would be proud.) In addition, we tried the pierogi dog—a hot dog topped with a potato-and-cheese pierogi, kraut, onion and sour cream—and it was absolutely delightful. And even the cheeseburger was anything but standard—a large sandwich that is one of the better burgers I’ve had this year.
The dessert was pretty cool—chocolate cheesecake with smoked banana and chocolate ganache (delicious, although we didn’t detect the smoke). As for drinks, try the dramatic and delicious Midwest Dram; this concoction comes with a tableside presentation that you need to experience.
But Wnorowski and Gosia Pieniazek aren’t letting the grass grow under their feet, as they’re opening another Polish spot, Spoko, this week, However, when it comes to blending a casual vibe with family history, Wurst is one of the best.
NOTE: I also review the buzzworthy West Town spot Provaré. To read my thoughts on that spot, visit SAVOR with Andrew.