Olesia’s Place
What an amazing surprise this was!! What had formerly been a fireplace and tractor “showroom” right off of Rt. 82 in N. Royalton, has been totally transformed – at least INSIDE – into a really, REALLY nice restaurant (we actually had to force our jaws closed). It was warm, cozy and beautifully appointed (though a bit too dark).
We weren’t really sure what to expect with Ukranian food, but it seemed like it was basically a mix of German, Polish, Russian and Hungarian. I guess Eastern European would be a better classification, so my apologies if I’ve offended anyone. Regardless, they had a very intesting-sounding menu with a lot of my favorites on there so I was anxious to try many things, but we played it smart and did some sharing. As an appetizer, we tried the potato pancakes which were unbelievable!! Not exactly sure what the secret ingredient was, but it was delicious. The only drawback was that not only didn’t they serve them with applesauce, but they didn’t even HAVE applesauce (perhaps that’s the Ukranian version of potato pancakes), no matter though – they didn’t even need them. Since I wanted to try everything on the menu but knew I had to exercise some common sense, I ordered a dish that had both stuffed cabbage rolls AND pierogis! The cabbage rolls (2) were huge and very tasty, but I found the cabbage to be a little tough and hard to even cut. Also, there was only a small amount of the tomato-based sauce that is served on top, so I had to ask for a small bowl of it on the side. In spite of this, it was very good and I’d definitely order it again. The pierogis, on the other hand, were a disappointment to both of us. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was about them that we didn’t like, but they weren’t as good as those we’ve had in many other places. Mr. Z ordered the chicken kebob that was served over couscous. The 2 very large skewers of chicken were really good – tender and cooked just right. He’s not a fan of couscous, but I tasted it and as couscous goes…..it was okay.
By the time we had finished our meal, we were both carbed-out (potato pancakes, bread and pierogis), so we passed on ordering dessert. Overall we were pleasantly surprised and pleased and would definitely not hesitate to return.
Olesia’s Place is located at:
11204 Royalton Rd.
North Royalton,OH
(440) 237-1450