Mmm...doughtnuts... (mffoto / Shutterstock)
Today isn't just Fat Tuesday, people, it is also Pączki Day! And while we're sure you already have plans to celebrate Mardi Gras by getting ripped at a New Orleans-style event, why not lay down a good foundation and load up on some traditional Polish pączki before the drinking?
Pączki are doughnut-like pastries whose dough is a mix of eggs, lard and sometimes dairy, creating a uniquely rich and chewy texture. If that weren't enough, after a trip to the fryer each pączki is stuffed to bursting with creamy custard or sticky jam and then topped with icing or sugar. Although pączki are traditionally eaten on Fat Thursday in Poland, Polish Americans indulge in the fried fitters on Fat Tuesday before the Lent celebration begins on Ash Wednesday. These sweet treats are extremely popular and many bakeries sell out quickly! We've called around to find out where you can still find some to gorge on before you give up all your vices for Lent.
Northside Bakery in Williasmburg still has pączki available and at an absolute steal for only $.85 each. This bakery prides itself on all handmade breads and pastries made without preservatives or additives. Pączki are available here both drizzled with icing or liberally doused with powdered sugar.
Northside Bakery // 149 North 8 Street, North Williamsburg // (718) 782-2700
The heavily Polish influences of Greenpoint are known to everyone with an addiction to pierogi, so it comes as no surprise that you can find some of the city's most traditional pączki here. Star Deli & Bakery has been frying up pączki for years in their small Nassau Avenue shop. Here the jam flavors rule, like the tart raspberry topped with sugar, and are available for just $.90. Dunk in a hot cop of coffee to fuel up for a night of excesses.
Star Deli & Bakery // 176 Nassau Avenue, Greenpoint // (718) 383-6948
Queen's bakery Rudy's Pastry Shop is known for their wide selection of specialty cakes but don't discount their every day pastries and, of course, their pączki, which are available in both custard and jam varieties. They're the most "expensive" of the bunch, ringing up to $1.25 each, but that's a small price to pay for a historic neighborhood bakery still making things the old-fashioned way.
Rudy's Pastry Shop // 905 Seneca Avenue, Queens // (718) 821-5890
One usually doesn't think of doughnuts when a store touts itself is a "meat market," but mainstay East Village Meat Market serves up a tasty and affordable pączki. Although the store is run by a Ukrainian family, their version of pączki ($1) is sure to satisfy any discerning pączki-hound and their house-made kobasa sausage would make a nice meal for anyone looking to fill up before going out.
East Village Meat Market // 139 2nd Avenue // (212) 228-5590M
