I was very skeptical when I heard about West Asheville’s newest restaurant Little Louie’s, which was sold to me as a “concept” (I loathe “concept” restaurants) that was (is?) essentially Pennsylvania, southern fusion. The chef of Little Louie’s allegedly served some time in Philadelphia (I jest with the “served”—I genuinely cherish Philly and its trashy inhabitants) and so would be doing a “southern” take on cheesesteaks, roasted pork…and pierogies (a friend alerted me due to my well-known love for them).
I was skeptical because there are particular foods I don’t think need a “take” on them, and pierogies are one. They are exceedingly simple and don’t need doctoring to be good. I’d argue that doctoring them up too much robs them of what makes them great in the first place. I feel the same way about hot dogs, club sandwiches, and chicken fingers.
Editor’s Note: We’re all hypocrites, so I feel compelled to point out that one of my favorite dishes is doctored buffalo-style pierogies from Frank’s Place in Simpson, PA, a true fucking delight.
I’m debating whether to share my overall thoughts on Little Louie’s in a subsequent post. I don’t love giving bad reviews—so, spoiler alert: I wasn’t what you’d call impressed (it wasn’t bad…it just felt very overhyped and a product of the Asheville hype machine)—but critiquing Little Louie’s would be more about critiquing the “concept” of a concept restaurant than the individual endeavor, and the chef has a strong reputation so this would be punching up and not down, but that’s a conversation for another day and potentially another blog.
Today, we’re here to talk about pierogies, and that not only did Little Louie’s have the gall to charge $18.00 for four pierogies (undoctored pierogies, like hot dogs, should never be more than $5.00) but also serve them with marinara sauce and meatballs like they are some kind of pasta substitute.
Yes, pierogies may be made of starchy…pasta…but they are filled with potatoes and have more in common with dumplings or fries. I can guarantee that no one in Philadelphia serves pierogi carbonara or any such nonsense. I can also guarantee you that real pierogi purists—I’m but a self-appointed pierogi purist—would never eat pierogies the way I do, which is fried and dipped in ketchup, but that’s the way I was raised on them via my first introduction at St. Michael’s Annual Church Block Party sometime in the early ’90s, and that’s authentic enough for me (real purists only consume them fried with sour cream or sauteed in butter and onions, the latter of which I’ll indulge in as long as…there’s some ketchup nearby).
It’s not just Little Louie’s, either. I recently was perusing The Admiral menu and saw that they offered pierogies with parmesan and basil…
Asheville, pierogies, despite being pasta adjacent, are not Italian. They’re Eastern European and not supposed to be fancy or served with meatballs. Please, I urge you not to truck in this particular form of fuckery. If you need a local example of how it’s done, check out The Barrelhouse.
AshevilleExplorer 