As soon as Steve Vodrazka, the owner of the Sonya’son Henderson Hwy. in Elmwood spoke, my sister and I recognized the accent.  He was from the same country that our Dad had immigrated from many years before-Czechoslovakia.  The posters of the picturesque Eastern European country confirmed that part of him must still yearn for his homeland.

Steve took care of every single table himself as well as the till and yet he was very patient when we had a hard time deciding what to order.  He asked if we wanted to try his minestrone which was his soup of the day.  He added that it was free “unless we didn’t finish it all and then it was $2”, so priced as his way of ensuring that food was not wasted.

As we ordered the perogies, he wondered if we wanted them boiled or fried.  We assumed that this meant pan-fried and indicated our preference.  When they arrived and we saw that they had been deep fried, we were originally disappointed as deep frying can sometimes toughen the delicate dough.  There were no worries with these: the dumplings had only been kissed by the oil and they were soft and absolutely as delicious as our own family recipe.  The sautéed bacon and chopped onions certainly enhanced the flavour.  The bacon itself was not overly salty but had a rich and smoky taste.

Next up was a boneless pork loin chop in a crispy coating which reminded us of the bread crumb mixture that my Grandma used to cover her fried chicken with.  The meat inside was moist and succulent.  Also on the plate was a tangy cole slaw and boiled potato cubes.

I opted instead for the little plate of French fries that I indulged in (for the sake of research….).  Oh my goodness!  I imagined the order going into the kitchen at which time the cook took a potato, sliced and cooked it.  That is how fresh tasting the fries were.  They were lightly fried, exactly the way I love them (contrary to the other members of my family) resulting in a soft and wobbly fry.  This may not be everyone’s description of choice, but it certainly is mine.  What do you know, a French fry that still tastes like a potato!

Recently, I saw in the Winnipeg Free Press that the Burger Club had declared that Sonya’s served Winnipeg’s best burger.  I wish I had known this previous to our lunch date as now I bet there will not be a seat to be had in the snug little place.

Warning: Sonya’s only takes cash and I don’t want you to be disappointed.

Kath’s quote: “Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.”-Doug Larson

Love-that is all.

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