by Staś Kmieć
The Downtown Historic District of Haverhill, MA is now abuzz with restaurants, bistros, cafés and boutique bakeries. During an extended 4th of July visit to the area, I finally got the chance to experience George’s Restaurant – a place that has been the talk of my family and my hometown.
I heard about the pierogi and barszcz during holiday periods and the chef’s European-inspired progressive American Cuisine, so for my first visit I was looking for some ethnic fare. The lunch time menu featured continental cuisine, but apparent in the “specials” was my choice: a hearty Beef and Duck soup with sweet potato and kielbasa and Pork Schnitzel, thinly pounded with a lemon butter caper sauce and accompanied by a carrot and green bean medley and delicious homemade mashed potatoes. All this for a price you can’t beat!
Owner and Chef Peter Polasek is an American success story. Born in the Czech Republic, he attended the Culinary Institute in Prague and graduated with high honors for hotel and restaurant management. In 1980, Peter immigrated to the United States at the age of 21 and was employed as Sous Chef at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco, where he met his wife Lisa. Together they opened their first restaurant in San Raphael, California.
In 2004, Peter and Lisa opened George’s Restaurant where they continue to raise the standards for gourmet fine dining. With bi-annual menu changes and daily specials, Chef Peter pays homage to his culture with Saturday Night Czech Specials. I will have to return to sample the pierogi and other ethnic delights.
The restaurant has been voted Best Fine Dining, Lunch and Martini in the Greater Haverhill area three years in a row. With an impressive mural of George Washington prominently displayed in the elegant surroundings of a former bank, George’s Restaurant is dedicated to our country’s First President.
GEORGE'S RESTAURANT ● 77 Washington Street ● Haverhill, Massachusetts ● 978-374-5150
Haverhill is located 45 miles North of Boston and 15 miles from the New Hampshire border
