My knowledge of Polish cuisine doesn't extend beyond the pierogi. So I recruited my step-mom and her brother, who are second-generation Polish-Americans, to come to Paul Zakopane Harnas in Little Poland.

A Madonna over the doorway and lithograph of Pope John Paul II by the register preside over the carpeted and paneled dining room. Plastic liners cover the banquet style tables and the small bar in back made me want to order an Old Fashioned. The atmosphere, and most likely the prices, hasn't changed in a long time.

Though you can surprisingly bypass pierogi in favor of a $3 cheeseburger, look to the 10 daily specials in addition to traditional, meat-filled Polish dinners. After running down the list of oxtail, Hunter's Stew and polski talerz, or combo platter, I knew what I would be ordering...for the sake of investigative reporting.

My combo plate overflowed with a cabbage roll stuffed with rice and ground beef, all smothered in a sweet and sour sauce; four meat pierogis; a fist-size meatball; sauerkraut and an eight-inch polish kielbasa; a crispy-on-the-edges potato pancake and some fried pieces of dough. There's more. It came with my choice of six daily soups or one of six different salads, a vegetable or potato, and ice cream. My company assured me that this was the quintessential Polish dining experience, and I took home more than I ate of my very authentic $8 meal.

Zakopane is a mountainous area in Poland where the owner Paul is from; Harnas, according to our waitress, means something like Robin Hood. Make like the gold-toting hero and bring your coins; it's cash only.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Robert Duffer