Irish Pies

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Sokolowski’s Checkers Family Restaurant and Pizzeria, 425-427 Milton Ave. (488-4141) has added a melt-in-your-mouth Irish pizza to its lunchtime specials. While it sounds odd at best, its consistency will satisfy your craving for a hearty Irish dish.

Customers who have already embraced the Irish pizza “can’t believe the cabbage and potatoes taste so good together,” says John- Paul Sokolowski, restaurant co-owner. “People order the Irish pizza all over town. I went up to East Genesee Street today,” he adds.

A cascade of tastes, the Irish pizza is made on fluffy, freshly in-house baked white or wheat dough, layered with just the right amount of Russian dressing to spice it up with mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles and sweet relish, says Sokolowski. Atop are fresh shredded cabbage, mozzarella and Swiss cheese, boiled, deep-fried potatoes grilled with seasonings and grilled corned beef, notes co-owner and chef David Sokolowski.

“The recipe came right out of our heads, it’s our idea,” says JohnPaul. “We had to do something about Tipp Hill. We had the Polish pizza for eight years, so we came up with the Irish pizza.” The Polish pizza is based on the same bed of regular or wheat dough, gilded with Russian dressing and Swiss cheese. Its Polish flavor comes from boiled and sliced kielbasa and homemade sauerkraut.

While David develops most of the recipes on the menu, Chuck Everett, firefighter for the city of Cortland, former employee and David’s best friend for more than 20 years, also contributed. “He did a lot of experimental cooking and shared his ideas,” David says.

The Sokolowskis originally opened the restaurant in East Syracuse in 2002. “We’ve moved different times to increase the number of seats,” JohnPaul explains. The current location opened on St. Patrick’s Day in 2008 and seats 37 people. “I remember St. Patrick’s Day {2008} was a Monday,” David says. “We closed the East Syracuse location Sunday. Monday, I had it up and running here.”

While the brothers are of German, Polish and French descent, the menu is heavy on Polish dishes due to their babci’s influence. “We learned to make Polish food from our grandmother, Martha Sokolowski,” JohnPaul says. “We know how to make that stuff really well. Especially if you want fresh pierogi. For Easter, we’ll make babka bread. People can order early, $6.50 a piece.”

On St. Patrick’s Day, all Irish pizza sizes, from personal (six slices) to full sheet (32 slices), will be served at special rates $4.99 to $23.99 instead of the regular $6.99 to $26.99.

—Ana Barbu

Slice of life: Even though you don’t see it until this pizza is sliced, Russian dressing serves as the base for the corned beef-and-cabbage pizza, devised by Sokolowski’s Checkers Family Restaurant and Pizzeria especially for St. Patrick’s Day.