940 5th Avenue, Coraopolis; 412.262.1210, lviveuropeankitchen.com
(Tues.-Fri., 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sat., Noon to 6 p.m.; Sunday and Monday by reservation only)

Summer 2018

On the Menu:
Traditional Ukrainian fare handmade from scratch. From stuffed cabbage, haluski and borsch to pierogies (such as Pelmeni pierogies; potato with bacon, sauerkraut with mushrooms, bacon, potato or kielbasa; spinach with ricotta; and sweet cottage cheese—to name a few), Lviv European Kitchen also offers an Italian menu from its Millie’s Italian Deli. The menu offers a variation on traditional and non-traditional Italian options such as the Stuffed Tuna Pita made with roasted peppers, provolone cheese and lettuce and tomato; the Gyro with feta cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and cucumber sauce; The Reuben Baby made with corned beef, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing and Swiss cheese; the Grilled Hot Sausage topped with fried green peppers and onions and provolone cheese; the Soprano piled high with roast beef, turkey, ham, provolone cheese with roasted red peppers; and Sammy the Bull made of roast beef, turkey, roasted red peppers and provolone cheese. Other popular menu items include traditional pizza, pierogi pizza, Ukrainian pizza, and hoagies served on fresh Mancini’s Italian bread. Sides include salads, cheese sticks, chicken wings, kids’ meals with chicken nuggets, plus cheese and meat trays and hoagies rings. Catering is available with a 24-hour advance call. Customers can order by the tray for location catering or utilize the 50-seat dining room, buffet-style accommodations.

Describe the moment you found a passion for food.
Ever since I was a teenager I learned how to cook from my mom. She taught me everything I know in the kitchen. She taught me how to make borsch and pierogies. I would watch her and mimic what she was doing as she cooked for the family. Growing up in a small village in the Ukraine was very quiet. Everybody made food for their families using ingredients from their small farms and gardens. In our garden, we grew potatoes, carrots, beets—you name it. We had chickens, pigs, cows and turkeys. Everything we needed we used from our own meats, milk, fruits and vegetables.

Describe Lviv European Kitchen & Millie’s Italian Deli.
Lviv means “Hometown” in Ukrainian. I wanted to bring what home cooking means to me to my customers at Lviv. In 2008 my husband Mike and I opened Lviv after we purchased Millie’s Italian Deli. We kept Millie’s Italian deli and added Lviv’s Ukrainian food to the business. Mike helps buy supplies and he also handles deliveries, but I cook the food. Lviv is a family-owned and operated restaurant and two of our four children work here when we need help.

What kitchen tools can’t you live without?
My Hobart mixer. I need it to mix the potato filling for all of the pierogies. I make a variety of pierogies, including potato and jalapeno, potato and cheddar and sauerkraut. People like these varieties. We have a lot of customers, but it’s our older customers who say our food reminds them of their mamas and that our pierogies are the best.

What is your favorite go-to ingredient?
Salt and pepper.

What is your favorite quick meal to prepare at home?
Potato pancakes with sour cream.

Best advice for a novice?
Owning a restaurant is very hard work. Days are usually 12 hours long and sometimes even longer depending on what’s going on. You must be motivated and like what you do to make it in this business.

Other than Lviv European Kitchen & Millie’s Italian Deli, where is your favorite place to eat in the city?
Dynasty International Buffet in Cranberry Township is very good. I order the sushi and crab legs.

What’s the next big food or dining trend?
There’s nothing better than homemade food—especially from scratch. I also think food trucks are still popular. We have a food truck or trailer we take out on Mondays and Saturdays to farmers market and colleges, or corporations. We like going out with our truck. It means we can get out of the restaurant and we can enjoy meeting new people. We put up a tent and tables, and cater birthday parties, graduations, funerals and weddings—we’re homemade comfort food.

—Reese Randall