Little Walter’s brings a chef’s Polish heritage and memories of his grandfather to East Kensington
Chef Michael Brenfleck's first bar-restaurant is inspired by his grandfather and his family's Christmas Eve meals. He even learned Polish via Babbel to get into the spirit.
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There really was a Walter behind Little Walter’s, chef Michael Brenfleck’s quaint, Polish-inspired bar-restaurant opening Wednesday on an East Kensington corner: Walter Bubick, his grandfather, who died in 2012. “I think he was maybe 5-foot-5 at his tallest and then got shorter as the years went on,” Brenfleck said.
Brenfleck, 39, a 15-year Philadelphia restaurant veteran last at Spice Finch near Rittenhouse Square, did more than mine Polish cookbooks and memories of his family’s traditional Christmas Eve feasts (wiglia) to prep for his 46-seat ownership debut. He took up learning Polish via Babbel, and you’ll see plenty of it on the cocktail list and tight menu.
Brenfleck offers traditional cooking with flashes of modernity. He’s serving two pierogi. One is a silky smooth ruskie variety stuffed with potato and farmer cheese and topped with caramelized onions and a dollop of sour cream, while the other — 100% vegan — is filled with squash blossom and grilled zucchini and topped with a rich cashew-based horsey sauce.
He’s making his own pickled vegetables, sourdough rye, and kielbasa as starters. For mains, choose either rotisserie pork, created on his wood-fired grill and served in a crock with herb potatoes and kaputa, or chicken cutlet with mustard broccolini and plum butter. Two desserts: chocolate and peanut butter pierogi with vanilla ice cream and spiced honey cheesecake.
Brenfleck has really put his Polish to use in the drinks menu. The cocktails are named after professions in Polish, and spirits and liqueurs are native to Poland. The citywide special is dubbed Urbanista (city planner) and is a 16-ounce Żubr and a shot of Żubrowska. The Tłumacz (or interpreter) is Śliwowica, lime juice, and salt. The Nauczyciel (teacher) is apple kombucha and krupnik. The Pszczelarz (beekeeper) is honey, meyer lemon shrub, and nasturtium. There’s a pickle juice martini called Piłkarz (footballer).
Brenfleck said he’s learned something while hosting preview dinners over the last week or so. One is the importance of his team, “who increase my confidence in what I’m able to do.” The second: “A wood-fired grill, especially during a heatwave, is really hot.”
Little Walter’s, 2049 E. Hagert St. Hours: 5-9 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Reservations via Resy.