Szalas looks as if a ski chalet dropped from the sky a la Auntie Em's house in the Wizard of Oz and landed on the rustic cottage from the Dan Ackroyd movie The Great Outdoors. The vaulted wooden interior takes on a hunting lodge theme, where wagon wheels, a water-wheel, log-cabin beams, an assortment of wild game heads and festive Polish garb battle it out for kitschy supremacy.

The restaurant is an ethnic culinary museum representing the traditional Polish Highlander culture from the region of Podhale, and there's a huge stage where you can often catch traditional folk dancing or musical entertainment reflecting the Highlander culture.

Highlanders are a hearty lot, descended from sheepherders, who require a fare to steel themselves through pounding mountain winters and backbreaking labor. Szalas menu doesn't disappoint; traditional appetizers like creamed herring, thick potato pancakes slathered with sour cream and chutney, and a potato, flour and egg-based flatbread topped with bacon and served with a side of sheep cream cheese, will clog your arteries in a minute. Hunter stew with braised sauerkraut, grilled sausage, bacon, roast pork and onion in tomato sauce covers all the cuts of the pig, while traditional game like wild rabbit or roasted pheasant round out the savory menu. Thick crepe like fingered cheese blintzes offer a perfectly sweet ending to the meal.

Centerstage Reviewer: Michael Nagrant