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Enjoying America's best ethnic cuisine often requires leaving NY -- Minnesota's Norwegians dish out the lutefisk, while Taylor Ham's relegated to New Jersey, where the indigenous population bravely resists real ham. Taste Czech America without the road trip, at Kolache Mama, opening September 30th.

From a Houston native inspired by the eponymous delicacies found in Czech enclaves around the country, Kolache's whipping up an awesome array of said stuffed pastries, whose role in Eastern Europe as a sweet dessert was expanded to include proteins & veggies by immigrants excited to try new things, as long as they were entombed in a flaky crust. The slightly sweet dough's stuffed prior to baking with unique fillings from breakfast steez (egg & cheese w/ bacon or sausage, etc) to cased meats (Ruffino Brother's garlic sausage, jalapeno-cheddar links, Hebrew National franks w/ optional mustard & 'kraut); more elaborate creations include the Pizza Works (sausage/ 'roni/ shrooms/ peppers/ onions/ tomato sauce), the Reuben (stuff that's in a Reuben), and the roast beef/ grilled onions/ peppers/ provolone Italian Beef, whose vehement hand gesticulations make it nearly impossible to eat. On the vegetable tip, there's baby spinach accompanied by garlic, dill, feta and olives; a hummus/tabbouleh/tzatziki piece topped with sriracha; mashed potatoes with butter, cheddar, sour cream, & chives; and tomatoes and mozz w/ garlic, olive oil, and basil chiffonade -- a flavor that narrowly lost out to Meatball 'Splosion during rigorous Hot Pocket focus grouping.

In keeping with Euro-kolache tradition, sweeter varieties include honey cream cheese topped with streusel, chocolate ganache, cherry compote crumble, and even a lemon-butter curd attributed to Britain -- if they keep going this direction, soon you may not have to cross the ocean to choke down spotted dick.

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Stuff your doughy brain with the menu at KolacheMama.com