Stanley’s Homemade Polish Sausage

OPEN, Stanley’s is now called Stan’s and as yummy as ever! Anyone who likes sauerkraut can but a head of fermented cabbage and a chunk of smoked meat and boil it in a pot with some water for a little touch of European heaven. Don’t forget to ask for some Kaymak — cream cheesy type bread spread and anyone who likes making streudel be sure to get some Pita for the crust, some apples sliced with a little sugar is all you need to makew a pretty tasty healthy desert, add bread crumbs or walnuts for texture. Oh Stanley’s I’ve missed you, thank you for coming back!

Stanleys north-​side outlet. Small shop nestled between a carneceria and a biker bar on the north-​side of Bell. I would guess its about a 5^th of the size of the original Stanleys on McDowell and probably has about a 5^th of the selection as well.
I stopped by for some brats and spicy sausage for my Oktoberfest celebration. To my shock and disappointment the sausages were shrink wrapped and frozen! What in the world? The woman, who was much sweeter than the old lady at the McDowell spot, said they are fresh. I looked at the sad frozen links and immediately was taken back to painful childhood memories of Han Solo frozen in cement, and then I looked back up at her. She must have felt my pain and doubt as she quickly added, well they were fresh today and then frozen.
Any self respecting shop that deals with fresh meat knows that freezing your product is the quickest way to ruin all that hard work you put into them. I agreed to take them anyway but wished I would have driven to McDowell or went to Schreiners.
The sausages were tasty as always and my Oktoberfest was a hit. I can’t honestly see myself going back to this north location again unless I’m on that side of town and in a real pinch. Freezing fresh meat is ludicrous. Call me crazy, but when I go to a family ran sausage specialty shop I expect to find fresh sausages by the dozens and be able to smell that wonderful aroma that makes my mouth water and my wallet open.

Ok, here’s the thing… I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio eating Polish, German and Slovenian meat & sausage. Best places back home to buy this kind of thing are on 185^th Street, the ethnic «hood.» Moving to Phoenix meant lots of sunshine, no snow and no sausage like I was used to. The closest I could find to home was Stanley’s on Bell Road. They have a wonderful selection and the girls smile every time I go in and ask, «Now how do you pronounce that?» My favorite is the rice sausage that’s made with liver. It is in a ring and bakes up great in the oven! Short of making a trip back to Cleveland & 185^th Street or the West Side Market, this is GOOD STUFF! Do I shop there all the time? Nope, but it’s definitely the place to go to stock up for ethnic holiday types of meals, especially at Easter and Christmas time.
I stopped at Shreiner’s last week on my way home from work and was a little dissappointed. They were out of a lot of stuff, didn’t even seem familiar with my favorites, but the young girl working there was very nice. She told me they don’t make the type of sausage I was looking for, but suggested I try some Brats. Not exactly what I wanted, but I decided to try some. They were okay, but for the really good, authentic ethnic sausage I love, I’ll keep going to Stanley’s!