“Zapraszamy do Zielonego Lasu!” This invitation echoes not just on a website but in the rustling leaves around us. Zielony Las or Green Forest is not just a forest. It is a natural gem nestled near Żary.
Zielony Las presents almost every landscape form shaped by nature and man. Imagine gently undulating mountain ridges. Picture hills, expansive valleys and ravines. Think of waterlogged meadows, charming colorful forest pools proudly named lakes and ponds. Zielony Las also has evergreen pine, spruce, and fir groves. Mature oaks and beeches dot the landscape too.
Three towers are unofficial symbols of Zielony Las. One is stone. Another is red brick and one is steel. These towers watch over the landscape. They are silent witnesses to the forest’s story.
Hiking trails wind through Zielony Las. These paths invite exploration. They offer a chance to deepen knowledge of geography, geology, nature, literature, and history. The forest provides active recreation surrounded by nature.
In 2014, a project created a recreation and health education spot in Zielony Las. This included an outdoor gym, educational boards, seating areas, waste bins, a bike rack and information boards. This project enhanced the forest. It made it more accessible.
Now I want you to forget this for a moment and let’s move to Warsaw, far away from Żary.
In Warsaw, LAS is a Local Attraction of the Capital. It is a restaurant that evokes a lush green space. This unique restaurant brings nature to mind. Owners of Grunt i Woda, Rozbiegówka, and Błogo cocktail bar run it.
The name LAS reflects the energy of the place. It is surrounded by greenery. The owners wanted a name that spoke of celebration. They felt that the forest embodies this.
LAS blends local Powiśle cuisine with international flavors. It emphasizes locality using local ingredients and suppliers. The menu evolves seasonally. It changes every three or four months. It draws inspiration from European and Asian cuisines.
Chef Marcin Molik specializes in local products. The Powiśle restaurant serves a deer burger. The menu includes Silesian dumplings. They evolve with the seasons. Diners can find pumpkin, mushroom, kale, nettle or kimchi variations. Classics include beef tripe, baked pumpkin with quinoa-rice, vegetable-coconut soup and cornmeal-fried mussels. The most popular are de volaille with lavender-rosemary butter, duck dumplings, and steak tartare.
LAS offers options for lactose-free and gluten-free diets. Diners can enjoy duck dumplings, potatoes with cheese sauce or steak tartare. For dessert, try the financier. It is an almond cake served with pistachio cream. This cake was once for the upper class. Its shape resembles a gold bar.
The bar is known for forest-inspired cocktails. One can find a French Pine cocktail with gin, prosecco, and edible pine cone. Another option is Tepid Honey with whiskey, chestnut, and ginger. A third is Endorphin Diet made with Ketel One, quince, salted caramel, burnt butter, and propolis. Bartenders make all cocktail ingredients in-house.
Natural wines from Hungary, France, Spain, and Italy are available. The restaurant is filled with hundreds of plants. Ficus, sansevieria, dracaena, monstera, and spider plants thrive. Climbing plants like syngonium also do well.
LAS hosts live music nights. Genres range from jazz and blues to funk and soul. There are live bands on Wednesdays during winter. DJs play on Fridays and Saturdays.
Zielony Las in Żary offers natural beauty and recreation. LAS in Warsaw offers a taste of nature in the city. Both invite you to experience their unique offerings. One is an actual green forest, and the other, is a reminder of it. Both places connect us with nature. Each in its own way.