Smak-Tak!

5961 N Elston Ave

Chicago, IL 60646

773.763.1123

www.smaktak.com

A cute and cozy, cabin atmosphere creates a comfortable setting for some good polish food at Smak-Tak on North Elston in Chicago. Jake and I have had to drive by this small restaurant a few times now, but yesterday it worked for us to stop in and have a bite to eat.

Smak-tak translates to Taste-Yes!

Jake ordered the special platter and I ordered the stuffed cabbage rolls (a favorite of Jake's family, called golumpkis in Polish, pronounced go-WHOMB-keys). They were quite tasty - the tomato sauce was nice and thick and coated the golumpkis just right.

We each received two side salads of coleslaw and warm shredded beets with onions, too. The coleslaw was more pickled tasting than traditional mayo-laced American coleslaw. Very refreshing after a warm afternoon. In fact, I bought some at our neighborhood polish grocery store tonight because I enjoyed it so much.

I hadn't realized how much of a role dill plays in Polish food. I can't say that I eat dill all that much, other than in pickle form, and that doesn't really ring true to the taste of fresh dill sprinkled on a cabbage salad or freshly mashed potatoes.

Angus Burgers

McDonald's doesn't top my list for places to grab a good burger. Until now. On a late night cruise with a friend he recommended I try McDonald's new 1/3lb. Angus Burgers. Up for a challenge, I accepted.

Verdict? The Mushroom Swiss Burger is good. Really good. It has mushrooms, swiss, and mayo on it, but we swore the mayo was enhanced somehow. Like... some sort of cream cheese mayo maybe? Maybe it was late night delirium - regardless - Ronald, you got my vote.

[Image from McDonald's]

I'm nuts for these nuts!

Check your grocery aisles (or Walgreens) for True North's Pecan Peanut Almond Clusters. They're 100% Natural, 100% Delicious, and 100% Free after Rebate (make sure it has the red rebate sticker on it)!

[Image from Frito Lay]

No Monkeyin' Around: Bananas are Blue!

Blue bananas? Apparently so. I was reading an article here about how ripe bananas emit a blue glow when lit with UV light. So what does that mean?

“In contrast to humans, many of the animals that eat bananas can see light in the UV range. The blue luminescence of the banana fruit could give them a distinct signal that the fruit is ripe.” says Bernhard Kräutler.

So put away those crazy psychedelic posters, and party like a monkey -- Break out those black lights and throw an electric blue banana party.