Paczki from Old Warsaw on Harlem

So, it was a few days before Fat Tuesday. It was actually the day after  "Fat Thursday" I learned. I dropped off one of the boys at school and as I returned home, I saw a bag on my front porch. There were a couple styrofoam containers in it. 

I thought perhaps my dad had brought something by as he heads out to get take-out food daily. Then when I looked I saw this label on the front from the Old Warsaw Inn on Harlem in Harwood Heights. I knew it wouldn't have been my dad. He rarely ventures out of Northwest Indiana. 

My next guess was my big bro. His office is in the SW burbs and he travels throughout the Chicago area and country on business and sometimes he'll drop off some goodies for me and the kids. I texted. It wasn't him.

Next thought was my friend, Michelle. She said it wasn't her. Next I checked with my neighbor who sometimes leaves things on the porch - usually a bag of clothes or sports stuff that her grandkids have outgrown. Wasn't her. At this point I was getting a little worried. If it wasn't any of them, who would have left it? It looked good, but I really didn't want to eat it without knowing the source. So, it sat there all day. I put a post on Facebook asking for anyone who left me a treat to fess up. Finally, later that day, my friend Michelle, who I had suspected hours earlier admitted that she was the mystery paczki fairy.

I was so relieved to find out it was her. They looked way to good to let them go uneaten, but hey...if a pack of unsealed food was left on your front porch and you had no idea where it came from, you'd be hesitant to eat it, too.

The Old Warsaw is a Polish buffet and they actually serve paczki every day, according to the website. I imagine it's similar to a local place - Warsaw Inn in Lynwood - with a big buffet of pierogi and stuffed cabbage and plenty of other Polish cuisine.  The treats were fantastic and if you happen to be in that neighborhood, be sure to stop for some paczki. They were fantastic! And thanks to Michelle, the Paczki Fairy.

Old Warsaw Inn

4750 N Harlem Ave.

Harwood Heights, IL

708-867-4500

old-warsaw-buffet.com

•