Tastemakers: Leg‘s Inn Taste of Poland Pate - Okocim Porter

Sept. 21, 2005

Legs Inn Taste of Poland Plate

I first learned of the joys of authentic Polish food when I began dating my wife. Every family function seemed to have an endless supply of Golabki (cabbage rolls), Pierogi’s (Polish dumplings) and Kielbasa. It was all made from scratch with Babu (Grandma) supervising every move made in the kitchen. Regardless of your ethnicity Polish cuisine is a delight, it is fun to prepare and certainly wonderful to enjoy when dining out. Finding authentic ethnic foods is never easy but the good folks at Legs Inn in Cross Village (20 miles outside of Harbor Springs along scenic M-119) have certainly made it less of a challenge. Owned by George and Kathy Smolak (nephew of the founder) who both speak fluent Polish, Legs (as it is called by locals) has built its reputation for serving the best Polish fare in the north. “Legs” is more than just great Polish food it is ambience (one look at the décor and you will know what we mean) combined with fabulous views of Lake Michigan and Beaver Island. As for the food start with the Whitefish Spread, it may very well be the best anywhere. For dinner enjoy the Taste of Poland which includes a Golabki, Kielbasa, Pierogis, old-fashion Polish style sauerkraut and Kopytka Dumplings. Wash it all down with one of the many Polish beers on the menu (see Bottoms Up). So just how good was the Taste of Poland? Just ask my dinner companion Babu who was celebrating her 90th birthday: “Kocham ywno to by? wielkie,” (I loved the food it was great). After 90 years Babu knows her food and Legs Inn is a winner, so make the drive this fall and enjoy the colors on the way and certainly the colors inside as well. Kudos to the wait staff for speaking and singing happy birthday to Babu in Polish, the service definitely matches the food: Quality on all fronts

Okocim Porter



You don’t hear a lot about Polish beer because it is so damn good they don’t let a lot of it out of the country. The best selection of Polish beer in the area is at Legs Inn in Cross Village (see Tastemakers) where they have several selections in on bottle and a couple on tap. When looking for that all-purpose food pairing brew the Okocim Porter is a true treasure. Darker than traditional porter’s Okocim has sensual dark chocolate and dark roasted coffee aromas and complex layered flavors one would expect out of a Baltic style Porter (Baltic Porters come from Russia, Poland, Sweden and Finland primarily). The smoothness of Okocim Porter makes it easy to pair with all food types. It is great as an afternoon refresher or paired with pumpkin soup at lunch. The gusto of this porter is perfect with all hearty polish style foods such as Golabki and Pierogi’s but the dark chocolate aroma makes this a fantastic dessert style brew, try with Nalesnik (Polish style crepes filled with fruit and or crème cheese). Okocim Porter and its sister brews are available at Legs Inn, but ask at your favorite beer store-they should be carrying this. If not, you will give them a reason to do so.---Rick Coates