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Paczki Burger at DMK a Sweet and Savory Fat Tuesday Treat

By Josh McGhee | January 27, 2015 5:28am | Updated on February 17, 2015 8:30am
 DMK Burger's Mardi Gras Burger is topped with two grass-fed beef patties smothered in Cajun spices, swiss cheese, Creole tomato ketchup, arugula, red onion and mustard, all perched upon a paczki.
DMK Burger's Mardi Gras Burger is topped with two grass-fed beef patties smothered in Cajun spices, swiss cheese, Creole tomato ketchup, arugula, red onion and mustard, all perched upon a paczki.
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DNAinfo/Josh McGhee

CHICAGO — If you're looking to get your indulgence on for Fat Tuesday, DMK has just the thing to get Today's celebration started: a paczki burger.

The Lakeview eatery's Mardi Gras Burger will be sold exclusively on Tuesday and include two 5-ounce, grass-fed beef patties smothered in Cajun spices, Swiss cheese, Creole tomato ketchup, arugula, red onion and mustard all perched upon a house-made paczki for $8.

"I never knew what [a paczki] was until I saw this thing around Ash Wednesday in bakeries around Ukrainian Village" and other parts of the city, said chef Michael Kornick, co-owner of DMK, who first encountered the Polish pastries when he came to Chicago in the early '80s. "They were selling them like hot cross buns."

The Mardi Gras burger in all its glory.

Years later, while working as a chef at the Chicago Athletic Club, Kornick learned to cook the pastries to ensure they were available during the holiday season. The club made sure to have all traditional holiday foods available for all club members.

So when someone suggested using the pastry as a bun at DMK, he was on board. He had to up the Creole seasoning to balance out the sweet and savory aspects of the sandwich, Kornick said.

"Our customers told us they really enjoy the creativity and like to see us do things a little differently [at DMK]," he said.

If you want to avoid fighting the crowds at your area bakery the third week in February, you can pick up a Mardi Gras burger at DMK, 2954 N. Sheffield Ave., Feb. 17. And yes, it is calorie-dense.

"Most of [our burgers] are a full day of calories, depending on your sides," Kornick said. "If you're going out for a burger, you're usually not worrying about calories."

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