After a hard day's work, nothing beats beer and borsch.

On Saturday I went to a self-service junkyard on North Avenue & Pulaski Road and spent the day battling stubborn bolts, dodging huge fork lifts and trying to keep flakes of falling rust out of my eyes.

The weather was nice, so I removed my jacket. Subsequently, my jacket was stolen.

Afterwards, I dragged my tired, greasy self to Sak's Ukrainian Village Restaurant & Lounge. It had been awhile, but I knew I could trust Sak's for some real rib-sticking sustenance.

I went with my friend Tom and we ate at the bar. We started with bread, then I moved to a bowl of beet-red borsch. For my main course, I devoured a big plate of bratwurst, served with tangy kraut and two manly scoops of mashed potatoes.

My meal plus Tom's soup and four beers cost about $20. Not bad, and there's more ways to save.

I drank here one night (about two years ago) with a Russian who loved heavy metal (and the bar's heavy metal jukebox). We drank anything they'd serve us, and the bartender bought us every third round. She said it was policy. I'm not sure if that's still the case, but it's worth looking into.

Two more things: If it's not yet closing time but the door is locked, try knocking. The bartender should buzz you in.

And if you do try the borsch, remember to order it with sour cream.

That's pretty standard policy (the bartender getting rounds) for Sak's. Shhhhh.

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