Danielle Braff has a piece on the best global comfort foods in Time Out this week. Some of her choices are really good. For example the borscht at Russian Tea Time is exciting, as is the pongal at Udupi Palace. Pierogi wise, don’t go to her suggestion of Podhalanka, unless your idea of comfort is gluey dough and dried filling. Overall Podhalanka makes good Polish food, but of the eight pierogi spots I ate at for this Time Out article, Podhalanka’s were one of the worst. Smak Tak (5961 N. Elston) is your best bet. Also, while I don’t know a ton about bangers and mash, my gut tells me that Fado Irish Pub, a national chain, is not the best place to find black pudding. That’s like saying you’ll find the best burgers in Chicago at McDonald’s. Then again, anything is possible. I’ve often thought some of the best local beans and rice can be found at Popeye’s on certain days, that is until I found Lagniappe (1525 W. 79th St.).