I'm torn. On the one hand, this is the best BBQ I've had in Chicago. On the other hand, I haven't had much BBQ in Chicago and this is not as good as some of the BBQ I've had in other cities. But the flavors are right, the portions are right, but the feel is not quite right. This is textbook good barbeque, but seems to be missing that all important soul that I get when I'm down South eating BBQ food.
Don't worry, I'm not going to get all holistic on everyone, but I do think there is something important about having the right feel to the food. The dining room feels more like a diner or a New England truck stop than a deep South BBQ smoke shack. I'm conflicted because I shouldn't let ambiance taint my impression of the food, but maybe it has.
On the first visit I tried the brisket and it was very tasty, but on the second visit I tried the pulled pork and it was wonderful. The pulled pork sandwich really nicely absorbs the flavor of the bbq sauce and you can really appreciate its intricacies.
The mac and cheese was thick, creamy, and luxurious, but not too rich. The cobbler was the perfect end to the meal not being overly sweet or heavy.
All in all I can't say there is a better BBQ in Chicago, but I'm game to try and find out.
I would give Smoque a B, which combined with JF's review
MAKES THE LIST
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Hot Doug's Secondary Review
Just a quick clarification. My lamb sausage was actually a gyro, spincach and feta sausage with olive tapenade and kasseri cheese. Very delicious.
On our repeat visit we tried the alligator sausage with cajun remoulade and cheshire cheese which was surprisingly flavorless. The wild boar sausage with chilli garlic relish made me a convert though. It was one of the most flavorful items ever to come in a bun. I wasn't a huge fan of the chorizo sausage, but I don't love chorizo to begin with.
The beer soaked brat and foie gras duck sausage on the first visit were unbelievable as were the duck fat fries.
The one big gripe I have is the wait. I know that JF believes its part of the experience, but its a part of the experience I'd like to skip. Standing for 2 hours in the Chicago cold is not pleasant for anyone and not worthwhile for any food, no matter how good. I would recommend going on an off time.
Because of the unforgiving wait, my final grade is a B, which averaged with JF's A, puts Hot Dougs as a restaurant that
MAKES THE LIST
On our repeat visit we tried the alligator sausage with cajun remoulade and cheshire cheese which was surprisingly flavorless. The wild boar sausage with chilli garlic relish made me a convert though. It was one of the most flavorful items ever to come in a bun. I wasn't a huge fan of the chorizo sausage, but I don't love chorizo to begin with.
The beer soaked brat and foie gras duck sausage on the first visit were unbelievable as were the duck fat fries.
The one big gripe I have is the wait. I know that JF believes its part of the experience, but its a part of the experience I'd like to skip. Standing for 2 hours in the Chicago cold is not pleasant for anyone and not worthwhile for any food, no matter how good. I would recommend going on an off time.
Because of the unforgiving wait, my final grade is a B, which averaged with JF's A, puts Hot Dougs as a restaurant that
MAKES THE LIST
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Hot Dougs
GG and I had tried to go to this place twice before we were finally successful the third time. The first time we went the line was so long and we refused to wait. The second time was on a Sunday and as we pulled up and saw no line, we were ecstatic. Then we saw on the door that the hours of operation are Mon-Sat 10:30 thru 4:00 (F My Life). So the third time we went at 1:30pm on Saturday. We made a pact that no matter how long the wait was going to be, we had to wait it out. We ended up getting our food at 3:30 pm :). Yes I know it sounds insane to wait 2 hours for a hot dog, but these babies are in a league of their own.
Part of the Hot Doug's experience is waiting in line with its regulars. GG and I were standing behind a very nice couple that had been Hot Doug's regulars for 8 years. They gave us the ins and outs of the place and told us what to expect. The menu is broken down in to the normal hot dogs/sausages (brat, thuringer, anduille, chicken sausages, corn dogs, etc.) and the "specials," which are a rotation of roughly 8 sausages that are more eccentric, like duck, boar, alligator, chorizo, and lamb just to name a few. These are typically garnished with an interesting sauce and an imported cheese.
Hot Doug's is also known for their fries, which they cook in duck fat on Friday's and Saturday's only. For our first visit, we decided to go with six total dog's. We each got the duck sausage with foie gras and truffle mayo, GG got the lamb sausage with tzitiki (sp?) sauce and feta cheese, and I got the ribeye sausage with fried onions, cheddar cheese, and a sour cream sauce. We also split a beer soaked brat and a southwestern style chicken sausage. An order of duck fat fries and regular fries were also added to the mix. The regular fries are a little more potatoey (I like to make up adjectives), and I definitely preferred the duck fat fries which were very decadent and delicious. We each paid roughly $25 each for the food, as the special dog's are $7 each and the regular dog's are $3-4. The duck fat fries are $3.75.
We definitely ordered wayyyyyyyyyyy too much food but we are young, stubborn, and in decent enough shape to make stupid decisions every once in a while. The combination of the infused sausages and accouterments made for a taste I had never experienced. Each dog had incredible snap and the S. Rosen's Company buns held everything together extremely well. I really enjoy the fact that the sausages are all grilled as opposed to boiled, which gives the dog's a smokey taste. They are very filling and two are definitely more then enough.
Hot Doug's has gotten so popular and has such a cult following that no matter what time of day you go, you are going to have to wait in line. GG and I went back a second time on a Friday at 11:15, and waited 45 minutes. The food here is so good though, that the wait is worth it. Go on a nice day with a friend and an empty stomach and I promise you will leave happy. I give Hot Doug's an A and a nod for "The List."
Part of the Hot Doug's experience is waiting in line with its regulars. GG and I were standing behind a very nice couple that had been Hot Doug's regulars for 8 years. They gave us the ins and outs of the place and told us what to expect. The menu is broken down in to the normal hot dogs/sausages (brat, thuringer, anduille, chicken sausages, corn dogs, etc.) and the "specials," which are a rotation of roughly 8 sausages that are more eccentric, like duck, boar, alligator, chorizo, and lamb just to name a few. These are typically garnished with an interesting sauce and an imported cheese.
Hot Doug's is also known for their fries, which they cook in duck fat on Friday's and Saturday's only. For our first visit, we decided to go with six total dog's. We each got the duck sausage with foie gras and truffle mayo, GG got the lamb sausage with tzitiki (sp?) sauce and feta cheese, and I got the ribeye sausage with fried onions, cheddar cheese, and a sour cream sauce. We also split a beer soaked brat and a southwestern style chicken sausage. An order of duck fat fries and regular fries were also added to the mix. The regular fries are a little more potatoey (I like to make up adjectives), and I definitely preferred the duck fat fries which were very decadent and delicious. We each paid roughly $25 each for the food, as the special dog's are $7 each and the regular dog's are $3-4. The duck fat fries are $3.75.
We definitely ordered wayyyyyyyyyyy too much food but we are young, stubborn, and in decent enough shape to make stupid decisions every once in a while. The combination of the infused sausages and accouterments made for a taste I had never experienced. Each dog had incredible snap and the S. Rosen's Company buns held everything together extremely well. I really enjoy the fact that the sausages are all grilled as opposed to boiled, which gives the dog's a smokey taste. They are very filling and two are definitely more then enough.
Hot Doug's has gotten so popular and has such a cult following that no matter what time of day you go, you are going to have to wait in line. GG and I went back a second time on a Friday at 11:15, and waited 45 minutes. The food here is so good though, that the wait is worth it. Go on a nice day with a friend and an empty stomach and I promise you will leave happy. I give Hot Doug's an A and a nod for "The List."
Hot Doug's
3324 North California (California and Roscoe)
Chicago, IL 60618
3324 North California (California and Roscoe)
Chicago, IL 60618
Bob San
I had heard about Bob San for quite some time and after all the hype I was very excited to try a restaurant that might be a contender for the Toro throne as best sushi in Chicago. Unfortunately it was not to be. The menu was completely uninspired. With the exception of the "Uni Shooter", the menu pretty much seemed boilerplate from any other sushi restaurant. When the most exciting roll is "Crabby Dragon", a dragon roll using soft shell crab instead of shrimp tempura, I find myself begging for a little creativity.
For what its worth I didn't try the Uni Shooter, but that is because the description of it made it sound like a waste of perfectly good uni (sea urchin). While we're on the uni, let me say this. It was phenomenal. That and the super white tuna were the shining stars of an otherwise disappointing meal.
The spicy white tuna roll had embarrassingly little fish. The sea bass with shizo sounded promising, but the shizo overwhelmed the tiny portion of fish. The dragon roll was drenched in teriyaki sauce rather than eel sauce and that killed any flavor of the fish. The negi beef was also drenched in teriyaki sauce which was far too sweet.
The creamy scallop hand roll was quite tasty, but nothing to write home about. The anago nigiri tasted stale. The salmon nigiri was average and the yellowtail mediocre.
The spider roll was actually quite delicious, so delicious that we had to order two. As far as rolls go this was the highlight.
One more mention for the Uni because it really was very exemplary. This was some of the best uni I've ever had and the portion of it was very generous. The chef kindly pointed out that they had just received the shipment that day and in fact I was the first person to order it that night. I'm not sure if it is consistently that good.
All in all I would grade Bob San a C, which reflects some of the best Uni I've ever had.
DOES NOT MAKE THE LIST
Bob San
1805 W. Division St.
Chicago IL, 60622
For what its worth I didn't try the Uni Shooter, but that is because the description of it made it sound like a waste of perfectly good uni (sea urchin). While we're on the uni, let me say this. It was phenomenal. That and the super white tuna were the shining stars of an otherwise disappointing meal.
The spicy white tuna roll had embarrassingly little fish. The sea bass with shizo sounded promising, but the shizo overwhelmed the tiny portion of fish. The dragon roll was drenched in teriyaki sauce rather than eel sauce and that killed any flavor of the fish. The negi beef was also drenched in teriyaki sauce which was far too sweet.
The creamy scallop hand roll was quite tasty, but nothing to write home about. The anago nigiri tasted stale. The salmon nigiri was average and the yellowtail mediocre.
The spider roll was actually quite delicious, so delicious that we had to order two. As far as rolls go this was the highlight.
One more mention for the Uni because it really was very exemplary. This was some of the best uni I've ever had and the portion of it was very generous. The chef kindly pointed out that they had just received the shipment that day and in fact I was the first person to order it that night. I'm not sure if it is consistently that good.
All in all I would grade Bob San a C, which reflects some of the best Uni I've ever had.
DOES NOT MAKE THE LIST
Bob San
1805 W. Division St.
Chicago IL, 60622
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