Today marked my second visit to Smoque, a great barbeque joint in the Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago (about a block south of the Irving Park Blue Line stop.) Snaps to Bridgid for pointing me in the right direction a few weeks back.
This is a down-and-dirty, community-seating, corner restaurant that is moving serious volume even at 4:00 in the afternoon. As you walk in, there is a sign instructing you to order first, and a large blackboard detailing your choices. The kitchen is open and visible, and the buzz is high.
I ordered a brisket platter, which comes with slaw and two sides. Today’s choices were mac & cheese and cornbread. Total cost: about eleven dollars with my Coke, which I poured at the fountain before sitting down with my book.
So, there are a couple of things that make or break a barbeque joint: getting the meat right and offering great sides. One challenge for thrifty restauranteurs is devoting the necessary time to barbeque. I can’t even begin to recount all the delicious-smelling, chewy ribs I’ve had over the years. So I’m always skeptical. But both my platters at Smoque were done right. Tonight’s brisket was sublime: the outside of the meat had a thin layer of char, while the brisket fell apart with the touch of my fork. The flavor is so lovely that using sauce should be a crime. I can’t wait to go back and try a slab of ribs.
The sides were a mixed bag. This is usually where I bitch about barbeque joints. First, the good stuff. The cole slaw is awesome; a perfect combination of sweet and tart. It is included with every platter, as it should be – this is their signature side. I also enjoyed the cornbread. It was simple and full of flavor. But most important, the moisture and texture was very enjoyable. The mac & cheese left me pretty ambivalent. It wasn’t bad, just nothing special. Especially in this day of over-the-top mac & cheese offerings, I felt let down. Next time I will definitely go back to the baked beans.
You can’t go wrong here. And believe me, I’m just repeating what others have said. But given my proclivity to eat red meat, I’m looking forward to many more delicious meals at Smoque.
