If you like barbecue and you haven't been to Smoque, you should get up from your computer and go there now. The food is that good here. There have been a lot of barbecue places opening up in the City over the last couple of years but this restaurant was around long before it became trendy. Smoque is located in Old Irving at 3800 N. Pulaski.
As I mentioned, the food is really great and there are a lot of choices. The menu is printed on a big chalkboard that you can see when you walk in and usually the line is long enough to make your decision before its time to order. You are given a number after you order that is called when your food is ready. You then go up to the counter to pick it up. The ribs are awesome, the fries are great. There is a childrens' menu with three items on it: a mini pulled pork sandwich, a mini brisket sandwich, and mac and cheese. My finicky daughters don't like the mac and cheese there and I guess pulled pork and brisket is a little too far out of their comfort zone so last time we ordered the half chicken for them to share off of the regular menu. They loved it. They also go crazy for the corn bread and the french fries.
Inside there are a bunch of tightly packed tables where everyone sits communal style. Don't pick out a seat before you order. Someone who works there will find out how many people are in your party and find a place for you to sit while you order and wait for your food. I've been there when there has been a line out the door and also when there has been no line at all. Somehow they always seem to be able to seat everyone. The last time we were there I noticed that they have added outdoor seating as well. The restaurant also does a lot of take out.
The restaurant is really casual. It is always really noisy with lots of kids there. High chairs and booster seats are available if you need them. Smoque is located just a couple of blocks from the Irving Park Brown Line stop. Finding free parking on Pulaski usually isn't too difficult.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Revolution Brewing / The Whistler
We had an awesome dinner at Revolution Brewing this past weekend and while our dinner was adults only, there were a decent number of children dining here and I would take my kids if it was a little more convenient for us. The restaurant, a brewpub located in Logan Square at 2323 N. Milwaukee, definitely has an adult atmosphere but it is so big and loud I don't think most other diners really notice the kids.
The food is so good at Revolution Brewing. The restaurant, obviously highlights beer from their brewery located at 3340 N. Kedzie (soon to be open for tours) but the food is definitely not an afterthought here. To start, we had soft pretzels with cheese and mustard for dipping and bacon fat popcorn. Both were really enjoyable as we caught up with old friends and enjoyed our beers. Our waitress didn't rush us at all even though the restaurant was pretty busy. For dinner, I had the farm burger with beets, arugula, horseradish cream sauce, and a fried egg on top. It was hard to eat because it was so big and messy but so good. Others at our table had burgers and pizza - everything was great. I am not a beer expert by any means but the house beer on tap (there were about 10 beers on tap) was really good.
The restaurant is two stories high (with a bar on each level). When we first arrived (Saturday night around 7) we were told there would be a 25 minute wait. We ended up waiting only about 5 minutes, which was a wonderful surprise. It is a big restaurant and if you do end up having to wait there is a decent amount of room by the bar. I have heard that it can get really crowded there.
Revolution Brewing obviously has a beer focus and is loud and crowded but it is definitely a place you can bring your kids if those things don't bother you. We saw several families dining there. The restaurant does offer a kids menu. I am not sure what exactly is on it since we weren't with kids but I saw some kids getting mini burgers and fries that looked really good. My guess is that they have a few standard kid items.
Service was pretty good. Our waitress was nice and while she didn't know the answers to a couple of our questions about drinks she asked the bartender and we received plenty of information and good recommendations. Revolution Brewing is located just a couple minute walk from the California Blue Line stop. I highly recommend it for a fun night out with friends.
After dinner we went to the Whistler for some drinks located at 2421 N. Milwaukee just a block or two away. On a side tangent, Logan Square is not my favorite neighborhood. I know it is really cool and they have a lot of great restaurants but I'm just not hipster enough to blend in. And I don't generally find the hipster attitude of being too cool for everything very appealing. In addition, the last couple of times we've been in the neighborhood it's been impossible to get into the restaurants we wanted to go to (Longman and Eagle and Kuma's just to name a couple). Two hour waits are ridiculous and we just don't have the time or patience any more. In other words, I am getting old. But enough ranting about Logan Square and how uncool I've become (I can blame the kids, right?). My point is that this bar is very representative of this neighborhood and a lot of the Logan Square pretentiousness is present here. Given that, however, the drinks are really good. The Whistler was listed as one of the 100 best bars in Chicago magazine in 2010 and the description of it is pretty accurate - Violet Hour type drinks at Logan Square prices. The cocktails range in price from about $8-$12. I had their punch of the week and it was very good, came in a cute tiki glass with a paper umbrella I could take home to my daughters. If you are with a group of people who don't like cocktails or are not adventurous at all (like some of the people in our group who just could not believe that the Whistler did not have Bacardi) it may not be the best choice. The bar is definitely on the small side. There is only a handful of tables plus seats around the bar. On the night we were there, a DJ was just getting started when we were leaving at around 9 PM. At that time it wasn't crowded at all and we were able to find a table. We had to order our drinks at the bar. There was a waiter type person wandering around but he did not seem interested in speaking to us. In summary, the drinks were really good and the atmosphere was a little mixed.
The food is so good at Revolution Brewing. The restaurant, obviously highlights beer from their brewery located at 3340 N. Kedzie (soon to be open for tours) but the food is definitely not an afterthought here. To start, we had soft pretzels with cheese and mustard for dipping and bacon fat popcorn. Both were really enjoyable as we caught up with old friends and enjoyed our beers. Our waitress didn't rush us at all even though the restaurant was pretty busy. For dinner, I had the farm burger with beets, arugula, horseradish cream sauce, and a fried egg on top. It was hard to eat because it was so big and messy but so good. Others at our table had burgers and pizza - everything was great. I am not a beer expert by any means but the house beer on tap (there were about 10 beers on tap) was really good.
The restaurant is two stories high (with a bar on each level). When we first arrived (Saturday night around 7) we were told there would be a 25 minute wait. We ended up waiting only about 5 minutes, which was a wonderful surprise. It is a big restaurant and if you do end up having to wait there is a decent amount of room by the bar. I have heard that it can get really crowded there.
Revolution Brewing obviously has a beer focus and is loud and crowded but it is definitely a place you can bring your kids if those things don't bother you. We saw several families dining there. The restaurant does offer a kids menu. I am not sure what exactly is on it since we weren't with kids but I saw some kids getting mini burgers and fries that looked really good. My guess is that they have a few standard kid items.
Service was pretty good. Our waitress was nice and while she didn't know the answers to a couple of our questions about drinks she asked the bartender and we received plenty of information and good recommendations. Revolution Brewing is located just a couple minute walk from the California Blue Line stop. I highly recommend it for a fun night out with friends.
After dinner we went to the Whistler for some drinks located at 2421 N. Milwaukee just a block or two away. On a side tangent, Logan Square is not my favorite neighborhood. I know it is really cool and they have a lot of great restaurants but I'm just not hipster enough to blend in. And I don't generally find the hipster attitude of being too cool for everything very appealing. In addition, the last couple of times we've been in the neighborhood it's been impossible to get into the restaurants we wanted to go to (Longman and Eagle and Kuma's just to name a couple). Two hour waits are ridiculous and we just don't have the time or patience any more. In other words, I am getting old. But enough ranting about Logan Square and how uncool I've become (I can blame the kids, right?). My point is that this bar is very representative of this neighborhood and a lot of the Logan Square pretentiousness is present here. Given that, however, the drinks are really good. The Whistler was listed as one of the 100 best bars in Chicago magazine in 2010 and the description of it is pretty accurate - Violet Hour type drinks at Logan Square prices. The cocktails range in price from about $8-$12. I had their punch of the week and it was very good, came in a cute tiki glass with a paper umbrella I could take home to my daughters. If you are with a group of people who don't like cocktails or are not adventurous at all (like some of the people in our group who just could not believe that the Whistler did not have Bacardi) it may not be the best choice. The bar is definitely on the small side. There is only a handful of tables plus seats around the bar. On the night we were there, a DJ was just getting started when we were leaving at around 9 PM. At that time it wasn't crowded at all and we were able to find a table. We had to order our drinks at the bar. There was a waiter type person wandering around but he did not seem interested in speaking to us. In summary, the drinks were really good and the atmosphere was a little mixed.
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