Smoque BBQ

3800 N Pulaski Rd
Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 545-7427

Smokin'!! Sorry, I had to say it. This place was oh-so-good!!

I came here for lunch because I'd read that the restaurant routinely runs out of food and if I am going to travel all the way to Irving Park for food and I can't get any...well, John William (like Wayne Brady) will have to choke a bitch. And I am trying to cut down on my assaults and batteries for the year. Trying.

So, I was armed with the address and I made my way down Pulaski from the Blue Line. It was bright, I had my sunglasses on, I was strutting, saw the address, opened the door, walked in...and it was a dentists office. I tried to play cool. I told the receptionists that I was "meeting a friend." Then I had a pretend conversation on my cell phone with my 'friend' saying that "I was at the office and she could pick me up now..what was that...oh, if you are running late, that is fine. I'll walk around. I feel a little awkward waiting at this office anyway..." And I left. I am sure the receptionists were laughing at me.

Walking next door (and trying to reclaim some cool), I finally entered Smoque. There were a decent amount of people sitting but still some empty tables. I sauntered up to the register, ordered a pulled pork sandwich with slaw and fries and a soda. With tax (hi, Todd Stroger!), that was $10.14. Not bad. I went to the soda fountain, drew some SWEET TEA (the only non-alcoholic beverage to drink with bbq) and sat my happy self down. Then I remembered I'd been on the CTA and I washed my hands in the restroom. And used some towelettes.

In the midst of my hand-cleaning OCD, my order number was called! Immediately, I was impressed by the portion size. The sandwich is served on a thick wheat bun and there's a more-than-generous amount of pork and sauce awaiting your lips. Add to that a BROWN PAPER BAG full of fries, container of extra sauce and tub of slaw (with vinegar, not mayo; I hate mayo) and I was ready to dig in. Remembering my Southern upbringing, I took a bite of my sandwich without adding sauce. Yum! Tender, seasoned pork and just the right amount of sauce made for a flavor explosion in my mouth. Remembering my gluttonous ways, I dumped the rest of the sauce on the sandwich and sopped up any extra that ran off with the bread. That's how we get down in the dirty dirty.

I assume that I was eating like Homer Simpson because I caught some looks of horror as I gulped down sweet tea, made smacking noises as I ate my sandwich and stuffed fries in my mouth. I didn't care. There were free refills to take advantage of and food in front of me to eat. The looks are deceiving re the portion size. The folks at Smoque do not skimp on portion size. I'm a big eater and I was barely able to clean my plate. I was happy that I didn't order the cobbler, as I would not have been able to eat it.

Since I was in a trance-like state as I gorged, I noticed a few things on the sparsely covered wall. 1.) a crayon drawing done by a child, complete with the word "Texes." It took every bit of my self-control to not turn the "e" into an "a." I am still thinking about it. 2.) I couldn't stop giggling at one of the plaques. It was the EAT OUT AWARD for BEST BUTT. Hee. Dirty, but oh-so-humorous to my 12 year old mind, it made me laugh and laugh.

One last free refill (and giggle at the best butt to, well, you know) and I was on my way home. I barely made it back to my place before I passed out from a full belly. And, ladies & gents, that's good eatin'.