And my winner of ribfest '06 is.....

Hi everyone,

I went to ribfest this past weekend, and got to try most if not all of the ribs. My favorite by far was gayle street inn. They reminded me the most of my dearly departed houstons....

Anyone else go? Any other thoughts?

J

For Ribs, my favorite was Cy's. Overall, my favorite was the pulled pork from Smokin' Woody's.

I agree, Gale Street Inn were the tops, but a surprising a close second would have to be Grizzlies. Very tasty and meaty bones. The pulled pork "sliders" from Merles, hit the spot as well.

would have to say Gayle Street was cooked the best. Grizzley's had a good, spicy sauce. None of them were smoked, but decent/non-smoked ribs are better than no ribs.


Smokin' Woody's pulled pork was def the treat of the afternoon. At least one of the places for "RIB FEST" actually uses a smoker.


Sincerely - BBQ Snob

I know this was a few months ago but I wanted to threw my .02 in and say I also thought that Gale Street Inn was the best....

Went there with some friends a few weeks later and I honestly felt those are some of the best ribs I've ever had. Perfect combo of flavor and tenderness. How come this place doesnt receive more credit/hype around here? I dont see it mentioned nearly as often as other places that I've found to not be as good.

Commbrkdwn wrote:I know this was a few months ago but I wanted to threw my .02 in and say I also thought that Gale Street Inn was the best....

Went there with some friends a few weeks later and I honestly felt those are some of the best ribs I've ever had. Perfect combo of flavor and tenderness. How come this place doesnt receive more credit/hype around here? I dont see it mentioned nearly as often as other places that I've found to not be as good.

Tastes on this board seem more geared towards BBQ ribs (see: Honey 1, Lem's, Barbara Ann's, Uncle Johns) rather than the traditional fall-off-the-bone Chicago style of parboiled/steamed ribs (see: Gale Street Inn, Twin Anchor). As for the latter, I would agree that Gale Street Inn is probably the finest example of this style. I still will take wood-smoked 'cue over it any day of the week.

if they hadnt have gotten rid of the non vendor rib contest this year you might have been able to samplee some real ribs instead of the stuff those vendors were trying to pass off as bbq

Plan a BBQ 'fest trip for the real deal! We were going to head there last weekend, but last minute events forced us to reschedule.

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t= ... uncle+bobs

I haven't tried, but the reviews sound as if this is the place to go. IMO, the best place for Ribs/PP/Brisket is FAT WILLY'S. It's no longer a rib shack and is the only place I know where you can order a 40oz and a glass of wine in the same establishment. The meat is great, and the two sauces are fantastic.

Gale Street Inn has ridiculously good burgers as well. Definitely on my top ten list.

Gale Street Inn (Chicago),Gale Street Inn (Mundelein).Are the two related in any way ie former employee etc? Their menus are very similar.

I have not been to the Milwaukee store in a lot of years, so I do not know if the same people run/own that one.

The Diamond Lake store is run by the son of the original (and might still be) owners of the Milwaukee store.

Up for ribfest '07! Cant wait!

Can anyone explain how this thing works. Do you pay per stand, and how much? Or is it like you buy a ticket for five stops along the way? I'm usually not a big fan of food fests like this but the band Chin Up Chin Up is playing, so that's added incentive to go.

Commbrkdwn wrote:Up for ribfest '07! Cant wait!

Rib Fest 07
June 9-10
Noon - 10pm
Damen, Lincoln and Irving Park intersection.

BryanZ wrote:but the band Chin Up Chin Up is playing, so that's added incentive to go.

Nice catch, I didn't notice that. "We Should Have Never Lived....." is a great album.

I'll be singing at Ribfest with my band, the Blue Line Riders*, on Sunday at 1:00 (on the ATA stage--though I have no idea what that means). I would love to meet any LTHers who happen to be there around that time.

Kristen

*We do straight up, old fashioned country and western music. Perfect for dancing away your rib belly.

kl5 wrote:I'll be singing at Ribfest with my band, the Blue Line Riders*, on Sunday at 1:00 (on the ATA stage--though I have no idea what that means). I would love to meet any LTHers who happen to be there around that time.

Kristen

*We do straight up, old fashioned country and western music. Perfect for dancing away your rib belly.

Wow, the Blue Line Riders are a really good band! I'm there.

BryanZ wrote:Can anyone explain how this thing works. Do you pay per stand, and how much? Or is it like you buy a ticket for five stops along the way? I'm usually not a big fan of food fests like this but the band Chin Up Chin Up is playing, so that's added incentive to go.

The way it works, at least last year was that you buy $20 worth of tickets (minimum) and each vendor sells their food/beer for a certain amount. Most places will have a small rib sampler of 3-4 bones for 4-5 tickets. What kind of music is Chin Up Chin Up?

Chin Up Chin Up is comparable to Wolf Parade.

As far as the Ribfest, I must say I've been more impressed with the bands they book versus the actual ribs. Maybe Honey 1 will be there this year.

From the Northcenter Chamber of Commerce site:

Participating Restaurants

Celtic Crown - BBQ Ribs, Burgers, Pulled Pork
Chase Root Beer - Black Cows, Fried Candy Bars, Icees
Chicago Joe's - BBQ Ribs, Chili, Sloppy Joe?s
Cold Stone Creamery - Ice Cream
Cordis Brothers Supper Club - BBQ Ribs, French Fries
Cy's Steak & Chop - BBQ Ribs, BBQ Chicken
Feed The Beast - Pulled Pork, Toasted Ravioli
Gale Street Inn - BBQ Ribs, Jambalaya, Smoked Tri-Tip Sandwich
Hecky's - BBQ Ribs, Rib Sandwich, Italian Beef
Lagniappe A Creole Cajun Joynt - Pulled Pork, Crawfish, Crab
Lincoln Restaurant - BBQ Ribs, Corn On The Cob, Funnel Cake
Merle's - BBQ Ribs, Mac-N-Cheese, Pulled Pork Sandwich
Mrs. Murphy's & Sons - BBQ Ribs, Pulled Lamb, Lemon Trifle
Olga's Concessions - Burritos, Quesadillas, Tacos
Pete's Pizza - BBQ Ribs, Pizza, Wings
Ranalli's - BBQ Ribs, Pizza, Salads
Red Baron - Pizza
Robinson's #1 Ribs - BBQ Ribs, Rib Tips, Boneless Rib Sandwich
Smokin' Woody's - Rib Sandwich, Rib Tips Sandwich, Brisket Sandwich

It's a shame they got rid of the non-vendor competition. I entered it a few years ago, had a great time, even took 3rd (I got a CD from some Evanston band IIRC)! The only other competition in the city I remember was in West Town, but I don't know if it's still going on. The year I entered that one, a crock pot rib took 1st, so I figured it wasn't really worth trying again....

here is more info about Chin Up Chin Up. they are a fun, nice pop band. saw them play up at lake forest college last year. definitely worth seeing.

I'm not sure how event planning on this board works, but if people are going to this and possibly want to meet up, PM me. Anyone who likes ribs and good music a friend of mine.

Based on the list of vendors this year, is there anyone I should be looking for in particular?

BryanZ wrote:I'm not sure how event planning on this board works, but if people are going to this and possibly want to meet up, PM me. Anyone who likes ribs and good music a friend of mine.

Based on the list of vendors this year, is there anyone I should be looking for in particular?

The Events Board is a really good place to initiate a gathering. You have to set a time and place, then hope your idea is a gathering storm of interest. It is my experience people like to be where other people gather, so if they PM then it may take longer to reach critical mass. Heck if you even get one buddy, then you have someone to share the experience with.

Regards,

New to the area and love me some pig. Wondering if anyone knows if Ribfest is worthwhile.

http://www.northcenterchamber.com/site/ ... 050_62.htm

Apparently there's also a scotch tasting at some place nearby, so it sounds like a good time to me...

-Dan

Welcome to LTHForum!

You might find LTH compadres for ribfest in this thread.

Otherwise, might I suggest coming to see LTH's very own Professor of Ribs, GWiv, at the Printers Row Book Fair on Sunday? Panel discussion at noon, followed by a cooking demo at the Good Eating Stage. Details here.

My apologies for the cross-posting, but I had started a thread over in events and it was recommended that I find hog-loving compadres over here. The better half and I are going to head over there early this afternoon. Not being familiar with the area or the event itself I'm not sure if there's an obvious place to meet up with other LTH'rs, but if anyone else is going to be there, let me know and maybe we can find a meet up ("meat up"?)

-Dan

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=13816

We're going to be over there around dinner time (7 pm?) but I'm not certain, given the list of participants, that it is in fact worth going there

Gapersblock.com - The Party Line June 8th, 2007 (Vol 4, #23) wrote:RIBFEST #1. OK, maybe it's just me, and yes, I don't eat ribs, but doesn't a Ribfest seem like an anachronism? Ribfest as a title already sounds like a bad medical conference, but to then make a festival of pork on the street just seems so... 1982? In any case, if meat on the street is your thing, North Center (Lincoln & Irving) has got it for you.
<http://gapersblock.com/slowdown/archives/2007/06/09/#020356>

Ribfest 2008

Not sure if they forgot to update the list of vendors, but the participating restaurants listed on the website are identical to last years.

If this is indeed the case, what are some of the better food options there?