Risque Cafe (bbq) in Wrigleyville

Risque Cafe is one of the two new restaurants from the former Meritage owner (the other a pizza spot next door to Risque which is not open yet). Risque Cafe bills itself as a smokehouse and has a gas powered smoker which burns both hickory and if I recall correctly, oak from old bourbon barrels. It has been open just a couple of weeks and I'd strongly suggest giving it more time to figure things out before you waste your time. There are a few signs of promise, but some very significant tinkering is still needed.

The restaurant itself is not large (maybe 50 or so seats) and is not yet complete in terms of decor. In terms of drinks, Risque Cafe prides itself on quite an extensive beer list. The first problem, however, is that the beer list is very difficult to read. This is merely because of the font used and can easily be changed. But if they don't change the font, good luck figuring out what beers are offered. Also, there are no descriptions of the beers and they are not grouped by flavor so, with approximately 200 beers (and more on the way), good luck figuring out what to order.

But I went to Risque Cafe for the bbq, so let's talk about food. We stared off with fried pickles. These were whole pickles, battered and deep fried and served with ranch dressing. The pickles were perfectly crisp, as was the coating -- not greasy at all -- and they were tart and quite good. So far, so good.

Unfortunately, the bbq did not measure up, although there is some hope. I tasted the brisket, pulled pork and baby back ribs (no spare ribs offered). Let me first start by saying that they offer dinners and sandwiches. Strangely, although the only difference between the two is that the dinners (at least for the pork and brisket) come with coleslaw and a piece of bread, the dinners are about $5 more (again, if I recall correctly) than the sandwiches. In fact, it seemed as if the sandwiches contain more meat. The dinners themselves offered inexcusably tiny portions and this must be changed for me to consider returning. I refuse to pay $18 (the approximate cost of my brisket and pork combo) for a few slices of brisket and tad bit more pork. I would have expected to pay a little more than half of that amount at Smoque for a slightly larger portion.

As for flavor, I thought that the ribs had nice chew and a very nice smoked flavor. The brisket also had a very nice smoked flavor, but it was dry. The pork was just bland. Aside from the flavor, all of the above was served cold -- no, not room temperature, cold! In fact, although I ordered my brisket/pork combo without sauce, they knowingly put some sauce on my brisket and pork, and politely explained to me that this was necessary to warm up the meat. Not good.

Sides did not fare that much better. The creamed spinach was just bizarre. The spinach was still seemingly raw, and in a slight cream sauce. And it really didn't taste good. The mac and cheese was creamy, but bland. However, the baked beans and jalapeno-cheddar corn bread fared better. The baked beans had a nice sweet-smoky flavor. The corn bread had real corn kernels mixed in and was very good, if not a little too dry for my taste.

Before returning to Risque Cafe, I think I'll wait to hear if things improve.

Risque Cafe (not yet up and running)
3419 N. Clark St., Chicago
773.525.7711

We stopped by last week after reading about this place on the forum. I have to say that we had the same food experience that BR had and will not be going back for a while. It is a shame as we live within walking distance and were really looking forward to be able to have easy access to some BBQ.

What could be the reason that they are serving the brisket and pork COLD? Could it be that if they warmed it up it would be even drier? I was given that option by bartender but passed because of that likely outcome.

Beers are listed by state which is fine if you know exactly what you are looking for and where it is brewed.

And now serving country-fried bacon and gravy:

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food ... 05.article

I'd rather eat the baconator.

what will they think up next

gp60004 wrote:what will they think up next

Stopped here on the way home from seeing "A Klingon Christmas Carol" in Lincoln Park on Friday, the choice made largely because it seemed like the most appealing spot near which we could find street parking.

They were all but empty, but the music was pounding. Our experience mostly paralleled previous reports.

The beer list is vast ... though not well organized. It's difficult to figure out what's what. I settled on an Ace Pear Cider and then afterward found scattered through the list several ciders that I hadn't tried before.

We had an order of fried mushrooms, just fine, and the brisket and pulled-pork sandwiches. The pork tasted of nothing. The beef had some decent smokiness and a nice bark on it, and would have been OK if it hadn't been dry. The kaiser rolls they're served on fall apart and have no taste, either.

We didn't have the temperature problems others report and although we did not specify, our sandwiches came without sauce. They offer two BBQ sauces in squeeze bottles ... needed due to the dryness of the meats. One is dark, thick and sweet; the second is bright orange, spicy and runny. Neither seemed quite right for the brisket, but they were fine for dipping the tater tots.

Seating is at the bar and high-top tables. We sat at the bar and had attentive service, but as I said, they were all but empty on Black Friday night.

If you're in the neighborhood and feel like a beer and a nibble, this place will serve, but don't think of it as a serious barbecue spot.