BP wrote:Alot of restaurants have No Substitutions policies, though the wording used by Smokin' Woody's Barbeque, seems impolite and rude. There is no need for that kind of attitude to be shown toward customers.

BP,

Rude? Your perception of rude and mine vary quite widely. I'd go for funny, idiosyncratic, which I rather deal with than homogeneous corporate same in 30-cities glossy we are your friend/brother/mommy restaurant/menu/waitron bs. Puts me in mind of this post by Hammond.

Gary

BP wrote:I've never eaten at Smokin' Woody's Barbeque, and I don't plan to either, due to one simple reason:

*NO SUBSTITUTIONS, DEAL WITH IT.*
from http://www.originalsmokinwoodys.com/id1.html

Alot of restaurants have No Substitutions policies, though the wording used by Smokin' Woody's Barbeque, seems impolite and rude. There is no need for that kind of attitude to be shown toward customers.

"lighten up Francis"

BP wrote:I've never eaten at Smokin' Woody's Barbeque, and I don't plan to either, due to one simple reason:

*NO SUBSTITUTIONS, DEAL WITH IT.*
from http://www.originalsmokinwoodys.com/id1.html

Alot of restaurants have No Substitutions policies, though the wording used by Smokin' Woody's Barbeque, seems impolite and rude. There is no need for that kind of attitude to be shown toward customers.

Do not ever..EVER set foot in Dick's Last Resort, Ed Debevic's, or a Leona's.
EVER.
That's just for starters. There are quite a few other places that use bad humor (on purpose) as well.
And that's not even mentioning places that have workers that will throw you curve balls. The head cashier at the Pita Inn in Wheeling (the tall guy with the mustache - for those of you who go, but you knew that already) will reach out to hand you your change, and then pull his hand back, or do the same thing with a credit card, OR read off your order completely incorrectly. 99.99999999999% of the people get caught off guard, and crack a smile (along with everyone else in line.) It's humorous as well.

You may have taken the message the wrong way.

Thanks ekreider for the great summary of your experience at Woody's.

I remember our conversation, and greatly appreciate the re-opening of this thread.



seebee, as for the "No substitutions - Deal with it". It was exactly intended to be humorous, not offensive.

If that'll keep you out of our place, then you're missing out on some great food!

A little history, I'm the web-admin, as well as Woody's brother. I ran this place with Woody for 7-8 years before it was leased to Calvin, and now I help Aimee and Tona run the joint.

Come on in and try us!

You won't regret it.

Oops.

I addressed seebee, and it was really BP I should have addressed.

Hmm... well, the food seems like it is good there, though my concern about service is valid, at least it is to me. I definitely would never go to Ed Debevic's or similar semi-themed "rude/act-rude" service places. Yes, I might not see the "humor" in it, but to me, abusive service is abusive service. It is something I want to avoid, even if I miss out on great food. Besides, if I wanted to be verbally abused, I could visit one of several of my family members. I don't want the same kind of treatment from a business establishment.

Anyways, I agree with G Wiv about typical corporate arrogant service restaurants. Sometimes those places can be bad enough to want to avoid. Same with local family-like restaurants. If you aren't one of the "usuals" there, they can treat you like you aren't wanted there.

Really, we emphasize good and friendly service for our patrons.

We may show a little attitude here or there, but it is all in a very friendly fashion.

We like to give things one way without substitutions in order to ensure fast and consistent service and quality.

If you wait for more than 10 minutes for your food, we are doing something wrong.

I'm likely to sit down and chat with you in a friendly fashion, not be abusive. In fact, that's how ekreider got all the info he posted here.

Come on in and see for yourself. Once you so, you'll see that we'll treat you well. Try us out, and tell me (Jimmy)who you are after the fact so I don't give you any more "special" treatment than anyone else who walks in.

What do you say?

Never been to Smokin' Woody's, but Science Boy and I love, love, *love* Calvin's. In fact, now that this thread has brought it up, I think we're way overdue for a visit. We've never been treated with anything but professionalism and kindness and, honestly, the food is so good that I'd deal with a little affected rudeness -- so long as my order was right!

Stonecutter wrote:We like to give things one way without substitutions in order to ensure fast and consistent service and quality.

Understood. Even thought it is the 'hospitality' business, there are definitely some instances where providing substitions to some customers is actually a backdoor route to providing most all of the other customers with lousy service. I can respect this philosophy, especially at a barbecue restaurant.

=R=

I don't see why a reasonable person would want substitutions on a rather simple menu, so the no substitutions seems like a joke. There were a lot more smart alec signs around when Woody ran the place.

This place shows a sense of humor, not an obnoxious attitude.

BP wrote:Hmm... well, the food seems like it is good there, though my concern about service is valid, at least it is to me. Besides, if I wanted to be verbally abused, I could visit one of several of my family members.

BP, that's just not fair play!
You obviously have a funny bone, no??? Seems quite odd to me that you wouldn't find the silly slogans on a wall or website (as kitschy and almost old hat as they are) a teensy bit humorous.

Stonecutter wrote:Really, we emphasize good and friendly service for our patrons.

We may show a little attitude here or there, but it is all in a very friendly fashion.

We like to give things one way without substitutions in order to ensure fast and consistent service and quality.

If you wait for more than 10 minutes for your food, we are doing something wrong.

I'm likely to sit down and chat with you in a friendly fashion, not be abusive. In fact, that's how ekreider got all the info he posted here.

Come on in and see for yourself. Once you so, you'll see that we'll treat you well. Try us out, and tell me (Jimmy)who you are after the fact so I don't give you any more "special" treatment than anyone else who walks in.

What do you say?

Seems fair to me. I might try to be there sometime next weekend.

seebee wrote:

BP wrote:Hmm... well, the food seems like it is good there, though my concern about service is valid, at least it is to me. Besides, if I wanted to be verbally abused, I could visit one of several of my family members.

BP, that's just not fair play!
You obviously have a funny bone, no??? Seems quite odd to me that you wouldn't find the silly slogans on a wall or website (as kitschy and almost old hat as they are) a teensy bit humorous.

I can't judge what's in the restaurant, because I haven't been there. The only thing about it which bothered me, was the extra information on the website. However, from what Stonecutter has written, it seems like a friendly place, despite my concern. Plus, it seems that the food served there, is well reviewed. LTHForum hasn't disappointed me with reviews of excellent restaurants such as Smoque BBQ, Katy's Dumplings, etc, so I will try Smokin' Woody's.

Anyways, my comment which you quoted, was actually me being serious. As this isn't the site to discuss details of personal trauma, etc, I won't. The most I'll say about it here, is that I'm disabled and I have had alot of bad experiences with different aspects of life, which in regards to accessibility at restaurants, I've written about in some of my reviews posted throughout LTHForum.

After reading a few of these posts I decided to get come carryout from SW's Wednesday night. The service on the phone and during pickup was friendly and efficient.

The place closes at 9 and I placed the order at 8:15 for an 8:45 pickup, so the quality of the food may have been influenced by the near-to-closing time. I ordered rib tips and a beef sandwich.

The sandwich was not of "go-out-of-your-way" quality but did provide some satisfaction. One of the slices of beef had some smokiness but not the others. The meat was otherwise a little dry and without much flavor. I found the sauce to be non distinctive, being reminiscent of the sauce used on BBQ Beef sandwiches at any number non-BBQ restaurants.

The tips were not good at all. The meat was stringy with very little flavor and not a hint of smoke. If the sauce had been interesting, it might have mitigated the experience a bit.

I did enjoy the small "Woody's Potatoes".

If I was closer I would probably give SW's another try during "prime time", but as it is I don't plan on a return trip.

Sorry you weren't wowed by the food.

I haappen to love the sauce, but certainly understand that not everyone will.

I was hoping you'd be at the picnic yesterday to have another go at our tips.

They disappeared quickly and seemed very well-received.

I remember taking your order, thanks for the commentary on the service.

Hope you'll give us another try sometime.

Stonecutter,

I really appreciate that you responded to my negative comments without any rancor.

Because of that I am going to find a time to give your shop another try.

We don't get down to the city proper to eat very often but I do have to say that I enjoyed the tips and smoked pork loin that were on the picnic table this weekend from Smokin' Woody's very much!
I'd certainly be interested in trying out a larger slice of the menu if they were representative of the rest!
Thanks for bringing them!

edited for my terrible typos

scottsol,

Glad we'll get another chance with you!

I'd rather have an honest review any day than anything else.

I've been eating Woody's fare for about 15 years and am still not tired of it. Since the sauce didn't thrill you, maybe you can try ordering with sauce on the side, and see if you have a sauce that suits your palette better (assuming you'll order for carry-out again).

irisarbor,

Happy you enjoyed. Hope to see you sooner rather than later.

Had a fantastic time at the picnic. Soooooo much good food!

I gave SW another try Friday night and the food was much better.

To begin with the phone service was not as good. The guy on the phone (Stonecuttter was not there) kept saying "what else" after each item I ordered. While he was not at the Weiner's Circle standard of gruffness, I was not too happy.

I was very unhappy with the fries, which were pretty soggy. At least some of this was due to the fact that they were wrapped in aluminum foil giving the steam absolutely no chance to escape.

The beef sandwich was much better with tender and juicy slices, although the meat did not have much flavor.

The tips (sauce on the side) were pretty decent with some fairly moist pieces and a reasonable amount of smokiness, although I prefer a less harsh smoke a la Honey 1.

The chicken was very well prepared although again I prefer less harshness.

The sauce was unpleasant with an extremely strong sweet note that was not well integrated with the rest of the flavors. When I had some cold chicken the next day the sauce now had the flavors properly blended, being unremarkable, but not offensive.

All in all, I'll probably go back again, but please lose the aluminum foil and give the sauce time to mature.

I returned a couple of Sunday's ago for a 7PM pickup.

The pulled pork sandwich was juicy and flavorful and had only a little sauce on it which was all to the good.

When I opened the rib tip (sauce on the side) container I got a strong whiff of "doused campfire" and I was not looking forward to eating the things. But they were actually very good. Meaty, juicy, and smoky but not too much so. Only a few pieces had a trace of the harshness I was expecting from the initial smell. Putting on even a little sauce diminished them, but they were completely enjoyable dry and even with my favorite sauces I would have eaten most of the pieces without.

Last Saturday at 7:15 I picked up tips and chicken.

This time the fries were not wrapped in aluminum foil but were in a Styrofoam container that was not fully sealed because of some fries sticking out the side. The top of the container had some very tiny holes punched through, ostensibly to let out some steam. They were much too small to be of any benefit and the top inside of the container was dripping wet. In any case, some of them were crispy, if not especially tasty, although many were underdone. Carry-out fries do represent a conundrum: Keep them hot or keep them crispy. I'm on the crispy side, which means put them in an open paper bag.

I made a terrible mistake when ordering and left out the magical incantation: Sauce on the side.

My first time at SW's the tips were drowning in sauce, this time they were wading, so the top pieces weren't too bad, but I can only guess that these would have been pretty good dry. Probably not as good as the previous time but better than the time before.

The chicken was again juicy tender and flavorful and held up well to being served cold the next day. The day old sauce was better too.

Four visits do not represent a statistically valid sample, but the indications are that it's best to stop by earlier in the evening for the best results.

Scottsol,

We truly appreciate that you have tried us out again a couple times now.

I know you tend to order takeout, but perhaps your experience would be even better if you stopped in and ate with us?

Your feedback on the fries in your previous posts is what led to us experimenting with methods to allow them to carry better. The connundrum is that we either opt for them to remain hot as long as possible, or crispy. It is rather difficult to strike the perfect balance. Perhaps you would like to try our "Woody's potatoes" (garlic-roasted baby reds) next time. They definitely travel better if you're taking them to go.

A couple times, you've suggested finishing the sauce better. I am curious what you may recommend. I personally enjoy it as it is, but would be interested in experimenting with it if it would lead to an even better sauce.

Hopefully, one day I'll get to meet you when you're stopping in.

I like the roasted potatoes quite a bit but have ordered the fries a few times to give them a fair chance. The late Bones in Lincolnwood used to discourage people from ordering fries for carry out and at one point would not even sell them that way. When they did they were in an air tight package which was a big reason they didn't "travel well". Carson's used to package their fries in an air tight container with Rib Tip bucket orders but switched a few years ago to the classic paper pouch to good effect.


This is from a Bnet article:

At Bistrot Margot in Chicago, chef de cuisine Carlos Gayton has found a way around the soggy fries problem. At this French bistro they are called pomme frites, and they are served with a sirloin butt steak laced with garlic butter. For takeout orders, the pomme frites are loosely wrapped in butcher paper so that enough air circulates around the potatoes to keep them crisp, Gayton says.



My main point about your sauce is that is seems to have more integrated flavors the next day. I don't know if you make the sauce daily. If so , it may be that, like a hearty soup, it needs at least a day to "age" in the refrigerator to bring forth it's best flavor.

Went to Smokin' Woody's last night, quite by chance. My fiancee and I had planned on ribs at the Gale Street Inn, but upon being greeted by a waiting room crammed like a rush-hour Brown Line car, and a promised wait of an hour, we struck off elsewhere, not sure what exactly we'd find. I spotted Smokin' Woody's out of the corner of my eye as we headed down Lincoln, and with neither of us having heard of it before, we decided to give it the once-over.

The smell outside was a good sign, and the immediate, casual, friendly service when we stepped in was another. We started off with an order of the evening's featured app - Onion-Fried Green Beans. Fresh green beans fried in an onion-ring batter that (unless this was a trick of my mind) did have a mild onion flavor to it. The beans were bright green, perfectly fried, crisp, and flavorful. My fiancee actually remarked, "I think these might taste better without the ranch dressing," which I believe is the first time in recorded history she's said that.

For our entrees, she went with the half-slab, and I went with the pulled pork sandwich. Both of us got Woody's Potatoes on the side, which were perfectly cooked and delicious. (My fiancee gets bonus points for giving a piece a quick swipe through the ranch.) Both of us loved our featured cuts of pork. My sandwich was more of a "theoretical" sandwich - there was no way I was attacking it with anything other than a knife and fork, with that giant pile o' pig and slathering of sauce. The bun (egg?) made for some excellent soppin' bread, though, and I made full use of it. Her ribs (which I gladly assisted on) were perfectly cooked, with just enough chew, but still allowing you to work your way down to a clean bone. On top of all that, I washed it down with a genuine Green River out of a glass bottle - I didn't even know it came in anything other than cans and 2-liters.

I think the next time we go, and I'm certain there will be a next time, we'll both go with the sauce on the side route. We both prefer a sweeter sauce, I think, and Woody's sauce definitely packs a more vinegary, sharper bite. For that variety of sauce, though, it is good stuff, and comes along with the slight, building heat I absolutely love. The main reason I'd go for the sauce on the side, though, is to experience some more of that smoky pork goodness naked. I had a few pieces on my bun that were unsauced, and that flavor was like an extra experience on my plate. Fantastic. Next time, we'll also be sure to take advantage of the BYOB, and we'll be going in with the advance knowledge that it is a cash-only joint - so I won't have to hit up my fiancee to cover the tip.

Oh, and we'll try to save some room for that apple pie drizzled with melted butter. I promise.

I finally made it to Smokin' Woody's barbecue for a nice lunch yesterday. I had a pulled pork sandwich and fries. Everything was great! Good food, friendly service. Free parking on the street in front!? The smoke and heat levels were on the mild side. The sandwich had a lot of meat, with a some interior and some exterior pieces.