Just came back from a wonderful Lunch @ The Pork Shoppe.
They've been open 3 days now, & they have their liquor license.

I'm really glad they've opened.

We had a nice chat with one of the owners Michael at counter- mentioned about lth-ers being "eagerly" anticipating
their opening and he was a little miffed at all the "fuss" some have made about his Q.

We ordered the Pastrami Pork Belly as a Brioche Bun Sandwich, The Brisket (with "bark" requested) as a Sammy,
The Green Bean, Caramelized Onions, Almonds and Blue Cheese Salad, Spicy and Sweet Cornbread and The Baked Beans.
All of the dishes had the "perfect" flavor- meaning no embellishments were needed.
No sauce.
No Salt and/or Pepper.
No Hot Sauce.
These guys "know" what their doing.
Which, brings me to the comment I was going to share with The Other Owner (had he not been busy talking to the lovely Food Editor from The Tasting Table, Miss Heather)-
and that comment is- what a wondeful country/City we live in :: AMERICA!
Where, no matter what your background- no matter what your ethnicity- no matter who's yer Daddy, ANYONE, with the right mix of
Passion + Chutzpah + Hard Work + $$$$ can open, a BBQ place- a Moroccan Restaurant- a Panamanian Restaurant, etc.
What I mean, is that these guys had a very successful Moroccan styled restaurant- in a high traffic- high rent district- obviously doing well enough to keep
them open for as many years as they were on Grand And Wells, yet neither of them appear to be from The Magrehb (N. Africa), and now-
with equally "insufficient" background have opened what I predict will be a VERY POPULAR spot on Chicago's "Q" scene.
Why?
Good taste.
Great Execution.
Caring owners.
and I could go on- but what I'm sayin' is- forget about the wood or coal or gas- fuhhadabout their Food "lineage" ....just go there- and be ready to
have your taste buds be quite pleased with where you chose to bring them.

If the Pork Shoppe were selling stock/shares right now (or Options) I'd be Long Calls,and long the underlying as well!

Hombre de Acero wrote:If the Pork Shoppe were selling stock/shares right now (or Options) I'd be Long Calls,and long the underlying as well!

Pastrami pork belly futures.

-Dan

Our dinner last night had some hits and some misses. The ribs were the consensus favorite, with great bark but not much smoke taste and no ring. We didn't really enjoy the brisket; again, nice bark, but not much smoke and, as mentioned upthread, pretty dry -- ours looked even drier than the cuts in Stevez's picture, definitely as if it had been sliced some time ago (we were there at about 7 pm on Saturday). The pulled pork has potential, it was tender and flavorful and would have been an unequivocal thumbs-up but for the fact that a couple of unruly hunks of gristle slipped through the prep. We ended up not using any of the 3 sauces much. The "sweet," ostensibly molasses, took me immediately to the gloppy suburban strip mall sweet 'n sour chicken of my youth, and while the hot was interesting, I couldn't shake the feeling it would have been more at home with naan than BBQ.

As for the sides, the cornbread had a nice balance between the sweet bread studded with spicy bits of jalapeno. I enjoyed the beans as well (as noted above, real beans), moreso than my wife who would have preferred a little sweetness in there. We found the mac & cheese bland, and the fries just fine.

The staff was very friendly, and really made a point of asking for constructive feedback. They clearly care about getting right, and I'll be interested to see how they adjust with some experience under their belt.

My wife and I had lunch at the Pork Shoppe on Saturday and came away impressed.

The brisket taco was very good. At $2 it would be a nice way to add some brisket to your meal if you want to sample a lot of other things.

The brisket sandwich was tender, not dry at all, but really lacked much smoke or spice flavor at all. It was good, though - the meat flavor really came through. Apparently I could have requested extra bark.

I don't know why I assumed the pastrami was served warm (it isn't), but it was really nice. It had a very flavorful rub, a bit more smoke, and was quite tender. I agree that mustard seems like a necessity on this one.

The beans were fantastic. Fries looked good from across the room. They had Bud, Old Style, and PBR in cans - a really sorry beer selection. I hope they plan to offer a better selection and aren't trying to appeal to some misguided sense of kitsch. I liked all three sauces. The "sweet and sticky" sauce still had a nice kick to it for a so-called mild sauce. I'm a big fan of vinegar sauces and theirs was very good. We should have ordered fries to better try out the sauces, because we didn't use them much for the meat.

Overall I like the Pork Shoppe a lot and look forward to trying the ribs and pulled pork, though I'm not as enthusiastic as Hombre.

I usually do not get to be one of the "throngs" in the initial tastes of these places, but Saturday, Pork Shoppe happened to be about 1/2 way between where I was and where the rest of my family was. We wanted Kumas first, but there was some kinda block party there. I appreciate the earnestness of the place, and god knows I appreciate their use of Slagel farms meats, but in general, we did not walk away very impressed.

The first sign that all was not good was in looking at our order of brisket. You could see it was sliced wrong. Now, as all the BBQ mavens on this board know, a full packer cut brisket changes grains about four times. Slicing cannot be done by just lining up the brisket. Rather, it must be rotated at times to maintain proper slicing across the grain. Our slices showed the meat lined up in horizontal stripes like sedimentary rock instead of the pebbled look brisket should have. Later, when someone asked us about our experience, I showed him how inedible the meat came. I mean I pretty much could not tear it apart with my fingers. He took pity on us and returned, this time with meat from the fatty or deckle end (a choice of lean of "with flavor" would have been nice in the first place). None of us had the heart to tell him that this stuff was also cut with the grain and just as tough. That's not really a sign that these guys know what they are doing. I trust they will learn soon (if they read this board),

Still, as mentioned by pretty much all, the meats had near zero smoke flavor (and no smoke ring). And as noted, since you could smell smoke ahead of time, it seemed almost odd that none of that aroma entered the meat. The ribs were not bad, but the reminded me way more of old school Chicago ribs, almost Carson's like, than bbq'd ribs. The pulled pork was innocuous. We did, however, like those above, really like the pastrami. Given the choices, I suppose, keeping it cold was probably a simpler solution than trying to steam it. I really liked the rich streaks of fat, as compared to say, Manny's pastrami, where the fat gets chewy and dry from waiting on the steamer. This was good stuff. It went just fine wit the sauces. I did not feel and mustard need.

Yes, the fries are very good, although I'd like a slightly bigger portion for the money. I agree also on the high value of the baked beans and corn bread. Mac and cheese was not half bad either. I guess a veg plate may be the best way to go right now there. Otherwise, I'd wait.

I visited yesterday with friends . . . only to find it closed. Could have been worse since we then headed over to Smoque. Although Smoque's pork was a little off yesterday in my opinion . . . a little lacking in the smoke flavor.

BR wrote:I visited yesterday with friends . . . only to find it closed. Could have been worse since we then headed over to Smoque. Although Smoque's pork was a little off yesterday in my opinion . . . a little lacking in the smoke flavor.

Regular hours aren't yet posted on the website. Before anyone gets the urge to try them for lunch today, there is a note on their site that says they are closed Sunday and Monday, July 11 & 12, and will re-open on Tuesday.

Vital Information wrote:I really liked the rich streaks of fat, as compared to say, Manny's pastrami, where the fat gets chewy and dry from waiting on the steamer.

That's not an apples to apples comparison. You're comparing the very fatty belly of a pig to beef brisket. Obviously, they'll be more streaks of fat in the pork product. It's (literally) the nature of the beast.

So far it sounds like the food's mediocre, but there is one unquestionably top-tier aspect of The Pork Shoppe: public relations. What genius is behind generating 3 pages of discussion about this place? Note to aspiring restaurateurs: seek this person/firm out and hire him/her/them immediately!

Let's talk sauces for a minute. In my opinion, they all need work. Each one is fairly one-note.

Spicy: I agree with gleam; this basically tastes like pureed chipotles. More like a component of a sauce than an actual sauce.

Sweet: This might be good for topping desserts or inducing diabetes, but I can't see actually putting it on meat. Although perhaps mixing a droplet or two into the baked beans might work.

Tangy: This one was my favorite of the three, but not by much. It tastes like it's 95% vinegar.

Hopefully they'll work on balancing the flavors. This place definitely has potential.

stevez wrote:

Vital Information wrote:I really liked the rich streaks of fat, as compared to say, Manny's pastrami, where the fat gets chewy and dry from waiting on the steamer.

That's not an apples to apples comparison. You're comparing the very fatty belly of a pig to beef brisket. Obviously, they'll be more streaks of fat in the pork product. It's (literally) the nature of the beast.

That may be true. I'm just saying that given the variables/options, keeping it cold is probably the best option for preserving that very fatty belly.

Kennyz wrote:So far it sounds like the food's mediocre, but there is one unquestionably top-tier aspect of The Pork Shoppe: public relations. What genius is behind generating 3 pages of discussion about this place?

Even more remarkably, this has all transpired without a post saying, "My friends and I all agreed this was the most amazing BBQ we've ever had, everything was so yummy, save room for dessert" from a first-time poster named prkshpppblcst69.

Or "I went to Pork Shoppe and I couldn't believe they were out of ribs at 9:30 on their first night! I don't see how they expect to stay open if they can't even have food for their customers! Not to mention, when I asked for a portable toothpick dispenser, they didn't have one! I have been in the finest barbecue restaurants in the world and every single one has had portable toothpick dispensers! It's the mark of fine barbecue! Suffice it to say that I will never be their customer ever again if this is how they intend to treat paying customers!"

KennyZ wrote

one unquestionably top-tier aspect of The Pork Shoppe: public relations. What genius is behind generating 3 pages of discussion about this place?

Elizabeth Crotty
When I had called to inquire when they were going to "open" officially, after seeing the brown kraft paper removed and families inside-
Elizabeth had offered to email me when they were "open".
When we went in on Saturday, and mentioned to Michael (one of the owners) about this
attention to followup - he mention that Elizabeth was helping their PR efforts out.
But KennyZ- if you'll remember correctly about Smoques pre-opening blather on lthforum-most of the "buzz" generated was you all-
generating saliva before the meat had even hit the grill!
Something about a BBQ joint that many feel extremely passionate about-"up-in-here"
me thinks many consider their own Q supreme ?!

Anyway- another note about the homemade sauces- Cilantro- weren't you noticing the orange zest notes in the "sweet sauce" as
a balance to the heat of the Chili powder in the sauce. I felt that all of the sauces offered a unique way to "flavor" meat,
that to me had plenty of "attention" ALREADY as far as flavor goes.
I really savored the range of flavors from savory to cinnamon, back to "spicy"/heat in the rub on the Ribs.
Actually, what's the point of a sauce, anyways - when the food is already so well attended to- as far as attention to detail in the
final product?
OH- one final point about their BEER selection.
I totally "get" the PBR, Old Style idea- and a cheap beer, is just that.....cheap.
If they want to offer such a distinctively flavored FOOD product- its just seems to make sense to me- that they
would offer as distinctive a beverage selection as well.
Loose
the Hokey-
Smokey.
Get some nice Craft Beers on the shelf- I'd say (but- is anyone asking??)

Hombre de Acero wrote:(but- is anyone asking??)

I just did.

I thought most of the pre-opening posts focused on how "boutique bbq" would be expensive and terrible.

jesteinf wrote:I thought most of the pre-opening posts focused on how "boutique bbq" would be expensive and terrible.

well, buzz is buzz.

Hombre de Acero wrote:But KennyZ- if you'll remember correctly about Smoques pre-opening blather on lthforum-most of the "buzz" generated was you all-

don't know who "you all" are, but it doesn't include me. Anyway, kudos to Elizabeth Crotty. She seems to be doing a good job.

Hombre de Acero wrote:Something about a BBQ joint that many feel extremely passionate about-"up-in-here"...me thinks many consider their own Q supreme ?!

Perhaps, though many bbq places have opened without 1/3 of the buzz this one has, on this forum as well as many other media outlets. Good for Pork Shoppe.

Hombre de Acero wrote:Anyway- another note about the homemade sauces- Cilantro- weren't you noticing the orange zest notes in the "sweet sauce" as
a balance to the heat of the Chili powder in the sauce.

There were a few other notes, but the predominant flavor was very, very sweet.

So that you know where I'm coming from, Honey 1's sauce comes closest to my ideal. Both of Smoque's sauces are pretty good, too.

Some of this buzz, I imagine, stems from the realization that all of us would rather have more good BBQ around then less. The diff. between this place and other former pretenders is perhaps that this place seems to have potential, which is of course something to be excited about. I've always thought that Chicago BBQ had a real "second city" vibe to it - that is, not much of a national rep that people travel and hunt for, erroneously or not. But now we've got a wonderful mess of BBQ spots old and new worth seeking out, from Barbara Ann's and Uncle John's to Honey 1 and Smoque to hopefully this place some day soon.

Vitesse98 wrote:Some of this buzz, I imagine, stems from the realization that all of us would rather have more good BBQ around then less. The diff. between this place and other former pretenders is perhaps that this place seems to have potential, which is of course something to be excited about. I've always thought that Chicago BBQ had a real "second city" vibe to it - that is, not much of a national rep that people travel and hunt for, erroneously or not. But now we've got a wonderful mess of BBQ spots old and new worth seeking out, from Barbara Ann's and Uncle John's to Honey 1 and Smoque to hopefully this place some day soon.

I think it is not so much buzz as aspirations (or wishful thinking). For one thing, many of us have been to places like Lockhart or even Kansas City, and we long for stuff like that way closer to home. For another, the places that (at least) come close to great bbq around, have certain flaws. I mean would not it be nice to eat IN Lems, not near Lems. Or why cannot Honey1 have fries like this. Then, you have the strong interest in good local meats, surely not as obsessive as mine, but plenty really like the idea of a "better" bbq. So, put all that together, and Pork Shoppe sparked interest. Sadly, at least for me, it has not yet met my aspirations or shall I say, my wishful thinking.

(It won't be that much longer that I'll be back in Texas)

If I recall, we were a bit nervous when Honey 1 traded in their bulletproof glass in their Austin location for their spiffy digs on the northside. Time sorted that out. Perhaps it will be so with PSC.

So far it sounds like the food's mediocre, but there is one unquestionably top-tier aspect of The Pork Shoppe: public relations. What genius is behind generating 3 pages of discussion about this place? Note to aspiring restaurateurs: seek this person/firm out and hire him/her/them immediately!

These guys ran an against the grain highly-regarded (by some) restaurant in River North (highest rent in the city) for 11 years. They decided to close it to open a BBQ restaurant. Of course there is going to be a "buzz" about it. They easily could of cashed in on the current BBQ trend and shuttered Tizi Melloul for a month, re-concepted it as a southern BBQ restaurant, and made millions by serving junk meat. Instead they took an awful space at Belmont and Elston (it really is a junk corner, I drive by everyday) and started something new. Sure, they had someone work PR for them, PR people work for free these days, who wouldn't? Their PR department actually isn't that good, they've been open for over a week and neither Dolinsky or the 312 Dining Diva have tweeted about it.

I'm going with the benefit of the doubt on this one in that these guys are trying to do something good. Regardless I'd give them a couple months before calling it "mediocre". It is BBQ, it"s not an exact science, it needs time.

And I'll be the first to retract all these statements if I have a horrible lunch tomorrow that doesn't seem to have any potential.

There are now more responses to my comment about the Pork Shoppe's buzz than there are posts in entire threads about most places this young. I think the point is made.

FWIW, maybe that River North place was indeed "highly regarded" by some, but it was almost never discussed here. Neither was that place in Lincoln Square - Acqualina or something - which was opened and closed by one of these same Tizi M owners with barely a mention here or in most media outlets.

Ha, this thread is like a dog chasing its tail.

"Look at all these posts! They must have good PR!"

"Of course they have good PR! Look at all these posts!"

"With all these posts, maybe they don't need PR!"

they didn't even hire a PR person.. the woman everyone is talking about is the office manager at Tizi Melloul/event planner at Bistro Campagne.

She has a degree in Medieval Studies, so she studied details about how Blondel the Minstrel saved King Richard the Lionheart by quickly spreading news of his imprisonment through - you guessed it - word of mouth. We're talking about a pro here.

Hey LTH-ers -

Elizabeth Crotty, employee of Pork Shoppe, here. Thank you so much to everyone who has posted anything about Pork Shoppe the past few months. I can't tell you how much everyone over here appreciates any and all feedback we have received thus far. We want to hear everything; compliments, complaints, suggestions, ANYTHING! As you've read, we're new to this BBQ game, but we are striving to really make this best the best it can be. Recipes are tweeked daily, cutting methods are examined, toothpicks have been added, variations in woodchips are tested; and thanks to sites like LTH we can really listen to how our customers feel about our progress. So thank you very much! Keep it coming!

I do want to apologize for something, however. KennyZ had mentioned that I had not emailed him when we were open and I am very sorry that didn't happen. I actually haven't sent out any email indicating that we are open yet but was planning to do so today when a free moment presented itself. As we just opened on Thursday we wanted to ease into our first weekend. (We didn't even send messages out to press until after we had officially opened our doors). This is sort of an all hands on deck project. Outside of the kitchen we have about 4 full time staff, 2 of which are owners. As such, everyone is pitching in on everything they possibly can from cleaning the windows to getting the word out. It is true, I am not a PR person by any means. It is also true that my expertise lies in Anglo Saxon poetry....did I really mention that out loud to a guest? I just happen to really love this place and the entire family we have created here at pork Shoppe and that is why I do what I do here. I'm doing the best I can, but I will try to step it up for those who have been disappointed. The last thing I want is for someone to have negative opinions about Pork Shoppe because of me. If anyone wants to share any suggestions or have a dialogue with myself or anyone at The Shoppe please email us at porkshoppechicago@yahoo.com. I will check this as foten as I can. Have a great day!


Lizzy
"The words and promises you bring are fair enough, but because they are new to us and doubtful, I cannot consent to accept them and forsake those beliefs which I and the whole English race have held so long."
(King Ethelbert to St Augustine - AD 597)

The email has been sent out so if you want to be included in all of our specials and such please get on the list. If you thought you were already on the list and have yet to receive it please let me know the correct address and I will triple check that we've got you in there. Thanks!

eacrotty wrote:KennyZ had mentioned that I had not emailed him when we were open and I am very sorry that didn't happen.

eacrotty wrote:The email has been sent out so if you want to be included in all of our specials and such please get on the list. If you thought you were already on the list and have yet to receive it please let me know the correct address and I will triple check that we've got you in there. Thanks!

Glad you got it out. Not sure who it was that mentioned something about an email to you, but it was not me.

Are the meats smoked in house? I live by here, and never smell barbecue when I go by?