Smokin' Woody's Barbecue

Morsels wrote:Still Smokin’
It’ll be a step up for Calvin Woods, owner of Smokin’ Woody’s Barbecue (4160 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-880-1100), when he opens Calvin’s BBQ (2540 W. Armitage Ave.; 773-342-5100) in Logan Square. “The kitchen is a little bigger so I will have some home-cooked meals,” says Woods. “Short ribs, meat loaf, beef stroganoff. And I’ll have a smoker over there, so barbecue, too. Hard-core American food.” Time frame? “I’m waiting on the final inspection. Should be next week.”

I have been in this neighborhood a lot lately. Every time I pass Smokin' Woody's there is a strong smell of hickory. I was there again this morning when I saw people inside working, so I knocked on the door. I met the owner and inquired if he was indeed smoking on the premises. He acknowledged he did, then I asked what kind of smoker. It was a large enclosed cabinet type, similar to what we saw at Chuck's though he seemed (I forgot to verify) to be using hickory wood. There was seating inside, in a rear garden and on the street.

When I inquired how long they had been there, its just steps away from Cho Sun Ok to the south, I was surprised to learn it was 4 years. I did a quick search on LTHforum to find no mention. On the other board, I found comments which contradicted each other. Either Woody's is inconsistent in their product or we have the 31 flavors phenomena of something for everybody. Several comments were related to Woody possibly originating the local rib fest, then having a falling out and absent in protest.

I haven't eaten there yet, I just was surprised there was no mention. Of course, if it is not very good, then silence is golden. Does anyone have any current experience?

Smokin' Woody's Barbeque
4160 N. Lincoln Ave.
773.880.1100

Regards,

I've eaten at Smokin' Woody's about a half dozen times over the years and can verify that the BBQ is inconsistent. At it's best, I'd say that it is above average for Chicago - and it's worst, it's a bit like jerky. The owner though, is such a great guy. The man is passionate about what he does and he loves his customers. God I love him! The waitstaff is clearly infected by his (true) enthusiasm too, because they are always a lot of fun.

One thing that I find consistently good is the BBQ chicken, sauce on the side. I always order a side of fried okra, which is also good. If you need to order something else, I would suggest taking a chance on the ribs over the other BBQ offerings. Their new menu sounds intriguing though...meat loaf, beef stroganoff, short ribs...sounds like a lot of meaty goodness.

The NorthCenter Rib Festival story is kind of funny. One year during the Festival, PIGMON and I were getting snarky about the offerings, and decided to drop in on Calvin to see why he wasn't participating. He too, was quietly snarky about the festival, and when we told him what we really thought he gave us a free slab of ribs and told us to enjoy. To his credit, he did not divulge any of his issues with the Festival organizers, but rather just mentioned that it was a shame that there wasn't any [real] BBQ being offered at a festival that's supposed to be all about it.


trixie-pea

I've also been there a couple of times. The chicken is meaty and smoky, but I concur----get the sauce on the side. They have a real penchant for dousing all of their Q'ed items with too much sauce.

Ribs were good, however , they didn't reach the taste level of Fat Willy's.

Brisket was undercooked, tough, and lacked much in the way of smoke. Don't know if they pulled them out of the smoker too early ( probably ) or if there is some other problem with their technique.

It is the type of place that you want to love, but , they do have to tweak a few things---------

The wife and I were recently invited over to some friends' house for dinner. When we got there, our hosts told us that they really didn't feel like cooking and they know how much I liked BBQ so they got take out from Smokin' Woody's. I was instantly bummed out. I mean, if they wanted BBQ and didn't want to cook, I would have happily fired up the WSM and smokled some ribs for them. My wife could see the look of pissed offedness on my face and was giving me the evil eye to "shut up and don't say anything." I grinned and beared it through the dinner of dry, tasteless, oversauced ribs. The funniest part of the whole thing was that our hosts kept complaining that the folks at Smokin' Woody's didn't include enough sauce. Oh well it takes all kinds.

On another note, Fat Willie's features hand dipped corn dogs on their menu. I know there was a thread about this very subject not too long ago.

Had my first Smokin' Woody's experience a couple of nights ago. As a new arrival to Roscoe Village, I was excitied to hear about this nearby rib joint.
I decided to order takeout from their online menu. I had the rib tips while my wife had the fried chicken. The rib tips were quite good - not as fatty as what I am accustomed to at Hecky's in Evanston. The fried chicken was prepared covered in BBQ sauce - which was not specified on the online menu. Although good, my wife would have preferred crispy fried chicken without sauce - which made the chicken kind of soggy. When I placed the order, I was under the impression I was ordering sweet patato fries - which are offered on the menu. Instead we each received a baked sweet patato. I'm not sure if these order discrepancies were the result of too many choices on the menu or the fact I was unfamiliar with the default options if an alternative is not specified. At any rate, I'm willing to give Woody's another try. It's no Ribs N' Bibs but it's nearby.

On another note, Fat Willie's features hand dipped corn dogs on their menu. I know there was a thread about this very subject not too long ago.

That's very noteworthy.

I had a fresh dipped corn dog the other day. Unfortunately, it is not a bricks and mortar location.

Regards,

. . . is this the same Smokin' Woody's, and owner/chef, from a previous location on Southport between Irving Park and Addison?

I tried it once.

I'm still wondering what a BBQ steak is.

Cheers,
Wade

Wade -

Yes, it's the same Smokin' Woody's. It was mediocre a decade ago, and it's still mediocre at best.

Just my opinion.

waderoberts wrote: . . . is this the same Smokin' Woody's, and owner/chef, from a previous location on Southport between Irving Park and Addison?

Yes and no. Here are the facts as I understand them. Smokin’ Woody’s opened on Southport in 1993 and moved to its present location on Lincoln sometime in the late '90s. The current owner, Calvin Woods, bought the business in 2001. I think Calvin was involved before then but I’m not sure for how long.

I went to Smokin’ Woody’s only once, in 1999 (it was on Lincoln then). I wasn’t very impressed and saw no reason to return. Until recently I didn’t realize it is under new ownership so I suppose I really ought to return.

they opened yesterday and i had the first of the brisket from the new smoker.

knowing how strongly opinions run here, i won't opine as to the quality or authenticity other than to say i thought it was great.

the guys couldn't have been nicer, showing me the 500lb smoker, and calvin passing some brisket across the counter as he sliced it. he was proud and everyone's enthusiasm was contagious and appetite inducing.

given the lack of diverse eating options, calvin's is a more than welcome and sure to be oft visited addition to my neighborhood.

Terrence wrote:they opened yesterday and i had the first of the brisket from the new smoker.

knowing how strongly opinions run here, i won't opine as to the quality or authenticity other than to say i thought it was great.

the guys couldn't have been nicer, showing me the 500lb smoker, and calvin passing some brisket across the counter as he sliced it. he was proud and everyone's enthusiasm was contagious and appetite inducing.

given the lack of diverse eating options, calvin's is a more than welcome and sure to be oft visited addition to my neighborhood.

Just to clarify, you're talking about the new Calvin's in Logan Square (Armitage), right?

yep. 2540 W. Armitage Ave, and boy did i cringe when Chicago Mag re-christened my hood as LSq.

Technically we're in no man's land, no longer Humboldt Park and not yet a Bucktown. We, and the beat cops, call it "the patch": roughly bordered by Cafeteria Marianao to the east, Moran's and the Hot Spot to the west, Cafe Matou and and Borniquen to the SW/SE.

All good, but as I said, not terribly diverse.

Terrence wrote:boy did i cringe when Chicago Mag re-christened my hood as LSq.

Not picking a fight, Terrence, but what in particular made you cringe about having your neighborhood called Logan Square? Was it because you know the correct term is "the patch" and, as a lover of truth, cringe at all falsehoods? Was it because Chicago Mag did the re-christening (i.e., the messenger and not the message is the issue)? Or some other reason?

Yours,

JimInLoganSquare



P.S. In a post I did on the Hot Spot a while back, I and others faced the same dilemma of deciding what neighborhood that stretch of Armitage lies in. I don't think we arrived at a consensus; I kinda like "The Patch," though!

i'm not sure, exactly. i know when i came prospecting years ago for my now apartment i felt the realtor inflicted "west bucktown" was certainly a stretch.

and i know if i told someone visiting me to go to logan square they'd be two el stops and a handful of NY Times articles away from my address.

"The Patch" reference is confusing, since that moniker commonly refers, at least these days, to the area around Smith Park -- Grand, Chicago and Western.

Where you live has always struck me as a richly diverse part of the city, with a lot of dining options. I guess the grass is always greener.

Terrence wrote:yep. 2540 W. Armitage Ave, and boy did i cringe when Chicago Mag re-christened my hood as LSq.

Technically, it is Logan Square. Chicago is officially divided into 77 Community Areas, defined in the 1920s, and the official map puts that address at the southern edge of #22, Logan Square.

This becomes confusing, however, because most Community Areas encompass smaller, less official named neighborhoods, some of which have the same name as the Community Area, as with Logan Square the neighborhood and Logan Square the CA. In another example, the Community Area Lincoln Park stretches west to the Chicago River, though few people besides Realtors would use that name much west of Halsted Street. And the Loop CA is much larger than the area defined by the L tracks.

These smaller neighborhoods -- designated by real-estate brokers, developers, merchants' groups, neighborhood associations and the media -- come and go. (When was the last time you heard anyone refer to New Town? Is the West Randolph Street restaurant row in the Fulton Market District or West Loop Gate?) The Community Areas map is unchanging.

Therefore, most local publications use the Community Area name when they can't pin down a more specific neighborhood name, either because the area is an unnamed no man's land or because the boundaries are disputed. (Whether one is in Andersonville or Edgewater often seems to depend on whether you're buying or selling.)

I like "The Patch", too. That neighborhood is such a grey area, but I've always considered it more Logan than Bucktown.

My favorite current euphemism is calling Sacramento and North avenue "West Bucktown" instead of Humboldt Park. It's amazing what a name is worth these days.

We heard "the Patch" from our alderman and ward captain, whom oddly enough, is a different alderman than the one representing our neighbors across the alley and street. He said it referred to the shifting ward lines and police districts and the fact that no one wanted responsibilty for our historically troublesome couple-of-block area*

In any case, if i need only to cross the street to enjoy some barbecue in Logan Square, life's all the richer for me.

Jeff- what environs are you in? I certainly feel lucky to have some of the best Mexican and Puerto Rican Food around but not much else. At least in the immediate vicinity, as i have no car. All suggestions are welcome.

* I'm going to ask my friends who were at the ward meeting for more info.

My favorite current euphemism is calling Sacramento and North avenue "West Bucktown" instead of Humboldt Park. It's amazing what a name is worth these days.

My wife and I have jokingly begun a movement to re-name our part of Rogers Park, the Pratt-Clark intersection, North Andersonville. I think people may be taking us seriously, though.

Hee...I used to live at the intersection of Cullom and Wolcott, in North Center...though it was called "West Wrigleyville" (!) in the late 90's by overzealous realtors, before it was lumped in with Lincoln Square. Whatever sells, I guess...

Me? North Center suited me just fine, though I'm now more concened with the issue of trying to figure out what the dividing line is for what constitutes West Rogers Park. Ridge? Western? California?

sundevilpeg wrote:Me? North Center suited me just fine, though I'm now more concened with the issue of trying to figure out what the dividing line is for what constitutes West Rogers Park. Ridge? Western? California?

When I grew up in the neighborhood the line was Ravenswood.

I want to propose dividing Logan Square into two sectors. First, "East of the Monument" (or more accurately, "East of Kimball"). That's where they have greystones, City-maintained greenways, and Starbucks. Second, "West of the Monument" (or more accurately, "West of Kimball"). That's where we have cars without mufflers, trash in the streets, ice cream trucks that scream "Hello!" until midnight in November, and my little home at Ridgeway and Wrightwood. Extra "LS" points will be awarded for every block closer to Pulaski you live. Living East of the Monument results in LS point deductions. And in five years, when "West Logan Square" stretches to Cicero, we'll re-think this whole thing.

JimInLoganSquare wrote:Second, "West of the Monument" (or more accurately, "West of Kimball"). That's where we have cars without mufflers, trash in the streets, ice cream trucks that scream "Hello!" until midnight in November, and my little home at Ridgeway and Wrightwood.

West of the monument but south of Fullerton also, to a certain extent, fits in this category. At least the ice cream trucks there do.

JimInLoganSquare wrote:I want to propose dividing Logan Square into two sectors. First, "East of the Monument" (or more accurately, "East of Kimball"). That's where they have greystones, City-maintained greenways, and Starbucks. Second, "West of the Monument" (or more accurately, "West of Kimball"). That's where we have cars without mufflers, trash in the streets, ice cream trucks that scream "Hello!" until midnight in November, and my little home at Ridgeway and Wrightwood. Extra "LS" points will be awarded for every block closer to Pulaski you live. Living East of the Monument results in LS point deductions. And in five years, when "West Logan Square" stretches to Cicero, we'll re-think this whole thing.

But isn't the monument actually on Kedzie? My very first apartment was directly across from the monument next to the church. The address was 2500 N. Kedzie IIRC.

It is, but there's a big shift in the character of the neighborhood at Kimball rather than at Kedzie.

The monument is just a handy reference point..

When I went to Girl Scout camp (I think it was called Camp Juniper or Juniper Knoll), I shared a tent with a girl from Logan Square and I thought that was so exotic because the neighborhood I grew up in (currently called Depaul/West Sheffield) did not have a name--I never heard it referred to by name and none of us identified it by a name. So, to hear this girl say she was from Logan Square, well! To an 11 year old, that was very impressive!

I remember the first Woody's as being on Southport between Waveland and Addison near the Osco (?) and at that location for a short time, perhaps 2 or 3 years at the most, and ate there only once. I work near Smith Park and was unaware it was referred to as "The Patch". I hear Russian or Polish spoken quite a bit there as I do my walk around.

sundevilpeg wrote:I'm now more concened with the issue of trying to figure out what the dividing line is for what constitutes West Rogers Park. Ridge? Western? California?

Ridge. That's pretty well defined as the eastern border, because that's the official boundary between the Rogers Park Community Area and the West Ridge Community Area. West Ridge stretches west to the North Shore Channel and city limits, and south to Bryn Mawr (excluding Rosehill Cemetery). Hardly anyone ever uses the name West Ridge, though.

Most people use West Rogers Park for the whole area; a few still call it North Town but others say that name refers only to Nortown, a small neighborhood straddling Western Avenue, between Peterson and Devon.

While the northern, eastern and western boundaries of West Rogers Park remain fairly consistent with the West Ridge Community Area, some people would put the southern boundary at Peterson (except for the aforementioned North Town) and carve up the area west of the cemetery from Peterson south to Bryn Mawr into Rosehill (cemetery west to Lincoln) and Peterson Park.

Getting back to ya'll re The Patch. Here's a recent, interesting article about a guy from The Patch in New City.

http://www.newcitychicago.com/chicago/4473.html

I know folks who live there and call the neighborhood "The Patch." It shows up on real estate sites also. Frankly, there isn't much need to call it that from an informational standpoint, since the area is dominated by Smith Park.

A little noodling showed that at least four different neighborhoods (in addition to the Logan Squarish one) can be or were once "The Patch": (1) Smith Park, (2) the area further east on Grand near Ogden and best known here, possibly, as Little Sicily (Provincia D'Amato-Bari), (3) Bridgeport (from "The Cabbage Patch" -- compare the similar 'hood in Toronto), and (4) (archaic) the River North area where the Chicago River splits.

A common theme among "patch" neighborhoods in Chicago appears to be that they are or were insular, white-ethnic, blue-collar places where police and city workers live/lived.

Metroblogging Chicago has some wack information about The Patch, Little Sicily and Chicago neighborhoods in general as part of a bit about Dennis Farina's character on Law & Order.

I live in a no-man's land myself, the lost trapezoid of "Lakeview" that is defined by Ashland, Lincoln, Addison, and Irving. Not quite North Center, Roscoe Village, Lincoln Square, etc, etc. On the most informed maps, it's us. Lakeview. Lots of stuff is close, but very little good is around the corner (Diner Grill and Ginger's excepted).

In addition to the good PR and Mexican in Terrence's area, I guess I'd add Polish. That's more diversity than what I've got. Not Uptown, Albany Park, or Rodger's Park, but not Iowa, either.

Smokin' Woody's closing to be reopened under new management was noted in the long Openings and Closings thread back in June. For continuity I am reopening this old thread, particularly since it appears that the original Woody still owns the building and leased it to Calvin and now leases to the young couple who are operating the restaurant.

We had a promising late lunch there today although two sandwiches are not much of a test. Both had sauce on the side. The sauce is pleasant, with a bit of heat but not too much for my wife. My pulled pork had a nice smoky flavor, signs of a smoke ring but was slightly on the dry side. My wife's smoked beef had a good smoke ring and flavor. The beef is sirloin, not brisket. Sandwiches used a fairly decent hamburger bun and were accompanied by a little cup of rather ordinary cream-style cole slaw and the potato of the day. The three red potatoes were quite similar to the ones offered at Calvin's and benefit from some barbecue sauce. Prices are slightly higher than when Calvin ran the place with sandwiches at $8.50. Note that Calvin used a very similar menu to what he has at Calvin's except for prices a dollar or so higher at Smokin' Woody's. The hot links sandwich or a batch of rib tips are on the try in the near future list.

The same cabinet smoker has been in use from the first days Woody ran the place. The smoker uses wood and gas. However, decor is very different now with major cleanup, brightening and decluttering.

Their home page has a picture. There is a nice patio between the main building and the garage. Menu with prices is on Web site.

BYOB at least for now
Cash Only
Closed Tuesday

Smokin' Woody's
4160 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago

Edited to add "higher" to price comparison

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.