We're heading down to Honky Tonk Saturday, pre music hours unfortunately. I'm looking forward to seeing the new space, it' sounds great. More music too, I can't wait!

So will the byob aspect of Honkey Tonk be gone with the new remodel?

Willie got the barbecue year started right for us yesterday; I had been 'cuefasting since Market Barbecue early last week, thinking about the right place for a kickoff. In addition to smelling like the gates of heaven (one hopes), the remodel has really opened the place up, while getting the seating away from the draft. Just about the only thing they're missing now is a big picture window off the dining room to let the neighborhood see what kind of fun and chow is going on in here.

The offerings at Honky Tonk have laudable variability and home-cooked interest; for this type of setup, there is an artisanal quality to the output that reminds me of a traditional pit. As a consequence, you'll get some cuts that are drier and chewier, or delightful pockets of silky fat, that I find scienced-out at other places like Smoque. It's hard to exceed your expectations when they're met just in the middle every time. At Honky Tonk, you get nights that bring a smile to your face. Brisket was richly smoked with a beautiful ring and dusty rub that had not burned in the slightest; pork carried less smoke but was remarkably moist and piggy, and it paired ever so well with the award-winning mustard sauce, a favorite among handcrafted sauces in the city.

Sides continue to be unique and well done. Garlic mashed potatoes with cream, packaged in a Chinese takeout box, might have been potato mashed garlic for the intensity of flavor. The 'what your girlfriend wants salad' (from the 'pain in the pork butt vegetarian' section of the menu) still features plump berries, sweet jicama, and goat cheese with a tangy mustard dressing. A crown on the order was the banana pudding, with perfectly ripe fruit, strong vanilla flavor, and succulent yolky pudding smothering a delicious cookie-cake bed.

Even in winter, Honky Tonk evokes a summer camp kitchen to me, with family and friends busily working on scratch recipes to feed a throng up front. It has remained a charming, friendly operation where you can find actual smoke permeating everything that needs it, making ordering the core meats as enjoyable as the stewed, baked, and braised options.

Willie also does the outstanding barbecue at the Hideout Block Party, one of my favorite events in Chicago. I gotta ask, what is so wrong about BBQ sauce?! I know it can interfere with the subtle yet orgasmic flavors of perfectly cooked, perfectly smoked, perfectly butchered, perfectly farmed meat, but how often do I eat grillings of that caliber? I love BBQ sauce, I'd shower in it, but it'd sting my eyes.

i have no problem with sauce, just like it on side. i like to dip the meat in sauce . but not given to me with sauce on the meat.
meat should talk for it self. take the white bread that you get & clean the sauce up.
i can make a meal at of the bread & sauce.

i finally made it to honky tonk this weekend. the brisket was wonderful-- smoky, fatty, spicy and with a generous topping of burnt ends. i'm a big fan of the spicy vinegar based bbq sauce as well. my husband loved the pulled pork sandwich, but the baby backs were a little bit on the dry side. i'm a big fan of their mac and cheese, which is very creamy with a nice crumb topping. the beans were just alright and the slaw was bland (normally, i don't mind a mayo free slaw, but this one had no seasoning at all). the corn bread muffin was crumblier than I like but had nice whole kernels of corn in it. the banana pudding didn't make too much of an impression, either way.
the service was fast and friendly and even when our server got slammed with a whole bunch of tables at the same time, she remained attentive. we'll definitely be back.

I'm going to Honky Tonk tomorrow; a friend is in the band that's playing at 7:30...any recent impressions? Sounds like I'll definitely be trying the brisket and the garlic mashed potatoes!

I was craving some bones on Halloween, and stopped at Honky Tonk on my way back from a gig. The rib tips were meaty, barky, and impressively smoked. My heart skipped a beat when I thought I had come to some squishy white bread at the bottom of the order, and even though it was half a ciabatta roll, with that succulent topping it was the food of the (pig-loving) gods. Sauces were tangy and distinctive as usual. I pulled and froze the leftovers, and just made a tasty white bean, Swiss chard, and rib soup tonight. Mighty fine.

Reviving an old thread. Has Honky Tonk changed ownership or something else? I went there for the first time this past weekend and had some very poor quality BBQ - if you can even call it BBQ. I'd rather not bash a place based on my single experience, but we were beyond unsatisfied and were charged full price regardless of our complaints of inedible meat (couldn't find the meat) - specifically the "Viking Short Rib."

Based on recent reviews from other forums in the past 1-2 months, I am seeing a lot of very bad reviews.

What's going on here?

I don't think the Viking Short Rib has ever been a fully-smoked bbq-type deal there; it's a big braised short rib, no? Stick with the Memphis pork shoulder (I ask for burnt ends) and banana pudding. Admittedly, I'm there more for their awesome music lineups lately, and sometimes am just enjoying sides and dessert.

They are not braised, they had a charred/crusted on the outside, with a slight pink top underneath... after that it's 100% fat... an inch or so of it all the way down the short rib. And it was HUGE.

The pulled pork was also very large pieces of porked on stale dry bread - with no smoke or BBQ flavor in the pork - fat was also present which my guest had to spit out.

Santander wrote:I don't think the Viking Short Rib has ever been a fully-smoked bbq-type deal there; it's a big braised short rib, no? Stick with the Memphis pork shoulder (I ask for burnt ends) and banana pudding. Admittedly, I'm there more for their awesome music lineups lately, and sometimes am just enjoying sides and dessert.

UniAddict wrote:Reviving an old thread. Has Honky Tonk changed ownership or something else? I went there for the first time this past weekend and had some very poor quality BBQ - if you can even call it BBQ. I'd rather not bash a place based on my single experience, but we were beyond unsatisfied and were charged full price regardless of our complaints of inedible meat (couldn't find the meat) - specifically the "Viking Short Rib."

Based on recent reviews from other forums in the past 1-2 months, I am seeing a lot of very bad reviews.

What's going on here?

I wouldnt be surprised if this was true. Ive been going to honkytonk for a few years and it certainly has gone down hill as of late. It use to be my go to place and IMO had the best brisket in town. Now its not worth the drive for me

Nope, no new ownership. I will inform everyone that the food is better than ever at Honky Tonk. And I know. I eat/taste most everything here every day because I cook here every day.
You might have had one fatty plate of short ribs, and YES, you should have recieved another plate of short ribs to replace your extra fatty plate. We have excellent waiters and waitresses, but sometimes they are newer and learning.
But, we had many very satisfied short rib eaters last night. I talked with them.
Also, Mr. Santander and others, the short rib is wood roasted, or smoked. No braise. It turns out excellent. I know because I eat them all the time. There is the rare occaision that there is too much fat, but it always is a very fatty meat. Usually the combination of fat and meat is incredibly good and unmatched anywhere.
Also, Pulled pork is supposed to have some fat content. Fat is where the flavor comes from. In addition to the smoke and rub and meat. But you need fat in your pulled pork.
It is OK with me if you judge a BBQ restaurant by one beef rib and never come back. It is your loss. It is surprising that it was so bad that you must smear this review on here and Yelp. Maybe you have a lot of time on your hands. I understand YOU are not coming back. We have plenty of regulars to fill the place and they all know that there is no where in town that is serving BBQ this good.
I am at Honky Tonk almost every night. and in the kitchen every day. I really wish you would have asked your server to find a manager or owner to resolve your problem. It would have taken just a few moments to get you a nice rib.
But, yelp away...

When will people in the food business learn that the way to respond to criticism is not to insult the critic? Honky Tonk has been a place I've wanted to try for a long time. One or two bad reviews on here won't deter me. I know that opinions vary and sometimes a kitchen turns outs some sub par food. One insulting post by an employee, however, is much more likely to sour me on a place a deter me from going.

Jonah

Jonah wrote:When will people in the food business learn that the way to respond to criticism is not to insult the critic? Honky Tonk has been a place I've wanted to try for a long time. One or two bad reviews on here won't deter me. I know that opinions vary and sometimes a kitchen turns outs some sub par food. One insulting post by an employee, however, is much more likely to sour me on a place a deter me from going.

Jonah

Exactly. A simple "sorry for your experience. We'd love to have you back to give our food a second chance." It works wonders, but so many people feel like it's beneath them to apologize.

This is not an un-apolgetic spot. We aim to please and we will make things right.
I welcome cronstructive criticism at all times. Please let me know what you think.
I am sorry my inexperienced waitress didn't exchange your entree for another short rib.
Thank you for your patronage.

FWIW, I've been going here on-and-off since 2007, an, in my experience, it has steadily improved since then. (And it was pretty darned good barbecue when I first had it five years ago.) My last meal there was about three months ago, and everything was executed well. If I recall correctly, we had St. Louis Ribs, smoked chicken, rib tips, and hot links. I find rib tips to be particularly finicky to get just right, but they were spot on: a clean smokiness, good chew, but still tender. I couldn't ask for anything more. The links were interesting, but I'm having a hard time remembering what it was about them--this was the first time I had ordered them there. They were distinct from your typical Chicago-style hot link. I remember them being much paler in color and a spiced a good bit differently than Uncle John's, Moo & Oink, Peoria Packing, Lem's, etc. But I do recall being very much impressed by them. I need to go back now to compare notes in a less alcohol-infused state. My dining companions loved their St. Louis ribs, after being more used to baby backs (which is impressive, as I find people who are into baby backs sometimes have trouble getting into a spare rib cut, as it tends to be fattier.) And corn bread muffins were also a hit at the table.

I'll be honest: for specific items, there are other barbecues I like to go to. But for a sit-down experience, with solid barbecue, great company, good music, good drinks, I really don't think there's a better spot in Chicago.

Jonah wrote:When will people in the food business learn that the way to respond to criticism is not to insult the critic?
Jonah

I can tell you with certain confidence that a surprising amount of criticisms are utter garbage from people who have no idea what they are talking about. I cannot tell you how many times I have had someone ask me if I was trying to kill them by serving their "pan seared, medium rare tuna" still pink in the middle. Now, Jonah, I'm not talking about any criticisms you may have made at any time, but I can guarantee you, that almost every night, at every restaurant, the servers and management laugh out loud at the outright audacity of the few mouthbreathers that pass through. Apologies only go so far with some people, and the best thing to do is just let them stew in their own pity. It's not worth it to get sucked into their quagmire. Life is FAR too short. I once was asked to vigorously chill three Sambucca shots with ice. Then, after pouring the shots, the customer who ordered the shots to be shaken over ice looked me in the eye, and complained that I watered the shots down. She coudn't light them on fire. I cannot make this stuff up, and I swear, I could go on for days about these instances. Also, there are people who will greedily consume whatever you put in front of them, and then demand it for free because it wasn't "what they wanted." "I ordered this 32 oz ribeye med rare. Look at this .06 oz portion that is the only part left, it's obviously overcooked. I demand a refund." I guarantee you'd be absolutely horrified at a decent percentage customers' complaints. The customer is NOT always right. It is in good practice, however, to tell the customer that they are always right... and then sometimes laugh at how stupid they are.

I was only inclined to ask if there was a change or problem with Honky Tonk based on not only my experience, but the lack of updates here about it - and coincidentally on Yelp there are more than a few very low-rated reviews in the past several months at Honky Tonk. My experience was not very different. I did tell the waitress we were unhappy, but we were still charged full price and was served banana pudding for no charge - which we didn't want and it would have been nice if she asked us or gave us options. We did end up eating the pudding - it was good. But it didn't make up for our dinner experience.

I lurk on here and I *rarely* say anything bad about any place, but I asked in concern so that other "foodies" wouldn't run into the same issue or at least know what is going on. I always rate places based on FOOD only, I don't care about service or if they are serving me out of a dirty back room. If the food is good - or great even - that is what life is all about for me. I love good food, I live for it. I have no intentions of bashing Honky Tonk, my experience is what it is. I wish it could have been or be resolved instead of having to say something in negative light.

To comment on the pulled pork - I understand fat is supposed to be on pullled pork. However it was more of a pork sandwich, large chunks of solid pork on open face bread - which happened to be stale as was the bread under my Viking Short Rib. Having eaten BBQ all over Memphis and Chicago - I think I know what I am talking about.

Uniaddict

Thank you for the responses.
The food is quality controlled each and every day. I live right above the restaurant and I am there every day.
The pork is served like that for a reason. Unlike most bbq restaurants, at Honky Tonk, every pork and beef sandwich served is made to order so it is fresh and beautiful. The pork is never pulled beforehand. Because of the made to order pork is pulled fresh, the color is more wonderful. There are whites and pinks and not greasy pieces. The pieces are left not quite all pulled apart so the color and the moistur remain in the meat. Juat check out the other pulled pork around town, brown and greay and greasy and not near as beautiful. I serve it the way the judges at the world championship of barbeque, Memphis in May, like to see the pork.
About the ciabatta bun. It is delivered to me fresh every day including Sunday. It is an un-levened bread that does not break down from the sauce. It is really just a garnish for the meat and it is not necessary to eat. The leftover bread is made into parmasan bread crumbs for our Mac and Cheese. After tasting 30 or so buns, we decided that this is the best flavor and texture.
It is interesting and informative to see all the reviews, positive and otherwise. I can count on one bad review and one good review every 5000 plates of bbq.
Please say hello when you are at Honky Tonk.
Thanks for caring enough to comment.

Willie wrote:Thank you for the responses.
The food is quality controlled each and every day. I live right above the restaurant and I am there every day.
The pork is served like that for a reason. Unlike most bbq restaurants, at Honky Tonk, every pork and beef sandwich served is made to order so it is fresh and beautiful. The pork is never pulled beforehand. Because of the made to order pork is pulled fresh, the color is more wonderful. There are whites and pinks and not greasy pieces. The pieces are left not quite all pulled apart so the color and the moistur remain in the meat. Juat check out the other pulled pork around town, brown and greay and greasy and not near as beautiful. I serve it the way the judges at the world championship of barbeque, Memphis in May, like to see the pork.
About the ciabatta bun. It is delivered to me fresh every day including Sunday. It is an un-levened bread that does not break down from the sauce. It is really just a garnish for the meat and it is not necessary to eat. The leftover bread is made into parmasan bread crumbs for our Mac and Cheese. After tasting 30 or so buns, we decided that this is the best flavor and texture.
It is interesting and informative to see all the reviews, positive and otherwise. I can count on one bad review and one good review every 5000 plates of bbq.
Please say hello when you are at Honky Tonk.
Thanks for caring enough to comment.

Nice to have you on here Willie! I have been going to Honkytonk since 2008 or so, and I still remember my first brisket sandwich, it was probably the best brisket of my life. I will echo some of the comments of others, as of late it has been a hit or miss for me. That being said the chicken and rib tips have always been good. However, not sure what you have done over the past year with your mustard sauce, but it is now sensational. I typically order take out, but will have to eat in again soon.

I still remember my first brisket sandwich, it was probably the best brisket of my life.

+1

Read this story in the tribune this morning...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... 789.column

I'm on Willie's side here...it seems unclear as to EXACTLY how the sauce was spilled - but I would never ask a restaurant to pay for my shirt. If it was a fine dining place, I may see it differently - but BBQ is expected to be messy! I liken it to going to a cub's game in the bleachers (last place you would find me these days, just using the example), having beer spilled on me, and complaining or seeking monetary compensation. Even if a vendor or employee of the business spilled beer on me, I wouldn't make them pay for my shirt - I would just consider it collateral damage of me being in a public place and an accident happening in a known-to-be messy environment. I also probably wouldn't wear my favorite expensive shirt to a meal that included eating with my hands and getting messy.

All in all, I think Willie and Beth are great people - serve great BBQ, and don't deserve this hassle. I know how much work it is to run a restaurant, and also how rewarding it is to hear such great things from 99% of your customers - only to have it offset by this type of nonsense.

I hope that this article does bring them some good attention, with the 'ol "no such thing as bad publicity" theory.

..keep on keepin' on Willie, I hope you are laughing about this and it's not causing undeserved stress

On the contrary, I think that if a server spilled mustard onto a patron, ruining an article of clothing, it would have been a FAR better idea to simply apologize, and offer to replace the shirt. The Cubs-game metaphor doesn't hold water. Beer doesn't cause permanent stains, and mustard does. And the staining wasn't a barbeque-related spill - it was the fault of the server.

You should know this, given your background: customer service is always paramount. Always think, WWRMD?**


**What Would Rich Melman Do?

I think the only one who truly knows how the stain occurred is the patron, it's not clear in the article - and it sounds as if the customer changed her story a few times. Given the amount of time passed since the incident, and the fact that Beth mentions the customer's story didn't match hers (in relation to how the post-incident communications were handled) - I can see how she would feel taken advantage of. The moment someone lies, you begin to feel like it's a scam. The fact that the customer washed the shirt rather than first taking it to a professional cleaner may have also ruined chances of the stain coming out. If an article of clothing is cleaned properly right away, almost anything can be removed. However, after it is washed and put through a hot tumble dryer - the stain is likely permanent.

If the server was at clear fault (which is unclear), the offer could have been: Bring the shirt to the cleaners first thing in the morning and we'll pay for it to be professionally cleaned. Too many things happened between the spilling and the letter writing that are hearsay for the reader to really have a strong opinion without knowing all the facts. I am siding with Willie as a fellow restaurant owner and friend that doesn't like to see hard working people being taken advantage of.

Sounds like a slow news day for the "Problem Solver" the Trib should start a new column for this sort of thing, call it "Snivlers Corner" and put it in the Red Eye ...where it belongs.

JSM wrote:Sounds like a slow news day for the "Problem Solver" the Trib should start a new column for this sort of thing, call it "Snivlers Corner" and put it in the Red Eye ...where it belongs.

I tend to agree; let's keep it civil, and we think second-guessing the second-guessing might be better contained in the comments on the original Trib article, unless one of the actually-involved parties wants to broach the topic here.

And if you want to talk about spills in the abstract, please join us here.

Matt / Santander
for the moderators

Yes, slow news day, not noteworthy.
Just a few brief things...
Yes, a fair offer was made to the customer right up front. This was blown way out of proportion.
It is truely amazing that some folks that complain about a meal that is three quarters already consumed. Or the cold dessert they ate last month at the restaurant. The stain they washed twice and tumble dried and then decide that their one year old shirt merits a 75.00 cash payout on demand, but a couple of weeks later? They want a cash payout. Now. In the name of service. Customer is always right? This could get expensive! It doesn't matter that the shirt is 49.99. Let's call the newspapers. I have a lot of time.
I do like John Yates column some of the time.
A fair offer of dry cleaning the garment right away was offered to the customer. I am sure it is now time to get the yelp guns out.
I get one bad review on yelp for every 500 good reviews to my face. Yes, I take the good and the bad. I welcome constructive criticism. It helps me improve my formula.
I appreciate Jared of RUB supporting my cause and feeling the tug of 101% customer service every moment of the day and night.
We are here for you, the customer.
Thank you Santander. Let's get on with it.
Have you tried our new desserts? Truly amazing. Belgium dark chocolate cherry white chocolate mousse cheesecake! Housemade.
or Brandy Poundcake with hardsauce! Come on down to sunny Pilsen! The barbeque is better than ever!

Willie
Honky Tonk
1800 S. Racine

Willie wrote:Come on down to sunny Pilsen! The barbeque is better than ever!

Willie,

You are a friend, gentleman and run a lively BBQ joint with terrific BBQ. Shirt-Gate is but a pebble on the highway.

Regards,
Gary Wiviott

Willie,

I feel your frustration. "The customer is always right" is one of the biggest lies of all time. The customer is NOT always right. The customer always is entitled to respect concern, and the restaurant's best effort. But there are some folks who simply cannot be pleased, and it is fact that sometimes things go wrong.

I have cooked short ribs many, many times. Sometimes you get a dud (mostly fat), and it is very hard to tell the good ones from the dud until you cut into one. That is where communication between customer and server is key. Ideally, the servers will spot a problem (uneaten food, lukewarm response to "how is everything"), but sometimes the customer has to pipe up (although I understand the reluctance everyone has to make a fuss). I think we as customers have to commit ourselves to helping the restaurant help us enjoy ourselves.