The issue with Passover is the expense and effort to clean the restaurant to meet the strict standards to obtain the Kosher for Passover certification so typically most kosher restaurants will close for the period of Passover -

Finally made it Milt’s and it was well worth the wait! The meal was excellent – We arrived just after a private party and were pleasantly surprised at how quickly they shifted from the Bar Mitzvah party to a functioning restaurant. The service was excellent. I had the smoked brisket chili, chicken tenders, the Milt Burger and split a slab of ribs – here is the run down:

Smoked Brisket Chili - This was excellent – the brisket was nice and shredded with the right amount of heat and beans – only thing that would have made better would have been some bread to scoop out the little drips on the bottom of the bowl.

Chicken Tenders – These were good but the other things I had were better – these would have been better if they had not been overcooked.

Milt Burger – I have to say this was the best burger I have had at a restaurant – the combination of the fried onions, chili, and beef bacon with bbq aioli was amazing! It burger cam with a side of fries which I had replaced with house made sweet potato fries that were superb especially when dipped into their apple catsup – this was the highlight of the meal.

Slab of Ribs – cooked to perfection – the meat nice and tender and easily pulled off the bones. The rub was not overpowering – the ribs were served with a trio of sauces on the side – a house sauce that was tomato based with a nice touch of heat, a Carolina mustard based sauce that was nice and tangy and a KC sauce nice and sweet. The ribs were a close to second to the Milt Burger/

There was a special that I dud not get that looked great – a shaved steak sandwich with a horseradish sauce that looked amazing -

weinstein5 wrote:Slab of Ribs – cooked to perfection – the meat nice and tender and easily pulled off the bones. The rub was not overpowering – the ribs were served with a trio of sauces on the side – a house sauce that was tomato based with a nice touch of heat, a Carolina mustard based sauce that was nice and tangy and a KC sauce nice and sweet. The ribs were a close to second to the Milt Burger

Obviously, these weren't pork. Were they beef ribs or lamb ribs?

sorry - you are correct not pork but beef - nice and big with plenty of meat

I was wondering why a full slab of ribs was $45... but then I remembered they were beef. Don't know enough about beef ribs know if that's a "fair" price or not, though.

I am sure compared to a non-kosher establishment they will be a bit pricey but for a kosher establishemnet they are a fair price - and for the quality they should give non-kosher a run for their money -

How many kosher barbecue joints are there in Chicago that also host thought-provoking speakers and donate all their profits to worthy causes?

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130423/BLOGS09/130429932/barbecue-with-a-side-of-do-good

I've now been 3 times to try 3 different items:

brisket (Milt's now only offers chopped, sliced is not available), very mediocre, I did not notice any smoke ring as all meat was gray, not worth it. Server mentioned that Milt's used to offer sliced but seeing as the slices are held in au jus, they fell apart anyways so Milt's decided to stick with chopped.

burger - great quality bun, a good burger, cooked past my MR, if in area I might stop by and have one again

pulled chicken sandwich - this I really liked, especially with the chili kissed Kansas City sauce which has a nice kick (I did not like their Carolina mustard or Memphis sauce).

While I enjoy the free pickle slices provided, they are not the quality I would have hoped for.

This place had been on my list since we moved up to Lakeview and since I was on my own again for dinner tonight, I stopped by for dinner. I had been craving a burger all week, and their BBQ prices scared the sh*t out of me, so I ordered the Milt burger (I figured I'd get to try their brisket at least since it came on the burger).

They brought out a nice plate of sweet pickles, which I'm normally not a big fan of, but these were decent but not crisp. The burger ordered MR came out M-MW and for $16 was pretty small (I'd say it was a 1/4 lb patty) - and there was not much chili, brisket or bacon on the burger. The burger had a taste that I couldn't quite put my finger on, probably liquid smoke (but a little "chemical-ly"). The bun got soggy and fell apart fairly quick, and reminded me of a WonderBun. This is probably coming across as super harsh, and I thought the burger was decent (except for the chemical-ly) taste, but for $16, I thought it was a real rip-off. I finished my burger and came home and ate again because I was still hungry. Oh, and the brisket (which there was very little of) was basically mush meat. Maybe it is just brisket in their chili?

Anyways, I'm still slightly curious about the ribs, but for those prices, it better be terrific. But I should have known not to eat at a BBQ place where I don't see smoke.

It is a shame you had issues with the Milt Burger - the two times I have gone I have found it to be a stellar offering and yes it is the brisket chili that they place on the Milt Burger -

Interm s of cost you do have to remember that they are kosher so the cost of the meat starts at higher price point - but I have had the ribs twice and they are dleicioud with a nice smoke ring -

weinstein5 wrote:Interm s of cost you do have to remember that they are kosher so the cost of the meat starts at higher price point

Boy, that's the truth. I'm cooking brisket for a group on Sunday. One of my guests requires kosher meat, so I bought a kosher brisket to accommodate his needs. I could have bought 3.5 regular briskets for the price I had to pay for the kosher one.

Milt's is closed through this weekend for remodeling, per posted signs.

Santander wrote:Milt's is closed through this weekend for remodeling, per posted signs.

As per their Facebook page they're redoing their floors. Probably with the usual closure for Shabbat for Friday/Saturday anyway, it's easier to close for a few days and get things done.

They also say they're going back to being open on Saturday night as of October 5th, with hours after Shabbat is officially over (time varies according the week).

from their news letter -

We will also be changing our opening hours slightly over the Sukkot holiday. We will be closing on Tuesday September 24 in order to replace our floors and improve your Milt's experience! Our closing times are:

Wednesday September 18 at 4:00 PM through Friday September 20 (reopening Sunday Sept. 22 at 11:30 AM)
Tuesday September 24 through Friday September 27 (reopening Sunday Sept. 29 at 11:30 AM)

And one last exciting piece of news to share - starting Saturday night October 5 at 8 PM, we will be back in action on Saturday nights! Include a stop at Milt's for some late night wings and other late night specialties in your Saturday night plans this fall and winter!

weinstein5 wrote:from their news letter -

We will also be changing our opening hours slightly over the Sukkot holiday. We will be closing on Tuesday September 24 in order to replace our floors and improve your Milt's experience! Our closing times are:

Wednesday September 18 at 4:00 PM through Friday September 20 (reopening Sunday Sept. 22 at 11:30 AM)
Tuesday September 24 through Friday September 27 (reopening Sunday Sept. 29 at 11:30 AM)

And one last exciting piece of news to share - starting Saturday night October 5 at 8 PM, we will be back in action on Saturday nights! Include a stop at Milt's for some late night wings and other late night specialties in your Saturday night plans this fall and winter!

You're one step ahead of me . I thought they were doing variable hours, but 8 PM should certainly work as a standard time for the next several months until the calendar intervenes.

Milt's will be open at 8PM on Saturday nights through November 2. After that, 6PM!

I was at Milt's for a recent pre-Shabbat chowdown, and I must say that the brisket and the three (homemade?) sauces were extremely tasty. Well-done (chopped, with some burnt ends), certainly, but a detectable smoke ring and hardwood flavor that was not overpermeated. The salt level was right-on, which is easy to screw up with brisket; I appreciated it almost as much as the knockout cuts by Smoque at this year's GNR dinner.

Now, $16 good with one side, I'm not sure. The shiny bun was somewhat stale and soaked with too much butter. Lunch menu says "with fries and slaw," but when I asked for it to go, I was told "well, to go, we just give you one bigger side." Microbucket of creamy slaw was actually really nice, but I should have gone the fry route to better exploit especially the lappable mustard sauce.

Santander wrote:I was at Milt's for a recent pre-Shabbat chowdown, and I must say that the brisket and the three (homemade?) sauces were extremely tasty. Well-done (chopped, with some burnt ends), certainly, but a detectable smoke ring and hardwood flavor that was not overpermeated. The salt level was right-on, which is easy to screw up with brisket; I appreciated it almost as much as the knockout cuts by Smoque at this year's GNR dinner.

Now, $16 good with one side, I'm not sure. The shiny bun was somewhat stale and soaked with too much butter. Lunch menu says "with fries and slaw," but when I asked for it to go, I was told "well, to go, we just give you one bigger side." Microbucket of creamy slaw was actually really nice, but I should have gone the fry route to better exploit especially the lappable mustard sauce.

I'll bet you a can of Coke that the bun wasn't soaked with butter.

lodasi wrote:

Santander wrote:I was at Milt's for a recent pre-Shabbat chowdown, and I must say that the brisket and the three (homemade?) sauces were extremely tasty. Well-done (chopped, with some burnt ends), certainly, but a detectable smoke ring and hardwood flavor that was not overpermeated. The salt level was right-on, which is easy to screw up with brisket; I appreciated it almost as much as the knockout cuts by Smoque at this year's GNR dinner.

Now, $16 good with one side, I'm not sure. The shiny bun was somewhat stale and soaked with too much butter. Lunch menu says "with fries and slaw," but when I asked for it to go, I was told "well, to go, we just give you one bigger side." Microbucket of creamy slaw was actually really nice, but I should have gone the fry route to better exploit especially the lappable mustard sauce.

I'll bet you a can of Coke that the bun wasn't soaked with butter.

That is a very, very good point. Well, soaked in something lipid-y enough to detract from the awesomeness of the meat when eaten together.

If it was a takeout, it was likely the fat from the brisket soaking into the bun. Best bet would be to get bread on the side.

Visited today with a group of 12. Service was top notch and very friendly. Love the decor; very open and airy with plenty of natural light on a lovely fall day.

The food. I always say finish strong, so let's start with the brisket. Echoing the comments above, our brisket sandwich was the weakest link on the table. It was dry and had that slightly bitter, overcooked flavor the brisket would get when Baubi forgot it was in the oven and let it cook an extra 45 minutes or so. Characteristic 'Que flavors; smoke and spice, didn't play a big part in the brisket. Unfortunate, since, if you're gonna call yourself a Barbecue Joint, kosher or otherwise, you should probably make sure the one iconic BBQ meat on your menu is done properly.

Didn't even notice the Beef Ribs, or any of the "House Specialties" on the menu, otherwise we would've ordered them just to see if they were any better than the brisket.

Now the good stuff. First, full disclosure: We were there with a group of people from Roadfood.com. Our mission for the day was to combine stops from the Open House Chicago event with neighborhood eating stops. When the owner found out what we were doing and how we found out about Milt's (LTH, 'natch), he comped us a few noshes.

First up were the Chicken Wings. Unbelievable! I made sure to try the first bite without any of their three signature sauces. Absolutely wonderful smoked chicken flavor, beautifully seasoned, rich, juicy, plump, utterly delicious. I highly recommend the wings.

At one point I joked, "What kind of Kosher Barbecue joint is this without 'Gribenes' on the menu?" Seven minute later, a plate piled up with gorgeous Gribenes arrived at our table. These were as good or better than the Wings! A crispy, fatty delight; they were full of flavor. I suggested next time they should add a few onions to the fry pan, but even without, the "Jewish Chicharones" were spot on.

I warned them, "If I write about this on the internet, you're going to have lines of Gribenes-starved Jews lined up and wanting to order them. They're not a regular menu item, are you sure you want me to mention them?"

"Go ahead and write. We'll deal with it," was the reply.

So, now you know, you want a nice plate of fried chicken skin, Milt's is the place to go.

That's it for the comps; everything else, including the brisket above was paid for.

Our meal was made up of:
A menu board special; a Lamb BLT that had nice flavor and texture.
An appetizer order of the Beef Bacon that had good chew, but needed to be a bit more assertive in it's flavor (i.e. salt)
Both the creamy and vinegar style cole slaws, suffering from the same drawback as the bacon.
Excellent Fries; very crisp with a steamy, fluffy interior.
And Roasted Green Beans that had a good fresh flavor. One of the better things we had at Milt's.

All in all a pretty good lunch with more hits than misses. I'd like to revisit and take a shot at those Beef Ribs, the Salmon, and 1/2 Chicken in the "House Specialties" section of the menu.

Jeff, the owner, was disappointed that no one ordered the Milt's Burger. I just might go back and give it a try. If they're smart, they'll pull a "Kuma's" and top it off with a pile of Gribenes.

Buddy

Gribenes may hasten my return. Unsurprisingly, sounds like there are consistency issues with the brisket. They don't do chopped vs. sliced as the menu promises, but my sandwich looked nothing like this stringy, mushy mess:

http://chicago.seriouseats.com/2013/05/ ... lexed.html

It was chopped, holding texture appropriately, richly smoked, and in no way wet enough to soak the bun. Has anyone had smoked brisket in Chicago moist enough to dampen bread even slightly? The bun had been "buttered" with a separate, unsmoked fat which did not meld well with the meat. My co-worker proposed margarine. It was eaten about 2 minutes after handoff, so no takeout steam effect, for the full datapoint.

Smoque, but even more so Blackwood in the Loop, which is our really perplexing BBQ joint....

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:Jeff, the owner, was disappointed that no one ordered the Milt's Burger. I just might go back and give it a try. If they're smart, they'll pull a "Kuma's" and top it off with a pile of Gribenes.

Buddy

You did miss out - the Milt Burger is excellent - my favorite thing on the menu next tot the ribs -

Chicago Magazine names Milts in it top new restaurants -
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magaz ... perplexed/

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magaz ... er-Levine/

Chicagoans of the year!

The accolades continue - Urban Spoon lists Milt's as one of the top new restaurants in Chicago and the US - http://www.urbanspoon.com/blog/2013/11/ ... n=November

Went for the first time last night with a couple of kosher friends. For $100 (without tip) for the three of us we got:

A couple of drinks, a cuppa tea, Brisket Latkes (3 for $12), the Milt burger (that the kitchen cut in thirds for us), the BBQ Combo (1/2 chicken and 3 ribs - $46), sides were fries, cole slaw, corn bread and brisket baked beans. I actually thought this was way too much food for the three of us as I was completely stuffed afterwards and was still stuffed this morning. However, I really thought about $40 per person (including tip) was just too expensive.

Service was excellent, reservations were required as walk-ins could only get seats at the bar, and the food was delicious.

I also like that the owner gives 100% of the profits to charities. There was an explanation card on the table and you can vote for your favorite charity to be considered for next year's donations.

Hi- Last night while I was waiting for my dentist, I picked up the latest copy of Chicago magazine, and in the latest issue they have the Chicagoans of the year. One of the persons selected was the owner of Milt's, Jeff Aeder, along with his wife. They have a child that has a learning disability. I think she is dyslexic, and they could not find an appropriate education for her, and so they started their own school, a few years ago. They did mention the restaurant too in the article. Here is the link to the article.
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magaz ... Year-2013/

I made the mistake of having Small's brisket platter two days after I had Milt's, and there was no comparison this time - Small's was richly smoked, succulent, barky, stellar. Milt's this round had the consistency and warmth of those cans of beef jerky chew powder, the complete opposite of previously reported mushiness, and was $17 with (very good) fries and slaw on a decidedly stale bun. On the plus side, all of their sauces are lappably delicious.