Bar-B-Que Shack - St. Charles

I have only tried this place for carry outonce during the summer and thought the portion of meat on the chopped brisket sandwich was a little small for the 5.75 price. I had not gone back because my SO is vegetarian and besides some of the sides and a vegetarian chilli, there is little for a veghead to eat. I had seen in the local paper that they were going to start serving cajun food so this past Saturday we tried this place for lunch. The room is small and pretty spartan. We were the first people in and wound up waiting quite a long time for our food, I don't think they were really ready even though we were there well after their posted opening time. I ordered the chopped brisket with sweet potato fries and SO had Gumbo des Vertes (Green gumbo) from their cajun menu along with fried okra. The amount of meat served again seened a little light, I usually expect meat falling off outside the bun but not so here, I was able to neaty eat with my hands, no falling meat. The meat flavor was good and there were some good sized pieces of burnt end. The fries were good but thin cut and not crisp. SO liked the Gumbo des Vertes which was a variety of greens served over rice in a thin broth. Hot sauce had to be added but it was flavorful. While we were waiting for out food the owner passed by a few times and said that he does all his meat wood fired including the blackened salmon from the cajun side. He came back several times and asked us if everything was ok and told us he will be doing turkeys at Thanksgiving, will have them ready for pickup before 11am. The staff was very friendly, kept telling us they would be happy to deliver food to our office if we were nearby and kept telling us everything is homemade and fresh. Their menu, of course, includes ribs and meat combos of all kinds, the cajun menu features po'boys, gumbos, etouffe, several types of jambalaya, salmon and shrimp creole. By the time we left, the little room was filled with people including a large family group that ordered several of the combo platters and just about every side availible.

Bar-B-Que Shack
Cajun Shack
210 Cedar Street
St. Charles, Il
630-513-7700
630-513-9167 fax
www.bbqshack.net

This location is right off Rte. 31, 1 block north of Rte. 64 (North Avenue)

I've only tried the place once and really wanted to like it but my chopped brisket sandwich was similar to yours in a scarcity of meat and what was there was just kind of ehh. It had all the romance of a bbq beef sandwich served in a school cafeteria, sorry. Sweet potato fries were limp but I attributed that to the 5 minute ride home. Veg chili was fine but a bit on the sweet side for me and lacking any sort of chile heat. I think they also charged an extra fee for carry out, but not positive. Maybe I'll go back for a po'boy.

If you are in the area again check out the Black Rooster Bakery in the plaza behind The Filling Station. Some really nice baked goods, especially the kolachky(sp?) They also have sandwiches and soups, but I have not tried yet.

Black Rooster Bakery
11 N 3rd Street
St Charles, IL
630-444-1388

I did not add that there were no additional sauces offered, we had to ask for some for the gumbo and all that was given was tabasco and some brand never heard of. It would be nice if the meals came with something but I think their prices are too high for what you get. I have not tried Black Rooster and may wander that way again, I did want to try their po'boys but I am such a huge fan of Ron's Cajun Connection in Utica that I can also wait until I go here next. Ron's is a half way point between Batavia and my in laws in Peoria. Ron is from south Louisiana and does the real deal. He is a great man and a great cook, his family and most of his purveyor contacts lost everything in the hurricanes but he is trying to move on. If you are in the 'hood of Starved Rock, Ron is nearby on Rte.6 at the Starved Rock exit of I-80. I always get a big hug and some great etoufee!

I tried the BBQ last week, and was sorely disappointed. I tried a two meat combo with Pulled Pork and Sliced Brisket. The pulled pork was OK, but the brisket was way overcooked and very dry. The sweet potato fries were good when fresh, but the "spicy" pinto beans had no flavor at all. They tasted like beans boiled in plain water. The sauce was OK, but quite ketchupy (if that's a word).

I will probably try the ribs one day, but I don't have much hope...

...ron

When i lived out there in yesteryear, that place was an antique store/storage barn.Glad to see it hasn't been razed yet.

I have tried this place based on the comments sent in and I can't wait to go back. I tried the Haas which is 4 meats (pork, chop beef, sliced beef,and ham) it was all great.All the meat was tender and tasty. the sauce I thought was great I even ordered some to take home. The owner did come over and talk to us awhile and told us that he just created a new mustard sauce, we tasted it and it was very good. Also the sweet potato fries were to die for ours were bright orange in color ond crispy. I also thought the portion were more then enough we had to take the left over home in a take out container. My date had the Range which is a whole slab of ribs and she thought they were fall off the bone good. This place is definetly worth giving a second chance. 2 THUMBS UP

We revisited the Bar-B-Que Shack yesterday and was pleased to find a more generous serving of meat in my brisket sandwich. They have changed their menu some and have reduced the number of items offered which is ok, rather have them concentrate on a few good things. They still offer cajun items and my SO had the vegetarian gumbo which packed heat satisfying enough not to want to add any hot sauce like last visit. This place is worth the wonderful smokey smell alone. Someone mentioned the near by Black Rooster Cafe however it appears to be closed.

The local newspaper today reported that the Bar-B-Que Shack is adding steaks to their menu to be in the $13-$20 range. The paper also states that owner Paul Gale is planning to franchise and grow into a "small chain"

I am confused.....

None of you tried the ribs, but an "expert opinion" rib guy, recommended this place for the ribs. The person that asked for "smoked rib" help is from out of town, and several people tried to help him, with suggestions.

Did those of you that tried the food, just not want the ribs? Or...

sabersix wrote:I am confused.....

Saber,

Different post, new thread. Please see Mike G's post re ax/Northwestern Cutlery.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:

sabersix wrote:I am confused.....

Saber,

Different post, new thread. Please see Mike G's post re ax/Northwestern Cutlery.

Enjoy,
Gary

Now announcing LTHForum counseling service for the culinarily disoriented. Be the first to sign up. Particularly useful when dining out at any place that calls itself fusion or latino, but also useful when dealing with nouvelle vague sushi and many other latter day atrocities.

Gary, I will ask you the same question I asked Mike. Did I say anything that was not true?

And since Mike likes tag lines so well....

The truth shall set you free.
Knowledge is power.
Pseudoexperts are full of crap, when they think they know better than me, what I like to eat.

sabersix wrote:I am confused.....

None of you tried the ribs, but an "expert opinion" rib guy, recommended this place for the ribs. The person that asked for "smoked rib" help is from out of town, and several people tried to help him, with suggestions.

Did those of you that tried the food, just not want the ribs? Or...

If you mean the person who wanted ribs in or near DesPlaines, I think the reason this spot wasn't mentioned in that thread may just be that St. Charles is too far away from DesPlaines, right?

[EDITED TO ADD: Feel free to just ignore this addled post. I see that the St. Charles spot WAS mentioned in that thread by sabersix, and that he did note in his post that it was outside that OP's proposed 20-minute range. I will now drink some coffee and remain silent.]

Saber just reposted this

sabersix wrote:Gary, I will ask you the same question I asked Mike. Did I say anything that was not true?

Saber,

As I said upthread, this is an entirely different subject. You planning on mentioned the BBQ thing as a response to each and every post on LTHForum from now on?

No, good, because it's reached it limit.

Enjoy,
Gary

All the talk here and elsewhere about Smoque has made me hungry for BBQ. I live just a few miles from this place in St. Charles so we decided it was time for a return visit. Again, I stuck to the chopped brisket sandwich, just not a big fan of ribs. The meat was good and smoky, tender, some burnt ends but a little too much sauce since the bottom half of the bun disintegrated and I wound up eating with a fork. SO had vegetarian chili and thought it had good spice and flavor. We shared sweet potato fries which were hot and crisp on the outside with a creamy sweet potato taste on the inside. We got there at noon when they opened and were the first of about 20 people who all came at once (not together) The single server handled the sudden rush very well.

I'll have to give them another try. They are close enough that I can run over there for lunch one day next week.

I'm cooking briskets on Sunday. If you're driving by and smell BBQ, just follow the smoke!

Ron_L wrote:I'll have to give them another try. They are close enough that I can run over there for lunch one day next week.

I'm cooking briskets on Sunday. If you're driving by and smell BBQ, just follow the smoke!

Is that an invitation, because this time my schedule is pretty open on Sunday

Returned to the BBQ Shack in St. Charles again on 8/11 and again everything was very good. I had pulled pork, tender and lightly sauced. My partner is vegetarian and is very happy with their cajun items and vegetarian chilli. The sweet potato fries were nice and crisp and my partner enjoyed the fried okra. Since our last visit in March they have made some changes, both rooms now have booths with awnings overhead as well as tables, the arraignment made the room feel larger. The have a very nice patio, part covered but some tables in the sunlight. One small thing I liked is that they now serve on plates and not plastic baskets. The service was overly enthusiastic and efficent.