Chuck's is Back in Business

I know it's been announced elsewhere, but Chuck's Southern Comforts Café is back in action after their unfortunate firelast fall. I had a long conversation with Chuck at the ill-fated Cajun Charlie's Fat Tuesday Event. He was planning on serving up full blown Southern Style Breakfasts...complete with all the trimmings including country ham, grits, biscuits & gravy, etc. At the time he was "auditioning" various country hams to decide who his supplier was going to be. Now that he's open, I decided to make my inaugural visit to Chuck's today for breakfast.

New-Improved Chuck's




As it turned out, I got there too late for breakfast (only served on weekends 6 A.M. until Noon). Instead, I ordered a pulled pork sandwich deluxe. Deluxe means that you get a choice of 2 sides along with the sandwich. I opted for Brunswick Stew and of course cole slaw to put on top of my sandwich.

Chuck's Pulled Pork Deluxe


This was a mighty fine sandwich. The pork, though obviously held, was expertly kept warm. It was very moist and had a great mix of bark and inner meat. It was lightly smoked and perhaps could have used a bit more wood during the smoking process, but that was a minor quibble. It was still one of the best commercial pulled pork sandwiches in town. The Brunswick stew was pretty good and had a good amount of veggies, although not much meat. Chuck's cole slaw was a nice version, too. Although it was more of a light (rather than thick mayo) creamed version than a Carolina vinegar version, it still made a perfect topping for my sandwich. I ordered the sandwich dry and used a small amount of Chuck's hot BBQ sauce (supplied on the table in squeeze bottles) on some of it, but the meat was good enough to stand on its own so I just went with the cole slaw topping for most of the sandwich.


Chuck's Southern Comforts Café
5557 W 79th St
Burbank, IL
708-229-8700

Steve, is that Brunswick stew you had at Chuck's the traditional squirrel-based dish? If so, you'd better 'fess up on Mike's recent thread. And pm me, because after all the trouble I've had ridding my current residence of them, I'd like nothing better than some primitive revenge: dining on the little varmits.

Josephine wrote:Steve, is that Brunswick stew you had at Chuck's the traditional squirrel-based dish? If so, you'd better 'fess up on Mike's recent thread. And pm me, because after all the trouble I've had ridding my current residence of them, I'd like nothing better than some primitive revenge: dining on the little varmits.

No varmint in the stew, in fact not much meat of any kind...except for a few small pieces of pork shoulder. In a way the stew really showed Chuck's cajun chops, it was almost like a gumbo base.

We actually were at Chuck's for dinner tonight, after an aborted attempt on thursday (we arrived at 9pm, thinking they closed at 10. No such luck, they close at 9 Sun-Thurs).

Beth had the pulled pork dinner, and through the magic of great timing, got some the instant it came out of the smoker. She liked it quite a lot, along with a double order of chuck's mashed potatoes, which she discovered a love for on a previous visit.

I had the half slab/hot link combo, which was fine, but not spectacular. The ribs at chuck's are baby back, not spare, and I'm a fan of spare ribs. That said, they were good and meaty and had a decent smoke ring and smoke flavor. The hot link was fine, but the texture/flavoring didn't do it for me so much.

I like, and beth really likes, Chuck's, and it's handy having it only about 20 minutes away.

Interestingly enough, at the last Chuck's LTH dinner, Chuck let us sample both his baby backs and spare ribs. While many of us agreed we would rather eat the spare ribs, he said most of his customers would rather have the baby backs. Maybe we can convince Chuck that he does need to have both on the menu!

Suzy

sdritz wrote:Interestingly enough, at the last Chuck's LTH dinner, Chuck let us sample both his baby backs and spare ribs. While many of us agreed we would rather eat the spare ribs, he said most of his customers would rather have the baby backs. Maybe we can convince Chuck that he does need to have both on the menu!

Suzy

I wonder if the preference for baby backs comes from those who've actually eaten both and compared, or whether folks are responding to the Chilli's-based marketing of baby backs and the possibly negative connotations of spares ("spare" maybe suggesting "not much meat" or "extra," which is not, as I understand, what the etymology of the word indicates).

Anyway, glad Chuck's is back.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:

sdritz wrote:Interestingly enough, at the last Chuck's LTH dinner, Chuck let us sample both his baby backs and spare ribs. While many of us agreed we would rather eat the spare ribs, he said most of his customers would rather have the baby backs. Maybe we can convince Chuck that he does need to have both on the menu!

Suzy

I wonder if the preference for baby backs comes from those who've actually eaten both and compared, or whether folks are responding to the Chilli's-based marketing of baby backs and the possibly negative connotations of spares ("spare" maybe suggesting "not much meat" or "extra," which is not, as I understand, what the etymology of the word indicates).

I believe the marketing issue was Chuck's main theory as to why baby backs sell so much better than spare ribs at his place.

Hooray! Chuck's is back!



The chili, featured here, good as ever...



The cochinita pibil, very good, actually I might rank the pork itself just a hair below Fonda del Mar's, but the green stuff is a citrusy dipping sauce that is really nice, and this is overall a great dish from Chuck's specials menu (meaning it's a limited-time offering).

Hooray, Chuck's is back!

FWIW, Chuck's is featured in this week's Reader.

Although their Business Hours reflect lunch service, they are open for breakfast on weekends. My friends and I stopped at Chuck's this past Saturday. We ordered a Denver omlette with toast topped with ice cream, a banana fosters french toast and a country skillet with bisquit.

The portions were large and tasty. The omlette was filling and the potatos were almost mashed-like. The french toast was a bit chewy and was difficult to cut with just the knives provided on the table. I would recommend a steak knife. The skillet was hot and delicious. The bisquit came up about 3 minutes later and looked toasted/rewarmed.

We had our share of hot and cold coffee. The service is good and the food is worth the price. The selection is plentiful. Overall, we'd visit Chuck's again for any meal.

I tried Chuck's for the first time tonight. The first thing that struck me was the variety of the menu. I love soup, and Chuck had either six or seven different kinds going. The chili relleno appetizer sounded fantastic, but I knew I wouldn't be able to fit that into my plan.

I ordered a cup of the corn chowder and the pulled pork dinner with cole slaw and french fries. I also ordered one of Chuck's mom's cookies to go, with Diet Pepsi to accompany the whole thing.

Corn Chowder: Excellent. A good mix of flavors and textures. I'd easily buy a catering portion if I was having company to the house.
Pulled Pork: Very good. The portion was immense, easily 10 oz, maybe more. For $8.75 with two sides, this might be one of the best bargains in the city. The meat itself was juicy and tender, but I would have liked a little more of the ends. Both the hot and mild sauce went well with it.
Cole Slaw: Good. I liked the texture and taste, and the portion was huge - perfect for those of us who want to eat it with the meat in the same bite. But there was too much liquid, and it was room temperature isntead of chilled.
French Fries: Very good. It's not a style I usually like, but now after all these years I understand what Burger King has tried to do with their french fries (and failed miserable in the process).
Cookie:Very good. I ordered and paid for one, was surprised when I opened the bag at home and found two. Again, oatmeal-chocolate is not a favorite, but I snarfed them down. My glucose meter will kill me in the morning!

Total damage was $18 even. I'm always looking for places near I-55 - compared to taking 55 all the way from the Ryan to the Tri-State, Chuck's is only a 4-mile total detour. I'll definitely be back some evening in September to try some of their non-barbeque offerings.

threadkiller wrote: I'm always looking for places near I-55

It's not sit-down, but Chickie's on 29th & Pulaski is a great stop for beef, in particular, and hot dogs, and that's about a mile off 55.

There's always Steve's Shish-Kabob two blocks west of Pulaski on 63rd for some of the best Middle Eastern food in the Chicago area.

Heck, while we're doing Pulaski, even closer to the interstate is Las Islas Marias on 54th and Pulaski. Authentic Mexican seafood at great prices.

Oh, and of course, Bobak's for Polish buffet. South on Cicero from 55, left on Archer, it's right there on the right side after a couple of block's.

Also not terribly far from the stevenson is Vito and Nick's (or Nick and Vito's) near at 8433 S Pulaski.

It's a tiny bit further than Chuck's, but well worth a visit.

The Original Vito & Nick's Pizzeria
8433 South Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60652
1-773-735-2050
http://www.vitoandnick.com

stevez wrote:No varmint in the stew, in fact not much meat of any kind...except for a few small pieces of pork shoulder. In a way the stew really showed Chuck's cajun chops, it was almost like a gumbo base.

Too bad, always wanted to try it myself - deep sympathy with Josephine! Uberspouse's relatives are from the Evansville, IN/Henderson, KY area and someday we plan to go down there and have a bowl of the real stuff. Though my understanding is that it's supposed to be a meat stew with some random veggies, not the other way around. However, I'll give props to anyone who has anything called Burgoo on the menu.

However, it all looks incredible; next time we're headed that way out of town without dogs in the car we'll have to make a stop!

Reflecting on the meal this afternoon and looking at Chuck's web site, there were EIGHT soups available. I'm thinking that some winter night I'm just going to go there and have bowls of three different soups for dinner!

It's not exactly new to me, since I tried it at the Chuck's dinner a year and a half ago, but the thing at Chuck's that's really been haunting my dreams is the chicken-fried chicken, the sage gravy (which totally makes the chicken), and the very bacony green beans that come on the side of it.

Just trust me, you want it.

The chicken-fried-chicken is remarkably good, indeed. It's also an unbelievably massive portion.

Don't forget Chuck's excellent mashed potatoes.

The chicken-fried-chicken is remarkably good, indeed. It's also an unbelievably massive portion.

Which comes with a dinner roll!

Just thought of another one for our friend looking for places off I-55. There' Zacatacos on 59th and Pulaski, for my favorite grilled steak tacos in the city.

Hmm...I never realized it (surprisingly, since I live one street off Pulaski), but Pulaski has got a lot of decent joints in that area. I would definitely go out of my way for all the places mentioned so far.

LTH,

Chuck's was on Check Please last night and the ever personable Chuck nailed it. Everyone from Alpana to the guests loved Chuck's and menu highlights were discussed with gusto and enthusiasm. Alpana even mentioned Chuck having worked for Rick Bayless at Fontera.

You can watch Chuck's Check Please segment here. The other two restaurants were Sayat Nova, all three guests positive, and Vermilion, which got beat up a bit.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:LTH,

Chuck's was on Check Please last night and the ever personable Chuck nailed it. Everyone from Alpana to the guests loved Chuck's and menu highlights were discussed with gusto and enthusiasm. Alpana even mentioned Chuck having worked for Rick Bayless at Fontera.

You can watch Chuck's Check Please segment here. The other two restaurants were Sayat Nova, all three guests positive, and Vermilion, which got beat up a bit.

Enjoy,
Gary

The segment on Chuck's reminded me (finally) of what I appreciate about Check, Please!. It was great to see a place so universally praised by all those involved, Chuck was extremely personable and the food looked absolutely luscious.

It got me even more excited than I already was for the LTHForum ChanuKwanzaXmas Holiday Party.

=R=

It's a testament to Chuck's that three people can rave about it and not one of them mentioned either my favorite or Cookie's favorite dish*. There's a lot of great food at Chuck's.

Best,
Michael

*bowl o' red for me and chicken-fried steak for Cookie.

eatchicago wrote:It's a testament to Chuck's that three people can rave about it and not one of them mentioned either my favorite or Cookie's favorite dish*. There's a lot of great food at Chuck's.

Best,
Michael

*bowl o' red for me and chicken-fried steak for Cookie.

Chuck does have a deep bench! If someone came up to me on the street and told me about a restaurant that specializes in Mexican, BBQ and Cajun food, I'd initially think that the place was too unfocused and would be lucky to be good at maybe one of those styles. Not so in the case of Chuck's. He executes well across the entire spectrum.

Beth and I were there on Monday and spoke briefly with Chuck, who let us know that he's recently closed on a new space for the restaurant, a few weeks west on 79th. The new space is considerably bigger, and will have a full bar. He's also considering lunch buffets, holding some lesser events there (like a cinco de mayo bash) instead of at a hall, and so on. He was very excited about the whole thing, and I'm hoping for the best.

gleam wrote:...new space for the restaurant, a few weeks west on 79th..

That's pretty far away, even if you're walking!

imsscott wrote:

gleam wrote:...new space for the restaurant, a few weeks west on 79th..

That's pretty far away, even if you're walking!

Har! Blocks.

Santander wrote:

imsscott wrote:

gleam wrote:...new space for the restaurant, a few weeks west on 79th..

That's pretty far away, even if you're walking!

Oregon Trail??

jlawrence01 wrote:

Santander wrote:

gleam wrote:...new space for the restaurant, a few weeks west on 79th..

Oregon Trail??

Assuming you walk 3MPH due west for 3 weeks from Chuck's, you would find yourself in the Owyhee Desert in Northern Nevada, near the town of Gouge Eye and the ghost town of Midas, NV. The nearest restaurant is Mezotrace in Winnemucca, NV, 63.8 miles away. The Oregon trail can be picked up in Boise, Idaho about 135 miles north.

Mezotrace
415 Wellington St
Winnemucca, NV 89445-2866
(775) 623-1151