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City Barbeque in Deerfield

City Barbeque in Deerfield
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  • City Barbeque in Deerfield

    Post #1 - June 19th, 2018, 2:45 pm
    Post #1 - June 19th, 2018, 2:45 pm Post #1 - June 19th, 2018, 2:45 pm
    I tried it with the family the other night and thought it was okay. Nothing spectacular but not horrible, either. Here's an item-by-item breakdown:

    Meats
    Brisket:
    Tender, smoky, had a nice bark. Rub was reasonable and not polluted by unnecessary components. Some sections were pretty darned dry, though. Nevertheless, the best item we tried.

    Ribs (St. Louis):
    Nice bark, decent smoke and most importantly, the meat was tender but not falling off the bone.

    Chicken:
    Moist but kind of just there. Light smoke and maybe a bit undercooked (not raw but not optimal, either).

    Pulled Pork:
    Fine. Decent smoke, tender meat and tasty bark.

    Turkey Breast:
    Tender, decent flavor, still reasonably moist.

    Smoked Sausage:
    Cured, seemed like a standard-issue commercial sausage, don't bother.

    Sides
    Corn Pudding:
    Sweet, mushy and nondescript.

    Mac & Cheese:
    Nothing special. Bland and mushy.

    Baked Beans with Brisket:
    A sweet and bitter disaster.

    Green Beans with Bacon:
    Really mushy beans but a tasty side.

    French Fries:
    Appeared to be hand-cut. Over-salted and slightly under-fried but had potential as an eat-in item.

    Hush Puppies:
    Pretty tasty. Not overly sweet and nice savory seasoning notes. Crispy exteriors, moist interiors. Probably the best side we tried.

    Collards with Pork:
    Respectable, appropriately bitter.

    Cornbread:
    An overly sweet and over-seasoned disaster. This ate like a bad dessert.

    Potato Salad:
    Other than containing far too much crunchy business (was that raw onion?), it was a pretty nondescript take.

    Texas Toast:
    Burnt, mushy, flavorless bread.

    Sauces
    Tried 3 (I don't know which ones) and they were all pretty horrible. Tasted like they had fake smoke added to them. On the positive side, I thought the meat was good enough that it really didn't need any sauce. Fyi, we ordered everything with sauce on the side.

    I liked this place more than Real Urban BBQ, mainly because the meats tasted like they'd actually been smoked (for the most part). That's not saying a whole lot but maybe it's saying something.

    =R=

    City Barbeque
    365 Lake Cook Rd
    Deerfield, IL 60015
    (847) 960-4129
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #2 - June 19th, 2018, 2:58 pm
    Post #2 - June 19th, 2018, 2:58 pm Post #2 - June 19th, 2018, 2:58 pm
    Geez, and I recommended this place to Esteemed Coordinator Dave148 sight unseen after friends hyped it up to me, and we're going next week. At least the meats are decent, and I'll stick to the hush puppies, fries and collards. Not the worst combo, I guess. How can they muck up the sauces?! On the side, baby...

    Our group did Big Ed's a while back and dug it start to finish. That reminds me, gotta get back for their catfishies.

    We shall report back. Hope it's enjoyable as opposed to 'taking one for the team'!
  • Post #3 - June 19th, 2018, 3:21 pm
    Post #3 - June 19th, 2018, 3:21 pm Post #3 - June 19th, 2018, 3:21 pm
    jnm123 wrote:We shall report back. Hope it's enjoyable as opposed to 'taking one for the team'!

    Hehe - I think you could do worse, especially given the area's general offerings. City Barbecue will never be confused with any of this country's greatest known BBQ regions but that doesn't mean they can't turn out an enjoyable lunch.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #4 - June 20th, 2018, 9:15 am
    Post #4 - June 20th, 2018, 9:15 am Post #4 - June 20th, 2018, 9:15 am
    quick review: brisket was chopped not sliced, which is not my preferred presentation. taste/texture was ok, but overall I felt they were hiding behind the sauce(s) more than letting the meat speak.

    tried the green bean and collard green sides... both were really salty. a fine experience but not destination bbq dining.
  • Post #5 - June 20th, 2018, 9:20 am
    Post #5 - June 20th, 2018, 9:20 am Post #5 - June 20th, 2018, 9:20 am
    dudefella wrote:quick review: brisket was chopped not sliced, which is not my preferred presentation. taste/texture was ok, but overall I felt they were hiding behind the sauce(s) more than letting the meat speak.

    Yikes! This indicates nothing good, especially since what we had was sliced and the menu refers to neither style specifically. Were you just served scraps off the cutting board? Fwiw, thankfully, we also remembered to order it without sauce, which I often forget to do.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #6 - June 20th, 2018, 2:07 pm
    Post #6 - June 20th, 2018, 2:07 pm Post #6 - June 20th, 2018, 2:07 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:Were you just served scraps off the cutting board?
    =R=


    IDK, I was getting a table instead of watching them prepare... next time I'm there I'll try to specify when ordering.
  • Post #7 - June 20th, 2018, 2:18 pm
    Post #7 - June 20th, 2018, 2:18 pm Post #7 - June 20th, 2018, 2:18 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:Fwiw, thankfully, we also remembered to order it without sauce, which I often forget to do.

    =R=

    When I was there recently, I never mentioned sauce on the side. Our combo plate arrived with no sauce. If you wanted sauce, they pointed to the sauce station to pick our own.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #8 - June 21st, 2018, 9:33 pm
    Post #8 - June 21st, 2018, 9:33 pm Post #8 - June 21st, 2018, 9:33 pm
    When I was there none of the meats came sauced and the brisket was sliced.
  • Post #9 - June 26th, 2018, 1:48 pm
    Post #9 - June 26th, 2018, 1:48 pm Post #9 - June 26th, 2018, 1:48 pm
    The LTH North group met there today, and based on some of the stuff upthread I was expecting, well, something that rhymes with City.

    It was decent. Not destination, not Smoque, not what I can do in my WSM with GWiv's tutelage, but decent. I'd say it's closer to a place like Smoke than, say, Chipotle is to your favorite little taqueria. Certainly on a par with R.U.B., and maybe a little cheaper.

    Pulled pork had a nice bit of Mr. Brown (could have used a little more Mrs. White), and there were enough tart sauces to balance out the sweet. The condiment bar with red onion, pickles and nacho rings is a nice touch. Hush puppies were tasty; collards with pork were pretty awesome (and very filling) with a good bit of pot likker in the cup. The lunch special with a smaller sandwich and two sides is a nice deal and plenty for lunch; adding a couple of tuesday-special $1.35 ribs made it rather hefty (ribs were a little softer than I like, but not shake-off-the-bone).

    In all, not a place I'm going to drag people to, but if in the area looking for lunch, it'd be on my short list.

    Oh, currently there's a deal where if you download their app, your first purchase is $5 off, then you earn a point per $ spent giving you another $5 for every hundred points. I'm unlikely to earn those 100 points, but the $5 was worth the download.
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #10 - October 29th, 2018, 12:39 pm
    Post #10 - October 29th, 2018, 12:39 pm Post #10 - October 29th, 2018, 12:39 pm
    I've now had this three times and sadly, each time the food gets a bit worse. First time, the brisket was moist, smoky and bark-y; far better than I'd expected. The second time, it was still tasty but a bit dryer than the first, and relatively bark-free. Third time -- friends were in the mood -- brisket was approaching desiccation levels, and it was damned near a choking hazard. There was plenty of bark and smoke but it was so dry that the meat was hard and crumbly.

    We had a service issue, as well, and I think it was handled very well. It was not until we had gotten home with the order that we realized that what was supposed to be two pounds of brisket was two brisket sandwiches, instead. The ticket was right but the order was wrong, and we were charged the full amount.

    After a call and an annoying return trip, we were given the brisket that we'd ordered. And once back in the store, the staff really did everything right, offering us free appetizers, desserts and credits. We declined it all but they insisted on giving us a credit for the brisket even though they'd now provided it (and let us keep the sandwiches). It hasn't shown up on my cc account yet but I do have a printed receipt showing a credit for the full price of the brisket. That was going above and beyond, and it was very much appreciated. I just wish I liked the food better.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #11 - October 29th, 2018, 6:49 pm
    Post #11 - October 29th, 2018, 6:49 pm Post #11 - October 29th, 2018, 6:49 pm
    I was at City for the first time since June having been out of town. I asked for sliced brisket hoping it would fattier (as opposed to chopped which is normally lean), but the woman said "we always slice it." That made me nervous, so I had to ask if that meant lean? "Oh you want the full cut! That has more fat." Ok, fine full cut. And I wanted some pulled pork with extra bark. The woman verbally told my specific order to a girl who apparently isn't paid enough to think. They gave me sliced brisket which was mostly lean (boo), and pulled pork with basically no bark at all. I immediately said "I wanted extra bark on the pulled pork" to a guy behind the counter. I saw the guy hand my tray to the cook who then gave me even more brisket and no additional pork. Three people had been told specific instructions and all screwed up. At least I got some better moist fatty slices of brisket, but I may have to confer with a manager next time to make sure what could possibly do to avoid mistakes. The guy in front of me got his order, only to remind them it was to go. When they first opened I was pretty impressed but since then like Ronnie, it's starting to miss. We'll see next time.
  • Post #12 - October 30th, 2018, 9:23 am
    Post #12 - October 30th, 2018, 9:23 am Post #12 - October 30th, 2018, 9:23 am
    We have tried the new outpost in Berwyn and found it passable. Our brisket was fine and everything was served 'Sans Sauce'. In my experience the sides are often a touch on the salty side and I accept this to be the norm.

    Perhaps we need a new descriptor?

    It Didn't Suck. :)
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat
  • Post #13 - April 29th, 2019, 2:29 pm
    Post #13 - April 29th, 2019, 2:29 pm Post #13 - April 29th, 2019, 2:29 pm
    Here's a rib-ordering tip for when you need bbq badly and circumstances leave you in the unenviable position of City Barbecue being your only viable option: in addition to specifying that you want sauce only on the side, make sure to also specify that you want your ribs (full slab, half slab) intact and uncut. Otherwise, you're going to end up with a bag of 6 or 12 individual, pre-cut bones. I have only myself to blame for having endured this because really, no self-respecting bbq fan should be ordering food from this place. Just as no half-decent bbq joint would ever default to this level of rib bastardization. Rookies, amateurs and tourists . . .

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #14 - April 29th, 2019, 2:34 pm
    Post #14 - April 29th, 2019, 2:34 pm Post #14 - April 29th, 2019, 2:34 pm
    I've had better luck a couple of times at City BBQ in Vernon Hills, but overall it's hit or miss. For me City BBQ does satisfy the craving if I have one; especially later in the evening where I live I have to take what I can get.
  • Post #15 - April 29th, 2019, 2:36 pm
    Post #15 - April 29th, 2019, 2:36 pm Post #15 - April 29th, 2019, 2:36 pm
    City BBQ in Berwyn had made a pretty good showing and was pretty good and consistent. Some thought it to be the best in the area.

    Closed.
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat

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