I just made my first visit to Rub’s tonight, and if ever there was a saga about the transformation of a restaurant, this thread must be it. While I didn’t go to Rub in its earlier incarnation, some of the stories and pictures look somewhat horrifying. My visit today couldn’t have been further from that; it was definitely close to, if not the best overall BBQ experience I’ve had in Chicago, maybe only 2nd to some of Wiviott’s pitmaster dinners. No doubt this is definitely recommendation and destination worthy grub.
We showed up right at 5pm, so our
ribs were just coming off the smoker. As mentioned above the rub was very light, but this fact is actually what really sold me on them. It was a true celebration of pork and smoke, with just the right balance of spice. They were by no means under seasoned, and were at just the right salt level. As for texture/moisture, they were also exactly where I like them. Just tender enough to pull the meat away from the bone, but not overly so or falling off at the touch. I’ve probably had better in backyard parties using premium cuts, but have not had better coming out of a restaurant in Chicago. The smoke they are getting from the post oak is very strong yet very clean tasting. I’m already trying to figure out how to get some for my own smoking.
The
brisket was up there with the best I’ve had as well. It came with some variety. Most of it, about 80%, was perfectly fatty, perfectly seasoned, perfectly sliced pieces. The other 20% was a mix of some really fatty burnt ends, and a couple small pieces of a chewier cut with less fat. It looked a lot more like the pieces that rubbbqco posted above and nothing at all like the pictures posted years ago.
The
pulled pork was good, but I think outshone by the other meats in this case. Nothing wrong at all with it. For anyone wondering based on previous comments, I thought it had plenty of smoke flavor.
The
custard corn bread was something of a revelation for me. How did such an amazing dish come to be? Why had I not heard about it until tonight? I found myself taking a bite of it between every other bite. I’ll definitely be ordering this one every visit.
The
truffle mac was good, nice strong truffle flavor, and the pasta was definitely al dente.
Nothing wrong with the
Mikeska sausage, which had a spicy kick, and a good snap to it, but didn’t hold a candle to other chicago offerings, such as the sage heavy hot links from Barbara Ann’s.
The sauces: I’m a huge fan of good Carolina mustard based bbq sauce, so I mostly stuck to that one, which was almost spot on with the one I make at home, which is to say… awesome of course. I also really enjoyed the jalapeño one, which could have been spicier to my tastes, but was nice and vinegary with only a touch of sweetness. With these at hand, I didn’t even try the other two that were on the table.
Can't wait for my next visit! Great stuff!
Part of the secret of a success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.
-Mark Twain