Chicago Blues and BBQ Grilling Chez Moi Food Links Food Trivia

Chicago BBQ!!! Dontcha love it?!!??! Ok, for those of you who have been denied the pleasure of experiencing blues and barbeque in the mighty city of Chicago, I have a wee taste of it here for you. There are many kinds of BBQ: Texas, Carolina, Southern. All claim to be the original, and the best. Chicago BBQ incorporates all of the above, and adds one special ingredient: the Blues. Hot and smoky ribs are hotter and smokier when consumed in the presence of some soulful tunes. Caught in the act (and possibly in the headlights) going down on a rib at Dick's For some reason, the BBQ restaurants that my friends and I have visited in Chicago seem to have fabulous food and horrible service. Take Brother Jimmy's for example. The three of us sampled three different styles of ribs there. My favorite were the dry rub ribs. They were so hot and spicy, my nose was burning and my eyes were watering before I got a rib within 6 inches of my face. But were they tasty! Mmmmmmm!! The service, on the other hand, sucked. We had gotten to the restaurant quite a bit before the music was to begin, so we dawdled as we ate and decided to postpone ordering dessert as long as possible. Our waitress had other plans for us, and brought us the dessert she recommended, without our even asking for it, in her hurry to get us out of the restaurant so she could turn over the table. Well, we turned the tables on her. Not only did we not eat the dessert she brought to us, but we wrote a note of complaint on our bill, and left no tip. AND, we stayed to hear the music as well. Blues Clubs in Chicago Blue Chicago Buddy Guy's Legends Rosa's Lounge Back to top

A place to visit when in the Chicagoland area should be Dick's Last Resort, a restaurant and bar located at 435 E. Illinois (North Pier), (312) 836-7870. Home of some of the nastiest waitresses on the planet, yours truly once got smacked on the head with an order book by an impatient chica waiting for me to make up my mind and order. Yes, she did survive the ordeal. I was too stunned to smack her back. The place is chock full of galley tables crowded with hungry diners. Being seated usually involves the "hostess" (too polite a word, seems to me) shoving some unsuspecting diners out of the way so the new victims, err, diners, can make their way to a spot at a table. Menus are tossed casually about and drink orders barked at the bartender. The bar is festooned with donated brassieres of many shapes, styles, and colors. Often, when some poor fool is celebrating a birthday at Dick's, the area is roped off by toilet paper, which is also draped casually over sundry chairs, tables, and patrons. Quite the colorful joint! Kate bucks the trend and orders shrimp at Dick's.

Grilling Chez Moi On most weekends in the warmer months, my Dad drags out the charcoal grill and carbonizes some food. I call the occasion, "Festival O' Meat," since that seems to be the only thing on the menu those days. Now, I have nothing against meat. I like meat. I even occasionally indulge in "The Other White Meat." And beef...I have been known to rhapsodize over a fine hunk of beef.... Chicken, well, that's another story altogether. I am entirely too familiar with chicken. Turkeys too. I date a lot of them.

Some favorites for the grill Chez Moi: Hamburgers made from unadulterated ground sirloin with a dash of salt and pepper Chicken breasts marinated in a bit of teriyaki sauce, or maybe not Pork chops or ribs Sausages of any sort, whatever Dad might find that hits his eye, including hot Italian or Polish, perhaps chorizo or maybe some fancy chicken-and-apple sausage Hot Dogs Mind you now, ALL of the above is usually grilled at one occasion. Hence my title for the occasion, "Festival O' Meat."

Dave demonstrates proper grilling form.

Once in a while, I will take the initiative and make sure we have some side dishes. I like to prepare corn-on-the-cob by wrapping the husked ears in a paper towel which has been soaked in milk (to keep the corn moist) and salt-and-peppered, then covering them with aluminum foil, making sure the paper towel is not exposed. I also will scrub some new potatoes and wrap them in foil. Sometimes I get crazy and slice some other veggies to grill, preparing a basting sauce of oil and garlic with some herbs thrown in. Unfortunately, the veggies are often ignored by the ravenous carnivores in my family, so I just don't bother most of the time. I don't eat them either. I just seem to date them.

Kate chooses her meat. In this case, it's a weiner. I am not sure that's the best way to handle one, Kate.... Back to top

What better way to accompany good grilled chow than with good friends and margaritas? Drink up! There's plenty more where that came from! And please...help me do something with all that meat!!

Links to Food-related Sites Girls Who Eat Ribs A completely silly site dedicated to the consumption of ribs. CheeseNet Everything you ever wanted to know about cheese but were afraid to ask... Culinary Cafe Dumb name. Nice site. Tons of recipes. Star Chefs For the gourmet in all of us. Recipes and stuff from famous name-brand chef-type people. The Creole and Cajun Recipe Page Laissez le bons temps roulez! The Food Network Online Recipes and features from Food Network programming. Cheshire's Recipe Box Scads of recipes from all over, for every type of food. Pillsbury Recipes, Bake-off contest rules, product info. And that cute little doughboy! The Mining Company's BBQ Pages Book reviews, information on how to choose a grill, and of course, recipes! Back to top

Who is that woman? And what on earthis she doing?? Same object, but it looks like a weapon this time.

Food Facts and Trivia Barbecuing Food Facts Place enough briquets into a grocery bag for one barbecue and fold it down. Place in grill. Light bag and the charcoal will catch quickly. Place herbs on the coals to enhance the flavors of meat and poultry. Try using stalks of savory, rosemary, or dried basil. Coat your grill with oil before cooking, then clean it shortly thereafter. Window cleaner sprayed on a warm grill will make it easier to clean. Make sure food is not on it first! Info that probably should be on the Vegetarian page: Even though hamburger is sold as 100% pure beef, legally it can still contain "edible offal" which consists of beef lungs, hearts, lips, bone, ears, snouts, and esophagi High meat intake may cause excessive calcium losses through the urine. Reindeer meat (!) should be avoided if imported from Finland due to radiation contamination as a result of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. One pound of charcoal-barbecued steak contains as much carcinogens as the smoke in 15 cigarettes. The dripping fat on the charcoal causes a chemical substance called a benzopyrene to be released and is found in the black coating on the meat. Studies by the National Academy of Science showed that 48% of food poisonings is caused by contaminated chicken. More depressing news Coffee drinkers have the highest incidence of heart disease. Caffeine may affect zinc absorption which may adversely affect the prostate gland and possibly reduce sexual urges in some people. Caffeine reduces the body's ability to handle stress. Coffee reduces the healing time of stomach ulcers. I don't know about you, but I have an incredible urge to have a hamburger and a cup of coffee... Back to top

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