A hint of springtime

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.

Mother Nature has been teasing us with hints of sunshine and warm weather to come. Because of that, our thoughts immediately went to outdoor grilling. However, we waited too long and a couple of hours later we were back to winter. Don’t you just love the Chicago weather??? Undaunted by this unfortunate turn of events, we headed off for some indoor barbecue at the Weber Grill Restaurant in Schaumburg.

We knew we were in the right place when our nostrils were treated to the aroma of real smoky charcoal grilling. Our mouths started salivating and once again, thoughts of Springtime danced in our heads.

The inside décor is like an old school downtown Chicago restaurant. Lots of warm wood accents and a huge fireplace in the dining room. It felt so warm and cozy on a cool spring day.

Our waitress brought over to our table a basket of pretzel rolls. These were served with whipped butter and a cheddar butter blend that went perfectly with the pretzel rolls. They were delicious and a nice change from the usual bread basket.

For an appetizer, we decided on one of the most iconic (?) barbecue appetizer offerings. We chose the Hill Country Egg Rolls ($14). These were two egg rolls filled with smoked brisket, corn, cheddar, black beans, jalapenos, and served with barbecue mayo for dipping. Honestly, these were really disappointing. They were greasy and the smoked brisket and cheddar cheese were practically non-existent. They seemed to contain mostly black beans and corn. The only savior to this appetizer was the barbecue mayo. We had high hopes, but that was not to be the case.

Nancy had a craving for good Barbecue Baby Back Ribs, so she went with their half slab for $23. This was slow smoked pork ribs served with bourbon baked beans, and house slaw. The ribs were everything she was hoping for, meaty, cooked just the way she likes them, and finger-lickin’ good. They put a tad too much barbecue sauce on the ribs for her liking. Also, the bourbon baked beans had too much vinegar in them for her taste.

Jim who fancies himself as a “Grill Master” had to try the Grill Master Combo ($27). The combo contained pulled pork, honey bourbon wings, Charlie’s Pimento cheese hot link, all served with bourbon baked beans and house slaw. The pulled pork was just average. The hot link turned out to be smoky kielbasa with a hot kick at the end, and it was delicious. The honey bourbon chicken wings were delicious on the outside until he ate closer to the bone and noticed red raw chicken. He called our waitress over and showed her the problem, and she summoned her manager. The response from the manager was, due to the smoking process, the meat turns a pink color. He agreed with her, but indicated the meat was white until he got to the bone where it was raw. She offered to bring over two new wings and he accepted.

We were finishing up our meal when the manager again returned and offered us a free dessert. We chose the seasonal special Strawberry Shortcake Sundae ($10). This was an awesome dessert. It had lots and lots of strawberries with vanilla ice cream, a short cake base, and whipping cream on top sprinkled with strawberry cookie crumbs. My compassionate wife said, “this dessert almost made your possible food poisoning worthwhile.” Feel the love…

All in all, the food was delicious. You can’t beat a real charcoal barbecue dinner. People make mistakes, but they stood good for it.

FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.

The cost for our Springtime barbecue $79.52. No food poisoning, priceless…

Jim’s take: I wish I could buy that hot link sausage. It was an unusual treat.

Nancy’s take: Best barbecue ribs I have had at a restaurant, and I’m very picky.

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at: thediningduo@gmail.com

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