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NOV
17
2012

 This is How I'd Cook My Collards


I take such good pictures, don't I? (I know I suck.) I see you, "D".
 Last week - after church - "D" and I took the CTA Blue Line to a part of Chicago just west of the Loop. Why you ask? To get a taste of Chicago's own Puerto Rican community that centers on Division Street, commonly called Paseo Boricua.

On the way there, we happened to stumble upon a neat little neighborhood called Wicker Park. To our surprise, we found a number of happening restaurants, which we took heed of.

Well, "D" and I continued walking to Paseo Boricua. We arrived and, well, it seemed kind of dead. So, after a couple of photos and dithering about, we did a u-turn and headed back to Wicker Park.

By the time "D" and I returned to Wicker Park, we were ready to eat. We had a choice between two restaurants: Prasino and Smoke Daddy.

"D" and I chose the latter.

I think what initially drew "D" and I to Smoke Daddy was the smell emanating from the front door: smoked meat. Before settling on Smoke Daddy, I asked for a menu at Prasino. For some reason, nothing really appealed to me, although, as I understand it, Prasino is a very popular restaurant. Next time, maybe.

What I ate:



1. Smoked Meat Platter (15.95 USD): Brisket, pork, cornbread, and collard greens. The pulled pork tasted fine as did the cornbread. I think there was a bit of jalapeño in the cornbread. I really liked the brisket, however, the BBQ sauce kind of killed a big part of it for me. You can see the lovely smoke ring in the brisket that demonstrates how well it was cooked.

What I enjoyed the most was the collard greens. They were hand torn and lightly sautéed with garlic. Finished with a squeeze of lemon, the greens were absolutely moreish. Now, this is how I would cook my collards, albeit, with a couple of changes: different knife cuts and the addition of lemon zest.

2. Lagunitas IPA (5 USD). I've always liked this particular IPA. It's well balanced on the palate with a noticeable fruity flavor. A pleasure from the tap.

Service was okay. There wasn't anything to really praise or criticize too harshly.

"D" had a platter of baby back ribs. He seemed to like his entrée except for the mac' n cheese side he ordered with it.

The Bill: For two, 54.77 USD.

My Rating: Eh, one star out of four stars (good). Open Sunday to Thursday, 11 AM to 11 PM, and Friday and Saturday, 11 AM to midnight. Credit cards accepted. www.thesmokedaddy.com

Smoke Daddy on Urbanspoon

After lunch, I stopped by a Mexican restaurant at Division and Ashland for a taco. Not good :(

Last Word: Next up should be a recap of the past two to three months, which I've been working on forever! Hang in there with me! (I've said this before, haven't I?)  

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