One place that impressed me in some ways is N.N.Smokehouse. They clearly take their barbecued meat seriously but they have other interesting things on the menu. In addition to ribs, they serve pulled pork, brisket, turkey, chicken, and a few other things including jambalaya, Filipino noodles, and salads. Some of the sides are also interesting: plantains, baked sweet potato, steamed broccoli (I was impressed that they actually have a number of lower-fat items marked on the menu, not that I care about that when I go out for barbecue). The house platter ($14.25) gives a generous sampling of 4 of their meats. The ribs were okay, perhaps a bit dry. The pork (big chunks, not really "pulled") was really quite good, moist and tender but not fatty, the best thing I had there. Turkey had a good smoke flavor but was a bit dry. The big disappointment was the brisket, tough and dry. I've heard good things about their brisket so maybe I just hit a bad one (twice). In general all of their meats had good smoke flavor but tended to be on the dry side. Both the beans (smoky and meaty) and cole slaw were very well prepared. Their sauce is interesting, obviously homemade, and unlike most others I've had (it's not your usual Chicago style tomato flavored sugar syrup). It's quite spicy though not very hot and has a very pronounced cinnamon flavor. While it would not rank near the top of my personal list of favorite sauces, I give NN credit for making a distinctive version. They seem to do a good takeout business but also have a dining room. The place is comfortable and informal. BYOB. While not my idea of a spectacular barbecue joint, I like the place and have willingly returned. N.N. Smokehouse 1465 W Irving Park Rd 773-868-4700
Chicago, IL