Bad BBQ - Don't waste your time or money
Sunday, July 20, 2008
My good friend and I have begun checking out different BBQ places in Chicago to find the best we can. Unfortunately, this has caused us to not only gain weight but also a good appreciation for BBQ. Today we went to Fat Willy's as it was one we haven't gone to yet. There were a few people left from the lunch rush but plenty of tables. It took a while to get seated but we weren't concerned because it was BBQ time.
We sat down and eventually were able to order when the waitress came around. We ordered hot links, a BBQ rib tip basket, pulled brisket and an order of Cole slaw. The Cole slaw was good. Why start a BBQ review with the Cole slaw was good? Because nothing else was. The sauces hot in the small one, mild in the big one were thick, unbalanced and very similar. The brisket tasted like it was flavored with liquid smoke, cooked in a crock-pot and then sat in a steamer for four hours. It was chewy, stringy and all-around horrible. The hot links were OK but most places don't make their own anyway so I'm not sure how much credit they can get. The rib tips were giant! That's OK, but there was no flavor. A couple were moist but others were dry and just not anything to write home about. The pulled chicken looked good but looks are deceiving and I won't go back to try it out.
Overall I would say to not waste your time here. It was expensive, the service was sub-par even though the restaurant was slow, and worst of all...I don't think the food could be considered real BBQ. Maybe if it was sitting under the grocery store warmer I might have picked it up late-night but as for a place to intentionally go I'll never return. Please, save your money and check out the other fine BBQ places in the city.
Cons: The food, the service, the price