Date Dined: June
14, 2014
Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars
Champaign-Urbana
is almost half way between Saint Louis and Northern Chicago. As such, it’s a
popular meeting spot for Jess and I to see her family. This is one such
meeting.
A
few weeks before the wedding we figured that I ought to meet Jessica’s father.
So a plan was hatched! I must admit our first visit to Black Dog did not
inspire me to return. Nothing was awful, but everything was below average. We
voiced our concerns and this time we were promised that if we ate there for
dinner instead of lunch it would be better. Despite this statement confusing us
we decided to put our faith in her family and they were right! Upon hindsight
I’ve decided that it’s likely they use their meat from the day before for lunch
and as a result it’s just not as good.
Décor: 3.5 Stars
Black
dog’s insides aren’t anything special, but they are clean which is more than I
can say for a majority of places I’ve eaten at. As you can see, mostly dark
wood, with a narrow walk-way between the bar and the booths along the wall.
There were about 4 tall tables where we were sitting (the vantage point the
picture was taken at). The only things that patrons should be on the lookout
for are the lack of waiting space, and the limited bathroom accommodations.
There is almost no room inside to wait for a meal so on very hot or cold days
you might want to avoid this place during rush hours. There’s also only one
bathroom respectively for men and women so I wouldn’t wait until things are
about to burst out of you to head that way.
Price: 3 Stars
The
price is a little high considering it’s situated near a college town and the
amount of food you get for the price. For example, I ordered the 2 meat combo
with a ¼ of a slab of ribs and the burnt ends. It also came with 2 sides so I
was looking forward to a sizeable meal. Instead I was greeted by 3 ribs (I
guess slabs are smaller in Urbana?) and a golf ball sized serving of burnt ends.
All for $13.00 plus tax. It’s not highway robbery, but it’s definitely on the
more expensive side considering how much food you get.
Service: 3.5 Stars
No
complaints here. A server greeted us within 10 minutes of sitting, (tall,
good-looking guy too). Food came out promptly as well as drinks. He didn’t ask
us how everything was, but I’m not looking for black tie service at places like
these.
Food: 3.5 Stars
Now
for the moment that you all tune in, the food review. I will start out by
saying that Black Dog does not lack for alcohol selection. Dozens of beers
adorn their menu, a tall double-sided cocktail menu greets you, and a summer
special drink menu is just to your left. Jess opted for a Bell’s Oberon (she’s
a classy girl, what can I say), and I went for the homemade summer shandy. My
drink was delightfully girly, with the right mix of strawberry lemonade and
beer. Moreso it was just refreshing and I would suggest you order one yourself.
Next,
I ordered a house salad with chipotle vinaigrette dressing. I was delighted to
find that the mix was full of dark greens and colorful endives. The dressing
was similarly refreshing with just a touch of heat and well balanced with the
vinaigrette. Good job Black Dog.
Each
of us ordered a little something different so we could get a re-try of
everything. Of course, I ordered the ribs and followed that up with an order of
burnt ends. My sides were the potato casserole and the smoked sweet potato
(look at that thing, it’s gigantic, it looks like my meat is trying to hide
from it). The burnt ends were very moist and tender, but also very fatty.
Unfortunately they lacked any of the signature charring that a burnt ends dish
is supposed to have. The ribs were tender enough, but not fall off the bone.
They almost tasted like they had been sitting in an oven for awhile, and I
might have thought they were oven ribs if it weren’t for the intense smoky
flavor. The sauce was fine, a little more ketchupy then I generally prefer, but
okay. The sweet potato unfortunately could have used a side of brown sugar. It
was well cooked and nice and soft on the inside, but the potato itself wasn’t
very sweet. The potato casserole on the other hand was incredibly satisfying
with a nice brown crust on the top and mashed up chunks of potato on the
inside.
Jess
went Salmon sandwich and it was surprisingly good. The meat was flaky and
tender, but it did lack any sense of individual seasoning. The sauce and
coleslaw on top were a little overpowering. If I were them I would put it on
the side and let the diner assemble it, it was a little heavy handed for the dish. Still she seemed to enjoy it and it
gave the semblance of being healthy. I have to admit the mouthfeel was a little
off for me, almost like the salmon had a grainy taste to it. I guess you can't really complain about fish at a BBQ restaurant. The sweet potato fries were tasty but nothing special. My guess would be store bought, but again still tasty.
Another
of our diners ordered the beef brisket with the pulled pork and a side of the
Black Dog corn bread. The pulled pork left something to be desired. It was
middle of the line. I did appreciate that they didn’t slather it in sauce to
try and get it more tender, but it was just not mouth water enough for me to
order it again. The brisket was quite good and I think their best meat. Nice
and juicy with just that little bit of fat on the end that people love. Not too
smoky either which helped you appreciate the meat’s natural flavor. The
cornbread I really enjoyed despite my aversion to green chiles. This thing was
supposed to be filled with green chiles, pit beans, cheese and pulled pork
which might make you think it was extremely moist. Nah. Instead it’s more of a
brick quality and crumbles in your hand. Like I said, I still enjoyed it, but I
can see that other people might not.
In Conclusion
Black
dog might be the best BBQ Champaign has to offer up and it’s not a place that I
would turn my nose up at, but people best watch themselves when they throw
around the phrase “best BBQ ever”. I actually heard this quite a few times when
I was standing outside. Either those people have never had BBQ before or… well
no… that would be the only reason people would say that…
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