Mmm, Noodles and Company. Went to the one in N'ville a few times, maybe a decade ago. I am not sure if I stopped going because of the hairball (probably not), or simply because I was eating something there one day and realized that if I closed my eyes I would not be able to tell which of their dishes it was. Not easy to make a global array of noodle dishes all taste the same, but they do. I used to know the original executive chef who designed their first menu. Sad story, and not simply because of his Fab Noodles association.
My offering is Windy City Ribs on Cermak, formerly Rylon's. I have now tried this place once under each owner, and while it is a little better under the new owners (they also own La Cantina, an awful Mexican place on S Michigan) and they were very attentive to our pleasure, it is still awful. No smoke, rubbery ribs, dried out and tasteless brisket. On the plus side, the potato salad was not bad. They claim to have a smoke house (a real house, built on site) in back, and I could smell the smoke as I arrived so I believe there is wood being burnt somewhere in the neighborhood. Sadly it did not make it to the meat, or at least by the time the meat had been held in punishment for its crimes and then abused further while reheating, the smoke was long forgotten. I am curious about that smokehouse, but by the time I eat the awful food, I can't bring myself to ask to see the scene of the crime. If there is any place in Chicago in urgent need of Wiv's wise consultation, this is the place!
With the new hotels and arena on Cermak, it will be interesting to see whether the passing, tourist trade will be enough to support a lousy BBQ restaurant on the south side. Me, I will go the extra couple of miles to Honey 1.
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Feeling (south) loopy