Me and the sweetheart went to Smoque tonight at about 4:30 p.m. after stocking up on frozen pierogis for the holidays at Alexandra's. The place was empty when we got there, but it was kind of a between-meals time, so I wasn't surprised.
We had all of the following: pulled pork, brisket, St. Louis ribs, chicken, cobbler, beans, mac & cheese, slaw, and thus got to sample three different sauces as well, one for each meat.
The pulled pork was great, and clearly the highlight of the meal, along with the coleslaw. It was soft, juicy, lightly smoky, and when combined with the slaw (as I like it), made for one heck of a sandwich. The coleslaw certainly is a love it-or-hate-it affair, as others have noted, but for me it's a resounding "love it." I don't like the mushy, creamy coleslaws and the simple crunchy fresh cabbage-with-vinegar and spices is exactly how I like it and prepare mine when I'm making coleslaw for myself.
Unfortunately, the brisket (chopped) that I had must have been like stevez's. It was flavorful, but very dry, and disappointing. But like it has been said, timing is everything, and it seems from these posts that the brisket is the best that Smoque has to offer, so I'll have to try it again some time.
The St. Louis ribs, however, I would not order again unless something changes. As has been noted, their texture was a little bit on the mushy side, and the rub had turned into a wet, messy paste from (I assume) being held in a damp-ish environment for too long. They were nothing like meat jello, but the texture was unappetizing for me. They were maybe on the same level as a place like Smokedaddy's. Then again, when you get spoiled by places like Honey 1 and Uncle John's, it's hard to keep up with those benchmarks in Chicago.
As for the three sauces, the pork sauce was a tangy, vinegary barbecue sauce with a distinct (to me anyway) Worcestershire note. Maybe I'm imagining it, but I swear I taste Worcester sauce in there. It's got a nice zing to it, but not my favorite sauce. The beef sauce is a little sweeter and thicker, with a strong taste of cumin. It does pair up quite nicely with the brisket. The chicken sauce is probably my favorite of the bunch, being runny and tangy like the pork sauce, but without that Worcestershire flavor (or whatever it may be).
As I said, the coleslaw is among the best I've had in the city. The mac and cheese was very good and its variety of textures a bonus. Beans were fine. Cobbler was very good (sweetheart declared it the best part of the meal. I only had a tiny bit, so couldn't really judge).
In the end, I would return for the pulled pork and perhaps chicken (and the brisket to try once more and make my decision about it), but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. We'll see where they're at in a few months.