Hit Honey 1 for a return visit yesterday, and enjoyed the ribs, rib tips, and hot links like our previous visit. I love how you can smell the smoke from their smoker when you enter, the no nonsense service, and the byob policy.

We dined on a full slab of ribs for me, my wife had the rib tips, and hot links. I stopped a cross the street at the liquor store, and enjoyed most of my 6 pack of Three Floyds Gumball Wheat Beer with my ribs. The ribs are top notch, and have a nice smoke ring, and great crust.

Next stop for ribs for us is uncle johns down on the S. Side.

one disappointment, we wanted to go to Khans BBQ first for a "snack", and then hit Honey 1, but that Devon area is a mess, and impossible for parking. Perhaps we will try another time, but now I know why I hate the city sometimes.. No Parking..

jimswside wrote:Hit Honey 1 for a return visit yesterday, and enjoyed the ribs, rib tips, and hot links like our previous visit. I love how you can smell the smoke from their smoker when you enter, the no nonsense service, and the byob policy.

Hell, you can see and smell the smoke from down the street . . . pulls you right in. If it were quieter, it might make a nice camping spot.

jimswside wrote:one disappointment, we wanted to go to Khans BBQ first for a "snack", and then hit Honey 1, but that Devon area is a mess, and impossible for parking. Perhaps we will try another time, but now I know why I hate the city sometimes.. No Parking..

I don't know how far west you tried to park, but I find that parking around or just west of Rockwell (or on side streets west of Rockwell) tends to be much easier, and it's only about a 5-minute walk from there.

BR,

thanks for the parking tip. We will have to give your suggestion a try next time.

One of the few benefits of winter around here is the lighter traffic on the expressways outside of rush hour. This means I've been frequenting the south side joints for my Cue fix and hadn't been here in some time.

Well maybe absence makes the stomach grow fonder but I'm here to say the Tips were simply superb tonight. A perfect combination of the tastes of rich pork, bacon, smoke and crust. These could put the pork belly craze on hold. I have to admit that on a few rare occasions the Cue at Honey One has reached the, even too chewy for me stage, but they were hitting it out of the ballpark tonight.

I enjoyed this joint two days ago and I didn't remember the wings being so good. (The links & ribs were spoton as usual too...) They're more like staight up fried chicken they're so big, with crisp skin and perfectly juicy meat and a drizzle of sauce; damn, Honey1 is too good.

T Comp wrote:. . . but I'm here to say the Tips were simply superb tonight. A perfect combination of the tastes of rich pork, bacon, smoke and crust.

Did they look like these?



I enjoyed the above order one day last week at lunch and they were just sensational.

=R=

ronnie_suburban -

That may be the best picture I've ever seen on this board for quite some time. I feel like a bird flying into a window cuz I just wanna reach out and grab one.

I'm going to need some tip/link therapy REAL soon now.

but I can't keep forking over $20 to Honey-1 for what can be C+ barbecue on a particular night.

Memo from Santander of the Future to Santander of the Past: yes, you can, and you will.

I tried a new combination order tonight trying to come in under $20 - half a slab of ribs ($10) plus a link sandwich with fries ($4). With a Coke, $17 with tax.

Not satisfying for a few reasons.

a) stale and poorly matched roll for the link, with the bread dwarfing the sausage

b) limp plank-style fries, varying in quality and flavor from very tasty to very raw or spoiled potatoey

c) very, very dry ribs, which

d) were served on a huge portion of the same limp fries. This would not have been a separate problem, duplicating my second point, but I swear that in the past, the half-slab has been served to me with no fries, though I realize this just might be the counter's discretion on a given night, since no "with fries" is mentioned on the menu. It seems like I never really know what I'm going to get with a given order - will they charge me extra for sauce, or provide it for free? Fries, or no fries? Slaw, or no slaw?

Now, the flavor of the meats (the ribs and link) was perfect, the service was very pleasant, and the room, while too-often desolate, is a nice place to have conversation with friends. I simply contend that Honey-1's pricepoints are all over the place, what is packed in your order is inconsistent, and things tend to dry out as the night wears on (true at all places, sure).

I still support the restaurant on the basis of pure, raw, flavor, since the wood is great, the meat is high-quality, and the sauce is quite nice on the side. But I have to stop trying putting together a Smoque-type variety meal there, and just stick with the tips, ordered earlier in the evening. I think I'll do that next week at the LTH Happy Hour (or try the new El Jibaro just south).

Santander wrote:

but I can't keep forking over $20 to Honey-1 for what can be C+ barbecue on a particular night.

Memo from Santander of the Future to Santander of the Past: yes, you can, and you will.
I tried a new combination order tonight trying to come in under $20 - half a slab of ribs ($10) plus a link sandwich with fries ($4). With a Coke, $17 with tax.
Not satisfying for a few reasons.
.

Seriously, I'd suggest you drive down further south, for the best cue in
the city IMHO which is *also* the best value - how often can *that* be
said for anything?

By which, of course, I mean Uncle John's - IMHO the best cue in the
city, best tips and links in the city bar none. I like Honey One just fine,
but IMHO UJ's is the superior place, obviously YMMV.

And at UJ's, the last time I went,t hey had introduced the "extra-large
tip-link combo". Which was about 11-something bucks with tax, IIRC.
(For which you get a heap of tips, a heap of links, ordinary fries
and ordinary slaw). IMHO the UJ's "large tip link" was already maybe
a 50% larger portion than Honey One's "large tip link"... if its just
you eating, I'll bet you you wont be able to finish the extra-large
tip-link and sides at one sitting, and you'll be set back a bit less
than the 20 bucks you reference above (And it'll be better
too

c8w

Santander wrote:I tried a new combination order tonight trying to come in under $20 - half a slab of ribs ($10) plus a link sandwich with fries ($4). With a Coke, $17 with tax.

G Wiv's Honey 1 Survival Tips

- Tip / Link Combo any time
- Spare Ribs before 5pm or any time you see Robert Adams Sr. working the smoker.
- BBQ, in particular hot links,* are to be eaten with white bread (only).
- Wings, okra, any time.
- Fries, crisp, separate container.

Sauce on the Side

*Proper technique: Roughly tear bread, pick up chunk of link with bread, smoosh slightly, lightly dunk in sauce, eat.

My only recurring lesson from Honey 1 has been that on Sunday nights, I should not expect the best batch. It's still better than the vast majority of food options in the city, but they're usually a bit drier than normal on Sunday nights.

G Wiv wrote:- Fries, crisp, separate container.

Do you actually order them that way when you get the combo? If they're willing to do it, that's a great idea.

c8w, thanks for the thrilling news about the "extra-large tip-link combo" at Uncle John's.

And, back on the topic of Honey 1, at least it's open on Sunday, unlike UJ. (Unless things have changed in the last month.)

I wish somebody would change the name of this thread to "Honey 1" or something. Everytime I see this one I get suckered into checking to see if they are moving.

Jeez, there are a million places in the world to get crispy fries. But how many can you find that have been sitting under porky goodness? I love the fat soaked fries. Give me a tip-link combo and let those fries soak away.

Midas - I'm with you at Uncle John (fat soaked there = awesome), but not at Honey-1. The problem with the fries there starts before their introduction to the pork / beef - they're just poorly cut, weak, undercooked potato planks. Smoque's and Smokin' M's demonstrate the possibilities of a grand potato as part of a barbecue platter.

Wiv - thank you for the suggestions. I'm adding this to the file with your Little Three Happiness pork and duck noodle ordering instructions (somone will have to make an index!)

Ralph Wiggum wrote:Do you actually order them that way when you get the combo? If they're willing to do it, that's a great idea.

Ralph,

Yes, though unlike sauce on the side, I often forget to order fries on the side and crisp. Fries at Honey 1, at least for me, are quite secondary to the BBQ.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:- Fries, crisp, separate container.

They were pretty good. But of course,

G Wiv wrote:Fries at Honey 1, at least for me, are quite secondary to the BBQ.

Very true

G Wiv wrote:

Ralph Wiggum wrote:Do you actually order them that way when you get the combo? If they're willing to do it, that's a great idea.

Ralph,

Yes, though unlike sauce on the side, I often forget to order fries on the side and crisp. Fries at Honey 1, at least for me, are quite secondary to the BBQ.

Enjoy,
Gary

Have you ever done this for take-out or do you normally dine-in? On my last take-out jaunt I wasn't comfortable asking for them on the side since it would seem to be less of a hassle when dining there than it would be if they were packaging take-out.

The Llama and I were craving ribs Saturday for lunch and, since the NW Indiana options are lukewarm at best, we hopped in the car and headed up to Honey 1. The time on the expressway in a car with AC on the fritz was absolutely not wasted. The spareribs were meaty, well-smoked, flavorful, and had a good bite to them without being dry. The sauce - I didn't get it hot - was sweet, sassy, and flavorful. To be quite honest I didn't care one bit about the fries, which seem to be a subject of contention, but the fried okra was perfect. Llama, not a pork fan on the best of days, even ate one of my ribs, though he enjoyed his BBQ wings more; I gave 'em a try and while they were a very good specimen they didn't hold a candle to ribs if you ask me.

In all, I give them very high marks.

Cogito wrote:I wish somebody would change the name of this thread to "Honey 1" or something. Everytime I see this one I get suckered into checking to see if they are moving.

as you wish.



It had bothered me from time to time so you were not alone.

She's right. I'm not a pork fan (I know, I know...) but I would eat those ribs again.

Of course, I'd take a bite of my fist if it had some of that sauce on it.

MincyBits wrote:The Llama and I were craving ribs Saturday for lunch and, since the NW Indiana options are lukewarm at best, we hopped in the car and headed up to Honey 1. The time on the expressway in a car with AC on the fritz was absolutely not wasted. The spareribs were meaty, well-smoked, flavorful, and had a good bite to them without being dry. The sauce - I didn't get it hot - was sweet, sassy, and flavorful. To be quite honest I didn't care one bit about the fries, which seem to be a subject of contention, but the fried okra was perfect. Llama, not a pork fan on the best of days, even ate one of my ribs, though he enjoyed his BBQ wings more; I gave 'em a try and while they were a very good specimen they didn't hold a candle to ribs if you ask me.

In all, I give them very high marks.

These are high marks indeed given the cost of gasoline this was a pretty expensive meal!

In February and March I had a run of 5 or 6 visits where the tips were outrageously good. Incredibly moist with a strong but sweet smokiness that was beautifully balanced by the sweetness of the sauce (on the side of course). I had never had anything close to this good before and I thought that maybe they had "broken in" the new location and this was what I could start expecting.

Since then I haven't had any tips that were even close to that level, ranging from just OK to not very good.

Have I balanced an incredible string of good luck with run of bad luck, or is there something not so good going on at HH1?

scottsol wrote:In February and March I had a run of 5 or 6 visits where the tips were outrageously good. Incredibly moist with a strong but sweet smokiness that was beautifully balanced by the sweetness of the sauce (on the side of course). I had never had anything close to this good before and I thought that maybe they had "broken in" the new location and this was what I could start expecting.

Since then I haven't had any tips that were even close to that level, ranging from just OK to not very good.

Have I balanced an incredible string of good luck with run of bad luck, or is there something not so good going on at HH1?

Hmm... I don't know about Honey One, since I haven't been there yet. However, other bbq places occasionally have an inconsistency downfall period, which never is good. Different factors can play a part in it, however, cutting costs is one major common issue. Alot of places can get very defensive if a customer complains, by the business trying to cover up the cheapening of their product because the place is so stuck on their "experience" and "reputation". The business feels that once enough customers like their product, that their customers won''t notice/mind some cheapening. After all, many aspects of business society has operated on this principle, by cheapening quality little by little, as to minimize the impact of complaint, and to maximize profit. In the meantime, customers are mind led into acceptance of this pathetic business practice.

Hopefully, this is not the case with Honey One. My advice to you is, that you complain to Honey One, in order to find out what their reaction is and to get some resolve.

Frankly, I wish I could see some drop off in Honey 1. I abhor driving there. From where I live it's a tough, painful drive. But the tips/link combo is just so good I continue to make the trip.

The truth is, BBQ is probably more prone to inconsistency than any other food service item. But I tend to be consistent in the times I go there. And I suspect this helps.

BP wrote:Hopefully, this is not the case with Honey One. My advice to you is, that you complain to Honey One, in order to find out what their reaction is and to get some resolve.

BP,

Complaining does not always work. Having a friendly cooperative let's-see-how-we-can-make-this-work-for-both-sides can go a long way to resolving problems. I recall sometime ago Mike G advised to call ahead to Smoque to learn when the ribs come out of the smoker. I think this piece of advice can work wonders at other BBQ establishments, too. Instead of showing up randomly, especially when one's arrival didn't matter to them, and getting all unhappy with the results. Yeah, I have had BBQ fresh off the smoker that thrilled me. I have come in a quiet period in between peak periods when I ate BBQ that had been off the smoker for a while. A world of difference perhaps (maybe not always) resolved with a phone call in advance.

Regards,

The tips and links were spot on Thursday night. I've had sub-par batches from Honey 1 (mostly on Sunday nights), but nothing remotely bad enough to scare me away from the 85% of the time that they're amazing.

(They also had switched up their fries last week. A bit better than the normal fries I suppose, although the fries for me are just a delivery mechanism for the sauce.)

Cathy2 wrote:

BP wrote:Hopefully, this is not the case with Honey One. My advice to you is, that you complain to Honey One, in order to find out what their reaction is and to get some resolve.

BP,

Complaining does not always work. Having a friendly cooperative let's-see-how-we-can-make-this-work-for-both-sides can go a long way to resolving problems. I recall sometime ago Mike G advised to call ahead to Smoque to learn when the ribs come out of the smoker. I think this piece of advice can work wonders at other BBQ establishments, too. Instead of showing up randomly, especially when one's arrival didn't matter to them, and getting all unhappy with the results. Yeah, I have had BBQ fresh off the smoker that thrilled me. I have come in a quiet period in between peak periods when I ate BBQ that had been off the smoker for a while. A world of difference perhaps (maybe not always) resolved with a phone call in advance.

Regards,

I agree with you, Cathy

Also, Mike G's advice is very valuable to me, since it is what my mother has done since I read the advice here. She calls ahead and asks for extra smoky and to get one of the more accessible tables. Calling ahead is a very good idea for most situations, as it gives the restaurant time to prepare for special requests, etc.

Anyways, Honey One seems to be a very good place with caring management. Hopefully the issue will get resolved for scottsol.

I'm with you, Ralph. And note my comment upthread:

limp plank-style fries, varying in quality and flavor from very tasty to very raw or spoiled potatoey

I was there last weekend and noticed the change in fries from what I described before - a huge improvement. They're now smaller, crispier, and more consistent from fry to fry, with a little more skin (still not fully skin-on). This did make a marked difference in the overall quality of the meal to me, and I appreciated it. Ribs and links were spot-on (full report shortly forthcoming in another thread). With various switches (membrane, no membrane, trim length of rib, fries), they were obviously doing some experimenting this Spring. I'm glad they haven't changed the core smoking process or predominance of oak on the fire, their signature to me.

I'm going to try Honey One soon. Those fries sound good, and I'll ask for extra smoky ribs.