I was at Wrigley BBQ ( 3555 N. Broadway; WrigleyBBQ.com ) recently, and it could've been called a "MEAT-and-greet"except there was plenty of the former and, sadly, relatively little of the latter.
The reason for the latter is probably twofold: weekend brunch at Wrigley BBQ only started recently and the restaurant next door had people spilling out its doors. ( Also, the fact that the next-door eatery offers drinks while Wrigley currently has a BYOB policy, and the fact that brunch doesn't begin until 11:30 a.m. may contribute. )
However, if local residents and Cubs fans can get past the Pittsburgh memorabilia there ( with the owner having roots there ), they will be greatly rewarded with some mouth-watering, very tasty fare.
Start with probably some of the heftiest and tastiest biscuits in the area as well chicken and waffles that are a bit above the everyday dish some restaurants have. The breakfast burrito was really filling, although my dining companion and I agreed that more pork belly would've been great. And I must give kudos for having cornbread that was solidly done and wasn't drya problem that's plagued many restaurants in Chicago.
As for what gives the place its namethe meatWrigley BBQ hits the spot. A side of pulled pork as well as the beef-brisket hash revealed items that were slow-roasted, very tender and delicious. Also, there are multiple bottles of BBQ sauces ( Memphis Sweet, Carolina Vinegar, Texas Habanero and Wrigley Fire ) to samplealthough you could go au naturel ( without the sauce ), like I did. Then, if you still have room, Wrigley BBQ offers S'mores pie and bourbon bread pudding.
By the way, also try the peach juice. Not only is it a rare offering, but it actually tastes like an actual peachand it's not too sweet at all.
Wrigley BBQ does what a down-home spot like it is supposed to do: It offers some great comfort foodand plenty of it. If you leave hungry, it's your own fault.
( One other thing: Hopefully, the brunch menu will be online soon so that people can see all these goodies in case they want to choose before they enter. )
Dinner Crawl on Aug. 9
The Andersonville Dinner Crawl will take place Wed., Aug. 9, 6-9 p.m.
There will be two curated dining routesthe Silver Spoon and Golden Forkeach featuring 11 small-plate stops during this year's crawl. ( The Golden Fork route is vegetarian-friendly. ) Some of the restaurants participating in the crawl include Andies, TrueNorth Cafe, Replay Andersonville, Pork Shoppe, Candyality and Jerry's.
Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 the week of the event. See Andersonville.org/events/andersonville-dinner-crawl/ .
Note: Restaurant profiles/events are based on invitations arranged from restaurants and/or firms.