the part of the city and close in suburbs such as Chicago Ridge in the general vicinity of 95th Street and a couple of miles south, between roughly Crawford and Harlem.

A butterburger at Culvers, THAT would be a reason to go to the suburbs!

Numbered streets on the south side, street numbers above 100th. ie, far south side.

Real time dinner review of Uncle Bub's.

Menu: Not bad, reasonable price, carry outs were done efficiently. Since I was going to cook tomorrow night and now I'm not because I'm leaving for ABQ the next morning and don't want leftovers, I ordered both the Monday special (7 big beef ribs, two sides, and a cornbread for $14) as well as a pound of hot links (3 full sized and a runt). Total came to $22. Drove home and changed into more appropriate BBQ-eating clothes with 3 of the beef ribs, 1 of the links, and a packet each of regular and hot sauce and typed the above paragraph.

Links: The links have a casing so they look more like a kielbasa. This is not what I normally expect, as places such as Robinson's in the Northwestern station and Kenny's on the west side generally have links without a visible "crunchy" casing. The inside is more finely ground, finer than a brat and closer to a hot dog. There's no real charing on the link, they've been very slowly cooked over indirect heat. There's some pepper heat, but it's definitely toned down for DuPage standards compared to say Kenny's (BTW, RIP the Kenny's on 17th/Roosevelt in Broadview, which was my west-side BBQ oasis until they closed a couple of years ago).

Beef ribs: I ordered the beef ribs because that's something like the links that the Patio on 75th/83 does not have. They're impressive looking because of the huge bones, and as always with beef ribs there's far more bone than meat. Still the meat tastes very good. At $14, however, they are not a good value compared to a half slab of baby back ribs.

Sides: I ordered the two sides that I would have at the Patio - cole slaw and fries. Neither was bad, but the Patio's are better.

Verdict: I will go here again because nothing was bad. $8/pound is a good deal for the cooked hot links, especially with a buy 10 get 1 free card where you can get credits Mon-Thu. And I'd like to try the rib tips as well as the baby backs next time. But my guess is that I'll still go to the Patio more often than here, and they're the same distance from my house.

Good review Nick, seems like you did not like the links as much as I did, really bummed I couldn't confirm my original observation of Uncle Bub's last night.
THIS is the gourmand I�m going to La Sardine with !!??!!

Yes, Mr. Hot Links.

thank you, thank you very much.

mmmm, now the official question...

Flat Top or Culvers?

Well, if the only way to have lunch with you now is to go to Schaumburg, my choice would be Culver's!

It's not that I didn't like them, because I did. But the texture wasn't what I was expecting. And the ribs seemed more authentic than the Patio - I always call the Patio "Greek Restaurant Ribs" because while they are quite good, they don't have the smokiness that one would get from a Texas or a KC BBQ.

Now I have to see if the Kenny's in Galewood is still open and head over there some evening.

In defense of the Weber Grill Restaurant, my husband and I dined there after it was suggested by a Chicago resident. I ordered the steak skewer and a salad...and the skewer was the best I have ever had! ..House salad was yummy too.
Next time we go back to Chicago, we will probably eat there twice!

My favorite place for BBQ Ribs in Chicago is Twin Anchors on North Sedgwick (above Fullerton I believe). It's off the beaten track, rather a local joint, but some of the best ribs I've ever had.

Are there any good barbeque places in the Oakbrook area??? Like on Butterfield, Cermak, Roosevelt, or Route 83??? And has anyone been to the Patio lately??? Are their ribs and barbecue chicken grilled nicely and sauced??? I know there is a Patio on Route 83, near Plainfield Road, but haven't been to any of their locations in years. Thanks!

Hi Denise - welcome to FT!

The Patio is probably the best in the area. Uncle Bub's is probably a little more authentic. Other than that, the Oakbrook area is a wasteland when it comes to ribs.

We had a fun dinner there last summer when tinnub & TWBTM were in town -- I'd be up for a repeat some weekend this year!