There is an area along 71st Street east of Stony Island Avenue that is becoming a hotbed of quality restaurants in the South Shore Community. While covering Vegan Fest 2018 at Chicago State University, ironically someone asked The Black Foodies if we had been to Slab Barbecue, located at 1918 East 71st Street. We found this question peculiar since we were at an event all about the vegan lifestyle, but who are we to look a gift horse in the mouth? We are always looking for new restaurants to share with everyone, so we decided to make our way over and give Slab Barbecue a try. Accompanying us was our friend – television personality, actress, comedienne and model, Erica Watson. With Erica being a fellow foodie, we were pleased to have her along for the ride to give her thoughts on Slab Barbecue. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the intoxicating aroma of hickory smoke and barbecue in the air, always an encouraging sign when out for an adventurous day of eating barbecue.
Miss Coretta started things off with Slab Barbecue’s Turkey Burger, which came with hand-cut fries. The first thing noticed about the burger was its size – it was absolutely huge. After her initial mouthful, Miss Coretta deemed Slab’s turkey burger, “Thanksgiving on a bun!” She found the burger to be tender and juicy, executed in a manner whereas it wasn’t the typical dry and bland turkey burger. The bun was fluffy, the tomatoes and lettuce were garden fresh, altogether creating a delightful bite. Miss Coretta felt the hand-cut fries were above average, having a slight sweetness to them – the perfect partner-in-crime with the turkey burger.
Being a lover of some good ol’ yardbird, I sampled Slab’s Barbecue Chicken which can be ordered either half or whole. I ordered the half chicken dinner, barbecue sauce on the side, with Mac-n-Cheese. The chicken itself looked delicious and tasted even better than it looked. My initial bite brought a smoky goodness that permeated my palette and immediately let me know that this chicken was cooked over an open flame. The chicken was tender, well-seasoned and extremely flavorful. The char marks were greatly appreciated and added an extra depth of flavor that anyone would appreciate. Now, on to Slab’s barbecue sauce. Miss Coretta and I have been in our lab attempting to duplicate this yummy concoction, to no avail. The sauce is a family recipe brought to Chicago from Kentucky by James Trice, co-owner and brain child of Slab Barbecue. The sauce was sweet and tangy, with a subtle hint of black pepper, and created a pucker factor that let us know there is either lemon juice, lemon zest, or both in the sauce. (I told you Miss Coretta and I have been in the lab). After dunking the chicken into the barbecue sauce, I knew right then that Slab Barbecue knows how to deliver delicious barbecue . . . ‘sin’sational! The mac-n-cheese was cheesy, well-balanced and definitely hit the spot.
Our friend, Erica Watson, had the privilege of sampling Slab Barbecue’s St. Louis Style Ribs. After her very first bite, she said, “Listen, BABY, this is GOOD!” Erica went on to say the ribs were tender, smoky and made with love. Erica also stated the sauce deserved to be slathered on a slab of ribs. She found the potato salad to be creamy, with just enough of a chunk factor for it not to be boring. She really enjoyed the baked beans and appreciated the fact that they were not too sweet and were an excellent complement to the ribs. Erica found the spaghetti (which was actually Linguini pasta in a tomato sauce) very tasty and a whole meal within itself. Our girl, Ms. Watson, had nothing but glowing reviews for her Slab Barbecue experience.
Slab Barbecue is a family-run business, managed by husband and wife, James and Tonya Trice, along with their children, providing barbecue as good as it gets in Chicago. We hear they serve up one mean barbecue turkey leg, as well. So, when you go, be sure to give it a try.
We would again like to thank Erica Watson for hanging out with us and discovering Slab Barbecue. Also, be on the lookout for Erica’s new makeup line, Fierce by Erica Faye Watson.
We rank restaurants based on number of kisses (one thru five, with five as the best). Slab Barbecue receives 4 1/2 kisses. Check out the video of our review https://youtu.be/nEuIrcN80cc
The Black Foodies are food bloggers/vloggers and husband and wife of 25 years. FOLLOW us on Instagram and Twitter @theblackfoodies, SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel “The Black Foodies,” where we review restaurants, share recipes, and give cooking tips. https://youtu.be/f1fsSQ24wgQ. Also LIKE us on Facebook and join our Facebook group, “World Wide Black Foodies.”
Lastly, if you have a restaurant you would like The Black Foodies to review, email us at theblackfoodies@gmail.com. One love. . .
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