The Black Dog Urbana

Is mealtime just something you need to address so you can carry on with your day? Would you settle for whatever is easily accessible to you, or would you make an effort for something truly worth eating? How much do YOU love good food? Would you be willing to drive to the next town for that amazing place everyone keeps talking about? Would you drive to the next county? Or how about the next state? Hmm… would you be willing to take a flight to a specific city for a specific restaurant that you wish to try? Too rad maybe? Or are you thinking, too ridiculous?

I don’t know about you - but I actually have must-visit restaurant lists for most major cities in US. Because I’ll never know - when fate might put me in one of those cities and I can have one more thing to check off my list. And those of you - who only want to read about Fairfield County restaurants - spare yourselves some agony and stop reading this article right now.

Last weekend, by pure chance (or perhaps luck?), I came across a restaurant in the mid-west… that I NEED to tell you about. Its far far away from Fairfield County, I admit. But put it on your list people- for whenever you happen to find yourself in the state of Illinois…. perhaps driving from Chicago to Memphis or St Louis…. who knows if or how you may end up in the town of Urbana…. but if and when you do, you MUST visit The Black Dog Smoke and Ale House.

And when you do find yourself at the Black Dog - be prepared to be amazed by some of the best Carolina style, knock-your-socks-off, amazing, mind blowing BBQ!

This tiny restaurant is situated pretty close to the University of Illinois- damn those students are so lucky!!! These students and other area residents know they have a gem amongst them… there was a long wait even at 11 AM on a Sunday! Heck, there may be a wait no matter when you go. So give yourself some extra time. Lots of people choose to take-out as well.

We couldn’t tolerate the delicious aromas as we waited for our turn - so when the hostess offered us a seat by the bar instead of longer wait for a table - you bet we said yes!

As I ate at this place I was perplexed as to why no national level food-sites talk about it. Why is not yet up there with the likes of Franklin BBQ in Austin Texas - I wonder. Perhaps it is because this place is just 5 years young - that may the only reason it is “un-discovered” by the national collective of food-lovers.

Everything we tried was perfection in flavors and textures. There were bold and un-restrained bursts of flavors in each bite. Like the smoked chicken wings- wow! Or the Smoked Pork belly (a special on Sundays) - dynamite! Where shall I start or end? The burnt ends, the ribs, the brisket, 10 different kinds of BBQ sauces (Georgia Peach was my favorite of the ones I tried)….

For me, the most memorable bite of food at The Black Dog has to be the corn bread - which I ordered totally by chance. It was so amazing and so packed with flavor. It read predominantly savory than sweet. I had to ask the server about it. Turns out they add beans, and left over brisket etc into their corn bread mixture. The result is a very moist, supremely addictive bite! Yum. I am craving it now as I write these words.

This place is destined to make it on America’s-Must-Try-Restaurants-List! And when it does, remember you heard about it here first.