.png)
Soul & Smoke's Superb Barbecue Has Beautiful New Home in Evanston
- Bob Benenson
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
At Chef Couple's First Sitdown Space, Delicious Meats are Complemented by Decor
Chef-owners D'Andre Carter and Heather Bublick, a married couple with a fine-dining background, built a big following for Soul & Smoke's BBQ with carryout spaces in suburban Evanston and Chicago's Avondale neighborhood, a food truck and — as leaders in the region's chef philanthropy community — serving up samples at tasting events.
They have now planted even deeper roots with the opening of their long-anticipated first sitdown restaurant, a major expansion of the original carryout at 1601 Payne St. in Evanston.
The dine-in spot would have been a big step even if D'Andre and Heather had gone with a plain-vanilla design. But the care that with which they approached the beautiful decor, which includes artworks by local creators, takes this evolution to the next level.
A by-invitation pre-opening on August 24 was packed with leading Chicago chefs, food industry leaders, writers, food producers and friends of the couple.
There's D'Andre in the middle between food writers Liz Grossman and David Manilow, with Heather in the background behind Liz.
There's Heather on the right. Michael Gebert, in the checked shirt, is author of the book "The Chicago Way: An Oral History of Chicago Dining."
The ample samples included my favorite Soul & Smoke dish, super-rich brisket mac + cheese.
Smoked chicken gumbo got a thumbs up from this Cajun food lover.
Seriously, everything they served was delicious.
D'Andre and Heather have a close relationship with the Niman Ranch meat company. The company was founded in 1969 by Bill Niman, a vocal advocate of humanely raising livestock on pasture. Now owned by big food company Perdue Farms, Niman Ranch has continued to work with farmers — some of whom were guests at Soul & Smoke's soft opening — who share their Certified Humane values.
Also on hand was Erick Williams (left in photo with Illinois Restaurant Association President & CEO Sam Toia and writer David Manilow), James Beard Award-winning chef-owner of Virtue, a Southern cuisine fine dining restaurant, and Daisy's Po-Boy, an informal New Orleans style restaurant, both in the Hyde Park neighborhood.
Two days earlier, Erick moderated a panel at the Obama Presidential Center, titled Food and the American Story, that included three other Black chefs and a historian.
The tasting event that followed was organized by Chicago Chefs Cook, the non-profit leader in Chicago's chef philanthropy community. Soul & Smoke, which is closely associated with Chicago Chefs Cook, participated in the event.
Soul & Smoke's increasing popularity and the opening of its new space has drawn other local media attention. D'Andre today (September 2) appeared on the Lunchbreak segment of WGN-TV's noon news show, preparing one of his signature dishes, beef cheek pastrami.
For more information on Soul & Smoke, its locations and hours, and menus, click the button below.
Comments