Milt's Kosher BBQ, 3413 N Broadway Chicago?

[weinstein5]

Has anyone heard about this place? In my searches all I can find it is opening soon -

[weinstein5]

They opened today - http://www.miltsbbq.com/

[gotcholent]

Prices, menu and booze list, all impressive. So....nu? How's the grub? Somebody please post pix. The smoke ring will say it all.

[chicago maven]

Their menu is posted on the CRC website. Looks great!!
http://www.crcweb.org/guide_chicago.p...

[weinstein5]

It does look good - here is a more direct link to the menu http://www.crcweb.org/Milts_menu_v06.pdf -

Looking forward to the first reviews

[weinstein5]

and pictures - http://lakeview.patch.com/articles/ph...

[weinstein5]

On the Facebook page for Milt's Barbecue for the Perplexed...

Milt's Fans: After much anticipation, we are proud and excited to announce that this Tuesday, January 22nd, we will be opening our doors to the public, starting at 4:30pm for dinner!
Space in Milt's is limited,and we do take reservations, so we advise that you make a reservation if you are able to. We will begin taking reservations starting at 12:00 noon today. Please call 773-661-6384 to make your reservation.

Please note: We will NOT begin taking takeout orders until Thursday, February 7, and we will not begin deliveries until March 1.
Please call above number or email [e-mail] with any questions that you have.
Thanks so much for your patience, and we look forward to seeing you at Milt's soon, with barbecue sauce all over your face!

Milt's Barbecue for the Perplexed (Kosher)
3411 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL 60657

[chicago maven]

I hear that they are finally planning to open next week. Let's hope that they satisfy the pit appetites.

[weinstein5]

That would be great - here is an interesting article with more of the background - http://lakeview.patch.com/articles/ko...

[weinstein5]

An interesting piece - http://chicago.eater.com/archives/201...

Planning a Dec 1 opening -

[Pluckyduk8]

That part is false. Opening in January last I heard.

[weinstein5]

good to know - I guess you cannot believe everything you read on the Internet - I do like the description of what they are offering

[chicago maven]

You are correct. They are not any where near opening yet. If they go thru with their plans, it will be the first crc certified restaurant to offer pre-paid shabbos meals. This should be a great boost for the community. I wish them well.

[barryg]

"General manager Dan Weiss said they're currently narrowing their search for a chef and should have someone nailed down in the next week or so."

Not a good sign for any restaurant so close to opening. They probably will miss the January date, maybe by a lot.

"Aeder is opening Milt's as a philanthropic endeavor and 100 percent of the profits will go back to charities, Weiss said."

Odd model for any business.

"They're still firming up the initial recipient list, but Weiss said the beneficiary will change each month."

Strange for a restaurant whose mission purports to be a philanthropic endeavor.

So: no chef, a philanthropic mission but no mention of what charities they will donate to, and a business model designed to have no taxable profit (I'm sure the model includes the owners taking a salary, however). I hate to say it but the whole thing stinks.

"Milt's won't just be a restaurant, but also a bar that will stay open late during the week and later on weekends. It'll have a full bar with a good selection of scotch and bourbon as well as wine and beer that go with barbecue. "At night we'll count on the Lakeview bar business to help us donate to charities," Weiss said."

Now this is a good idea for a Kosher establishment -- provide food for the community but don't rely on it to keep the business afloat. Hope they have a good bar manager so the place actually draws a mainstream crowd. And that they open Saturday night.

[gotcholent]

Wow Barry, good sleuthing! I don't even know where to begin on this one? 2/3rds of restaurants don't make it through their first year. The standard model for a "successful" restaurant is to stay standing for 3 years at which point the very first profits should be able to be made with start-up costs finally paid off. This would explain why they are not mentioning any charities as of yet since going by standard rules of thumb, there would not be profits for the first couple of years. Most fledgling restauranteurs lack the capital to make it the long haul without an angel footing the bill. If Chicago has a bbq angel looking to underwrite the whole shebang in order to provide for the kosher eating kehilla and additional charities if that is possible down the road then he has my respect. And for that matter my help too if he wants it...they are free to pick my brain if I can help out, as this simple Texan knows a thing or two when it comes to Que.

[lenchik]

Well, their FB page invited everyone to have Thanksgiving dinner at the restaurant next year, so we will all assume that they will be open by next November!

[KA2CSH]

Opening Day is scheduled for Thursday, January 10th, 2013.

[weinstein5]

looking forward to it -

[MiriamRochel]

this is the first we've heard. sounds like a great idea, but agree with many of the posts about planning/execution. I worked in restaurants for many years and not to have a chef in place for most of the planning stages does not bode well for success. But I wish them luck and we will certainly try it --if it ever happends.

[KA2CSH]

I worked at the chef's old haunt (Spertus) this last Friday. I conversed with one of the chefs there. This chef told me that the chef for Milt's has no pit or BBQ experience and that you need someone who knows about fire pits to be a success. This chef was not very optimistic about Milt's new chef, the former Spertus worker.

[ganeden]

I offered, but I never heard from them. Chi-town could have been a welcome change of pace for me and my family. Not to worry, though, 'cause when Smokin'! went bust, I went back to making wine. But I do miss the pit.

[gotcholent]

Did you ever try using your cut wine vine wood in your smoker? Marry your passions?

[ganeden]

Never did. I used plum and apricot wood cut from trees at my house, but never vine prunings, nor broken barrel staves.

[chicago maven]

I hear that they are still looking for a chef with pit experience. Your BBQ reputation is golden. For the sake of us here in Chicago, please try again!!

[ganeden]

Well, that's very sweet of you, Chicago maven. But I can't teach them how to run a business, and based upon my background in the restaurant industry, I'm hardly the person to do so anyway. They were not looking for a chef with pit experience at the time they advertised on Craigslist. They have their own vision of what they want and how they want to get there, and they must pursue that vision or modify it on their own schedule. My interest is in providing a life for my family in the long term, and my feeling about Milt's potential for success, at this point, is a negative one. But I do wish them hatzlacha rabbah.

[KA2CSH]

The latest unconfirmed rumor is that it will be open on Shabbos for those who place an order & prepay for the order by the prior Thursday and that it will be under Rabbi Lopatin's supervision; not the cRc.

[weinstein5]

Makes sense since Rabbi Lopatin's Shul is around the corner -

[LakeviewKosher]

From an insider: it will be open for Shabbat communal meals. It will also be certified by the CRC, not Rabbi Lopatin.

[chicago maven]

I'm not sure what you mean by communal meals. While it will be under the CRC, it will not really be open on shabbos. The CRC does not allow that. They will be available for a kiddush or other similar pre-arranged shabbos catered meal but you will not be able to go in and order food, even pre-paid.
In any case, I wish him well. The Lakeview and Chicago can use a good BBQ venue. Let's hope he is successful and it last.

[lenchik]

Oooooo, that's so exciting! I hope they do well and that it's yummy!

I wonder when they are actually going to open.

[chicago maven]

I heard that they are still months away from opening.

[weinstein5]

any further word?

[KA2CSH]

Looks like they're seeking a chef in Chicago's CraigsList:

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/fbh...

[ferret]

A little bass-ackwards from my perspective, but what do I know?

[ganeden]

Heck, I wouldn't mind moving to Chicago.

[ferret]

Don't. Chicago is a Kosher dining wasteland.

[weinstein5]

maybe Ganeden would bring us out of the wilderness

[chicago maven]

You are being too kind!!

[lenchik]

Just saw on FB that Brian Gyrka, formerly of the Spertus Institute has accepted the chef position at Milt's. I understand they are still planning to open in December. Would be waaay closer to all the comedy clubs in the city...

[gotcholent]

Kind of surprising really. It has taken me years to hone my craft as a pitboss and bbq oriented chef. To see someone trying to open a place without even having a captain on board is a bit scary. It takes much much more then just the right equipment to do this right...a trip to Teaneck makes that point loud and clear. In any event, I am excited for your community! Good Luck...keep us posted!

[ferret]

When I first heard about this my first thought was that someone was looking for an outlet for their bbq skills, now I get the impression that the idea came first and the execution may have been an afterthought. But what do i know?

[chicago maven]

I hear that they are now planning on opening in December.

[lenchik]

They have a Facebook page now where they posted that they plan to open in December. Perhaps they are looking for a sous chef?

[ganeden]

I wish them luck. Always nice to have another BBQ place, preferably with a lot of smoke.

[weinstein5]

I agree - but it is in an odd neighborhood I would think it would do better in Skokie or West Rogers Park-

[ferret]

Not that odd; Lakeview/Lincoln Park has been largely ignored by the community (save for Shallots earlier incarnation) and there are plenty of young singles/newly marrieds in the area that would welcome a Kosher option, especially a Shabbos-friendly one.

The one thing it needs is to be attractive enough to the non-Kosher crowd.