Carson's Ribs, etc.

[bleachboy]

60 degrees F today here in Chicago, so I took the opportunity to make some baby back ribs...

Damn, dude...

*** DROOL ***

[patty]

I am in the seasoning business and my staff and I have had a multitude of discussions about ribs and methods of cooking them and flavoring them. We know that there are many breakdowns one might debate but we ignore pork vs. beef ribs (no real Chicagoan even entertains the notion that you might be talking about beef, pork is a gimme) and start first on chewy meat that you have to do a little nawing to get off the bone vs. falling off the bone ribs. Over 8 or 9 years we have concluded that you can not win that debate, it is a personal choice. (Sorry but for us the fall off the bone is more like pulled pork, we Prefer to have a little jaw exercise)

Before we lived here, our twice a year tourist trip here always involved a meal at Carsons, we loved ribs and for the price it was a great value. We brought all of our friends with us and they agreed every time.

After we lived downtown in Chicago for 5 years, we realized that while we had made it a point to visit Carsons from 100 miles away, we had never once gone there from our short cab ride away distance. We went for a birthday lunch. While the ribs were still chewy, it was a whole different type of chewy, more like a very low quality pork. The au gratin was not as we remembered either, and before we remembered that we had loved that the ribs had virtually no sauce except in a jug served on the side. Now, they were slathered.

So, tell me if anyone else has this dilema, are you reluctant to visit places you dined and have fond memories of in your youth because you fear disappoiontment is inevitable? We would like to think that the quality of food at Carson's has really gone downhill but perhaps we have become jaded as the world of food has opened up to us (and we can afford to go to better places?)!

[gmi3804]

I think L. Woods makes one of the best slabs around - smokey, sweet, and slightly hot as well (more so if you request they be make with their "devil" sauce.)

Well, as you know, before their recent name change, L. Woods was known as Bones...and they didn't call it that for nothing But, I've never had their ribs, because I'm addicted to their steaks--particularly their rib eye and skirt--which are both fantastic. And they turn out a very nice au gratin potato there too, IIRC.

I agree with you about the pork chops at Carson's too. They can be dry on occasion but when they're on, they're on. Have you ever actually requested the fattier chops there? If so, I'm curious to hear what the response was.

=R=

Yes, we request the "dark end" chops each time we go. And sometimes they oblige, sometimes they don't (at least at the Deerfield location.)

I'd say go and demand these particular cuts next time you go. They're heaven if they're done right.

[ronnie_suburban]

So, tell me if anyone else has this dilema, are you reluctant to visit places you dined and have fond memories of in your youth because you fear disappoiontment is inevitable? We would like to think that the quality of food at Carson's has really gone downhill but perhaps we have become jaded as the world of food has opened up to us (and we can afford to go to better places?)!

Patty,

This is a really interesting question. I'm not sure if there's ever been a thread here specifically dedicated to this particular issue, but I think it's central to understanding our enjoyment of certain foods and establishments.

I recently finished reading American Pie by Peter Reinhart (and I've mentioned this fact on several threads). One of the primary inspirations for the book seems to have been Reinhart's desire to unravel the 'truth' behind his food memories--have the places he loved changed or have his tastes changed? He finds that it is, in fact, a little of each.

I won't specifically avoid a place because I'm concerned about it not matching up to my recollection of it. But, if I go back to a place that I used to like and find that I no longer like it, I'm very unlikely to return and give it yet another chance. There are just too few days and too many places. In my mind, I play Taps for the place and move it to the imaginary "used to be good" category. From that point forward, only a lingering and unrequited desire for nostalgia or a visiting friend can get me to go back. Of course, there are always a few exceptions too. But, in the end, doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different outcome, can be hazardous to one's health.

=R=

[ronnie_suburban]

Yes, we request the "dark end" chops each time we go.  And sometimes they oblige, sometimes they don't (at least at the Deerfield location.)

I'd say go and demand these particular cuts next time you go.  They're heaven if they're done right.

I'm going to tell them that you said I should "demand" them.

=R=

[ronnie_suburban]

60 degrees F today here in Chicago, so I took the opportunity to make some baby back ribs...

Damn, dude...

*** DROOL ***

As an aside, here's yesterday output...

=R=

[gmi3804]

Yes, we request the "dark end" chops each time we go.  And sometimes they oblige, sometimes they don't (at least at the Deerfield location.)

I'd say go and demand these particular cuts next time you go.  They're heaven if they're done right.

I'm going to tell them that you said I should "demand" them.

=R=

Go ahead - they don't know me there!

[patty]

Ronnie, we ate in an old favorite spot in Milwaukee, after the Carson's let down, and I almost wanted to not attempt it. However, it did justice to my memories. So I don't assume automatically that I am jaded!

My shop in Milwaukee is one door away from Mader's, a German restaurant that has been around for maybe 40? years. It amazes us that people come from all over the country and it is their tradition to go to this place, and they love it. The food is nominal, at best, without going into detail, we do NOT want to eat there. Our conclusion is that, in a normal dining experience, your expectations determine 90% of your dining experience. If you have had one great experience in a place you visit on vacation, you expect the same next year. (at least in a place that has been around awhile) We can find no other explanation for why people would continue to go there. Or, for a new spot, if you have read so many great things about that restaurant, you expcet the same experience.

So when you have a Great experience and want to show your friends this great spot, why does it so often fail? Maybe because they do not have your previous great experience to fall back on (tried and true) so they are more critical?

[ronnie_suburban]

So when you have a Great experience and want to show your friends this great spot, why does it so often fail? Maybe because they do not have your previous great experience to fall back on (tried and true)  so they are more critical?

Patty,

That reminds me of a line that, I think, is from a song..."if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all."

Sometimes I think it just comes down to luck. Restaurant reality is very fluid and changes take place quickly. If even 1 or 2 key people leave a given place, if can have a profound impact on that restaurant. If you interpolate that back just a bit, and...well, some nights are better than others--just based on who's in the house and who isn't.

It's a strange feeling of minor helplessness when your friends don't enjoy a place that you've come to love--especially after you've convinced them to join you there. The final decision of where to eat dinner almost always follows some debate, so it's annoying 'win' that debate and then have the place disappoint. And it happens more often than it seems like it should, so maybe that indicates that it's a function of perception vs. expectation more than anything else. Is an average night at a place you love enough to move your friends? It should be, right? Ultimately, when the place lets you down it forces you to question whether your were right about it in the first place.

Still, I can't decide which is worse, though...when the restaurant messes up and no one in the group enjoys it or when you're loving the place and your friends, who you dragged there against their will, are pushing their food around their plates and making faces to each other.

=R=

[sashimi]

Ohmygosh. Those ribs look absolutely fantastic, ronnie! I'm being completely honest in saying that those look infinitely better than any specimen I've ever sampled here in friggin' Toronto.

Disclaimer: I say "friggin'" because Toronto is horrid for BBQ. It's lovely for many other things, and I love it dearly. But when it comes to BBQ, it sucks like a Hoover.