I’ve been married for almost 20 years, and my husband would say the most shocking thing I have ever done in all those years came almost immediately after I said, “I do.” As he carried me over the threshold and plopped me down in the kitchen, I announced I had decided to become a vegetarian and that cooking meat didn’t appeal to me.
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It was a good thing I told him after the ink dried on the marriage certificates.
Though I’ve since conceded to the three carnivores in my life and can make a mean roasted chicken, my man usually gets his meat-tooth satisfied when we go out to eat.
So he was thrilled when I announced we’d be going to Chicago q, an upscale barbecue restaurant for our date this month.
Right in the center of the Gold Coast, q is where down-home meets Park Avenue.
With menu items like Kobe beef ribs, BBq “flights” and house bacon cheddar hush puppies, q is a tutorial on how to dress barbecue up and take her out. We had those hush puppies as an appetizer (because I’m an herbivore who makes an exception for bacon) and they seriously knocked my platform booties off. Jon had a rack of their famous St. Louis “competition ribs,” and found great joy in ripping that tender meat from the bone. I had the smoked salmon steak, which was quite lovely.
I will say this about q for date night: If you’re headed there on a Saturday, prepare for busy, bustling and a bit loud. You definitely need a reservation and it may be better suited for group dates rather than intimate one-on-one conversation. I imagine weekday evenings feature a more calmed-down vibe.
I’m for sure planning a trip back with a posse of my best meat-loving friends.
