Meat and I are in love, and I don’t care who knows it!

Vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, freegans, and all other egans and tarians – I salute and respect you and your digestive choices. But we’re going to have to agree to disagree here, because I love meat.

At family gatherings and during the occasional quest into Food Coma Nation, my husband and I always jokingly say things like, “I’m so glad you’re not a vegetarian. I don’t think this would work out.” Things have even escalated so far that my uncle-in-law (Merriam-Webster says this is a word, so I’m rollin’ with it) once mentioned during an annual rib eye feast that I would probably be ousted from the family if I didn’t eat meat. Which is fine by me because I’ve always had a thing for it.

So, when we found ourselves at Green Street Smoked Meats for the first time a few years ago for BBQ, you can probably guess that I was drooling all over myself.

I fondly remember the experience. The husband and I had just officially closed on our place. We had the keys, made a quick target run for some TP, temporary sheets and an air mattress and were making ourselves at home on the living room floor in our first official (and very barren) home. Cooking was a thing that was very far from our minds at that point, but we were starving and needed dinner stat. Enter Green Street Smoked Meats.

We wandered a few blocks over toward Randolph and didn’t have to go very far before our noses started doing the navigating for us. We found the entryway – which happens to be a very cool, secretive-looking cobblestone alleyway directly across from Soho House – and showed our IDs to enter. When we got inside, I remember looking around and saying, “Hello friends, this is my kind of vibe.”

The place was hopping – full of really friendly, low-key not overly dressed up people (luh you River North, but sometimes you need to chill) looking to stuff their faces and have a good time. I was in love. We wandered over to the line (which looked like it could take hours to go through but we didn’t care) and found the back. Luckily, the fine people of GSM are geniuses and created the main bar so that not only is it a very impressive-looking and spacious focal point of the place, but the food line goes right alongside it so you can imbibe while you wait to order. Fist pump. But not to worry – even if you aren’t planning on eating, there is still plenty of space on the other sides of the bar to order drinks – no arm-wrestling or elbow-tangoing necessary.

I’d Like to Get My Drink On, Please.

If you want to try something different, you should definitely check out the Chartreuse Mule, a snarky take on the beloved favorite. If you’ve never had it, Chartreuse is French a liqueur created from 130 herbs and plants and is said to have first been distilled in 1737 by the Carthusian Monks. It reminds me of Absinthe a little bit. Give it a shot – you won’t be sorry! Green Street also carries an impressive craft beer list that won’t leave you wanting.

So What About the Food?

After you’ve waited your turn and finally make it up to the counter to order, you will be greeted by the most friendly-looking tattooed lumberjack butchers you will ever meet. I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m pretty sure if you asked for a bear hug from one of these guys you would definitely get one. They are so happy to be there and knowledgeable of the food – just ask, and they will help answer any questions you could have about meat. But I digress.

At GSM, if you’re planning on dining in, you can order meat by the half pound and other items, such as chicken legs, hot links and Frito pie, “by the each”. Meat choices include brisket (sliced & chopped) pork belly, pulled pork and beef & pork ribs. There are also options for bone-in smoked salmon, as well as brisket and pulled pork sandwiches that all fall under the “by the each” category. Whatever you get, you most certainly can’t go wrong.

But I Have Trouble Making Decisions. Tell Me What To Get.

If there was a frequent eater program I would have definitely accrued a round-trip ticket to flavor town here by now. I have probably been to GSM at least 10 times. While you obviously can’t go wrong with anything on this menu, I am a creature of habit and pretty much only get one of 3 things every time I go: the ½ pound of chopped brisket, the pulled pork sandwich or a hot link for when I’m not feeling quite so gluttonous. Be warned – you will get a lot of food and it will be rich. I always suggest getting one thing to share and sharing a few sides with whomever you’re with. Since it’s a la carte, you can always go back for more!

The Elotes

So. Elotes. This magical side dish renders me so speechless every time I eat it that I gave it its own section in this post. Back a few summers ago, this popped up on the menu as a special feature. We had no idea what it was but since the gal behind the cash register described it as “cheesy, spicy, creamy Mexican corn off the cob” we didn’t waste any time ordering it. Eating it was basically an out of body experience. That summer we proceeded to order it each time we came back, but mourned the loss when they finally took the “seasonal” item off the menu. We even tried to replicate it as a side dish at my husband’s family Thanksgiving – it was received well but couldn’t hold a candle to the original recipe.

Fast-forward to some timeframe that was definitely not appropriate for rompers and patio rosé – but there it was: Elotes, back on the menu. Sweet Jesus. And believe it or not, so far, so good. Every time we’ve come back it’s been on the menu. Fingers crossed – we’re hoping it was so good and in such high demand they decided to keep it on for good. Don’t even think about missing this one!

Uncle Sam Wants You To Try Green Street Smoked Meats

Did I convince you to give this place a try? I hope I have! I will probably not write many single-spot features on this blog, but I love Green Street so much I decided it deserved the spotlight. We’ve sung the praises of GSM to our friends, family, visiting friends - you name it. Even if you aren’t in love with red meat (or even any kind of meat), you’ll find something to enjoy here, whether it be the main event, cocktails, salads sides or desserts. I can’t say enough about this joint – it’s definitely worth a trip over to the west side. Not to mention, it’s a great low-key place to hang during a night out. BONUS: there’s a tiny ramen shop called High Five Ramen downstairs. Check it out too if you’re in the mood for some noodles.

Questions for you, the reader:

• Have you been here?! If so, what’s your favorite dish?
• If not, what’s your fave BBQ place in the city?
• What do you usually order when it comes to BBQ?!

Leave it in the comments!