Bub City Awards

Bub City Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: Brimming with Southern hospitality, Bub City still maintains an urban feel in a wide-open, quintessentially Chicago loft-like space. Blink, and it could be a barn-turned-restaurant in Nashville, thanks to long picnic tables, Christmas lights and a stage for live music. Pull a stool up at the dedicated whiskey bar for a dizzying selection of select and reserve bottles.

Likes: It's come-as-you-are and eat-as-much-as-you-like --- a rarity in fancy River North.
Dislikes: Not so much a dislike but a warning to the sheepish: A male mannequin is positioned behind the ladies' restroom door, which causes many a shriek of horror and humor.

About the food: Bub City wouldn't be the spot to take the calorie counters, but trust that the decadence is worth it. Case(s) in point: atomic cheesy fries drizzled with ranch dressing; sticky sweet barbecue brisket nachos; and even giddy-up fries laced with pulled pork. And those are just the starters. A lean, fatty or combo of both 16-hour smoked brisket embodies the TLC put into the meat, and sandwiches pack flavor, too. Gobble the fried chicken sandwich, Nashville hot for kick. A craving for dessert --- if there's any room left --- calls for tart Key lime pie.