For people who like to break the rules of sensible eating every now and again, Merle’s No. 1 Barbecue is heaven. Pig heaven.
It seems that everything but the pie is redolent of pork at Merle’s; even the cole slaw is barbecued. And in a frigid Chicago winter, a heaping plate of barbecue is good for just about everyone (except the pig, of course).
Merle’s isn’t really Chicago barbecue, though. You’ll find an excellent version of that treat at Hecky’s, over on Green Bay Road at Emerson Street. What Merle’s features is Southern/Southwest barbecue served with a generous helping of hokey down-home fun.
Merle’s is owned by Steve Prescott, Evanston’s answer to Rich Melman. Prescott also owns the Davis Street Fish Market and Tommy Nevins Pub and has a gift for playing up the show biz without playing down the food.
Merle’s is a warm and lively joint. The wooden-tabled booths are oversized and sport a roll of paper towels stuck into an industrial-strength tomato can.
The walls are covered with reminders that Elvis is still king, country music fills the place, and the waitstaff prove that Southern hospitaliity is alive and well in downtown Evanston.
The thing to order through Thursday is the full slab of baby back ribs, on special for $8.95 including a choice of two side dishes. The ribs are lean, perfectly cooked, and can be had wet (with sauce) or dry (with a medley of spices starring cumin). If you can’t make up your mind, order them half and half.
St. Louis ribs ($12.95 a full slab, $7.95 a half) are spare ribs and a little fatter, therefore juicier. They’re done just right, too. You can try Texas beef ribs for $10.95 or go for a barbecued beef or pork plate ($8.95 large, $5.95 small).
If all that meat is just too much for you, you can have a dinner of catfish ($9.95) or shrimp and rice ($13.95). But don’t try to practice vegetarianism by nibbling on the complimentary sour cream dip before your fish arrives.
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It’s got bacon in it.
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Merle’s No. 1 Barbecue, 1727 Benson Ave., Evanston, 708-475-7766. Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.; 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Fri., Sat.; noon-10 p.m. Sunday. Credit cards: A, DC, M, V.