Review: Risqué Café

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Oct 13, 2008 5:00PM

The Holy Grail: Twice-battered country-style bacon, seasoned with fresh cracked pepper and deep fried, served with a side of white bacon gravy. Kneel before the Zod of bacon dishes.

$Vodka infused for three months with maple bacon, fresh cracked pepper and garlic. Stand alone, it\'s like a bloody mary without the bloody.$ $Risque\'s Bacon vodka-infused bloody mary. The staff makes their own mix in-house by spicing it with whole seeded jalapenos. It\'s a little bit too much, even for fans of excess spice.$

Risque has a very wide (if overpriced) craft beer selection. Pictured is the 2008 Goose Island Bourbon County stout sitting next to a bacontini.

Risque partly smokes their meats in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels. Still, this pulled pork sandwich was a bit on the dry side. Luckily they also make their own sauces in house.

$Two of Risque\'s barbecue sauces: the Memphis style sauce (right) is made with Buffalo Trace bourbon. To the left is a pepper sauce. They also have a beautiful Carolina BBQ sauce and a hot mustard sauce.$

This treat is a bacon appletini. Probably the only time that sour apple pucker actually tasted nice.

A friend clued us in to last weekend's "Bacon Fest" at Risqué Café (3417 N. Clark, 773-525-7711). The folks at this Wrigleyville barbecue joint, craft beer house and pinup palace (sister restaurant to Purgatory Pizza next door) added a new item to their everyday menu that's easily the best thing they serve.

Our gallery starts with this twice-battered, country-style bacon that's deep fried and served with a side of white bacon gravy. Bird, our bartender, told us that the gravy is made from bacon drippings and whole cream. Coupled with one of the spiciest bloody marys we've ever had in our life — made from vodka infused with maple bacon, garlic and fresh cracked black pepper — we suspect we shortened our lifespan at least four years over the weekend.

Other things to check out at Risqué are their bourbon selection, which is extensive but doesn't come near the breadth of Twisted Spoke or Delilah's. Risqué even has two bourbons (Buffalo trace and Eagle rare) and Jack Daniels on tap.

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