When the hated New England Patriots are vying for the NFL championship against the Tom Coughlin-led New York Giants, the only thing to root for is the chance to eat and drink enough for the rest of winter. Taco-flavored Doritos are the only thing that got me through the douchebaggy dominance of the mid-90s Dallas [...]
Exit, MANBQUE and the CMF bring you part V!!
(That’s 5, for those of you who don’t know Roman numerals)
This time round, the ManBQue dudes will be spinning the tunes all night along with Rodney AND will be featuring some delicious gourmet original recipe hot dogs- free till they’re gone!
Kelly and Shelly behind the bar in bikinis!
Hot dog down the hallway contest with sweet prizes!
This is not your run of the mill craft fair. This is a community gathering together to help a school in need. Local crafters and artists coming together in support of Madero Middle School.
Plus MANBQUE will be manning the grill. Do good, eat good!
This winter Chicago has thrown everything, from blizzards, 6-foot snowdrifts and THUNDERSNOW, just to see fear in our eyes. We’re men, dammit, this doesn’t make us flinch. The only thing that scares us is a cold, empty grill. That’s why at MANBQUE on February 28th, we will face our fear and grill it away!!!
When: February 28th, 7pm-?
Where: Casual Friday’s Urban Cabin (If you’re invited, you know where it is)
Why: Because you need to start doing what men do; grill out in the cold.
We’re men, not bears. And unlike those pansies, we don’t hibernate when it gets cold outside. Nope, we grill and we drink beer, dammit. I know what you’re thinking and yes, if there was a bear in my face I WOULD call it a pansy.
Be a man. It’s time to get out, grill something and drink some beers.
Where: The Palace of Chris Chairs, 2538 W. Haddon, Coach House.
Why: Because your therapist said you need to stay away from women.
Manbque knows nothing makes a day better than Meat, Beer, and Rock ‘n Roll. Come out this Saturday to get your fill. Manbque and Three Aces present a Not So Secret, Rock Show, with Chicago’s own, The Safes.
MEAT:
Get a FREE Mad Hatter Imperial IPA with the purchase of a Hammer of the Gods burger!!!
Beer:
Awesome drink specials!
$2 PBR
$2 Old Crow
Rock and Roll:
The Safes serve up a short set of tasty rock.
When: Saturday, Jan. 15th, 2011 (Food/drink specials all day, The Safes perform at 6pm)
Where: Three Aces Chicago, 1321 W. Taylor Street
New year, new great burgers and beers! Let’s get 2011 started with some new, awesome Manbque burgers paired up perfectly by the beer brains of Hopcast.
Pairing 1:
Manbque says: “Stuffed with Chihuahua cheese, poblano pepper and topped with a sunny-side egg showered in Manbque’s own homemade tomatillo sauce, “La Cruda” burger (‘La Cruda’ means ‘the hangover’ in Spanish. You’re welcome. ) is guaranteed to cure that painful…hunger.”
Hop Cast says: “Dude, ‘La Cruda’ and a Brooklyn Lager. Problem solved.”
Pairing 2:
Manbque says: “Also filled with chihuahua cheese, this monster is topped with marshmallow butter and candied bourbon pecans. I think we’ll call this one the Ghostbusters burger”
Hopcast says: “Have your mommy get you a glass of Left Hand Milk Stout for this dessert burger.”
$15 gets you endless sliders of this month’s burgers and a bottomless glass of the selected beers.
Came across this on Chicago Revealed and thought I’d share. Chicago has some pretty great beer and here is one of the breweries making some of that great beer.
We ALL need a break from the holidays. Seriously, all this build-up just to have to spend time with relatives you only care to see once a year. Let MANBQUE be your escape. Come grill and drink too much with a bunch of guys that don’t care what you got your ‘old-lady’ for Xmas or what your NYE plans are.
Where:Linus’ Lair. 725 N. Ada Apt 3F. Chicago, IL
When: Dec. 29th, 7-11pm
Why: Because you’re a man and you should start acting like one.
What: Trunk Show, hosted by Contacts and Specs.
Where: Contacts and Specs, 3144 N. Broadway, Chicago IL
When: This Thursday, Dec. 9th, 6-9pm
WHY: MAN B QUE will be doing the catering! Also, you get to check out the awesome sunglasses.
The original version of this recipe was actually given to me by my friend George Economos over at the Palatine Whole Foods. I added some love to the rub (Insert joke here) and gave it more of a spicy kick, just to call it my own. It’s really easy to make and it comes out unbelievably juicy and delicious. I think flank steak is my new favorite cut of meat!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons finely ground dark coffee
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2 pounds flat iron steaks, each 1 1/4 pounds
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling planks
Combine sugar, coffee, chili powder, cayenne and salt. Brush steak(I use my hands because I’m too manly to use a brush) with 2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle all over with coffee rub and press to adhere. Set aside.
Prepare a grill for indirect heat cooking. When very hot, bank coals on one side of grill, leaving one side free of coals; if using a gas grill, turn burner off on one side.
Grill steaks on hot side of grill until just seared, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to side with no charcoal, keep them as close to the charcoal side with out being directly over; close grill cover and cook until steaks reach desired doneness, 8 to 12 minutes for medium-rare. Rest steaks 10 minutes before slicing.
Beer suggestion: This steak taste great paired with a coffee porter, it really brings out the coffee flavor in both.
It’s that time again where you eat too much, drink too much and probably upset those around you. No, it’s not your wedding night nor Thanksgiving with your in-laws. Nope, it’s the NOVEMBER MAN B QUE!!
As yearly tradition dictates, Joey Grease will be smoking a turkey (then air humping it. No contact will be made, it’s just for a phot op, trust me) and there will be a ton of delicious other meat on the grill.
You’re not in college anymore so it’s no longer acceptable to creep around over-crowded bars looking for a random hook-up or end up blacked out on your buddies couch. You’re a MAN now, come out to MAN B QUE!
Location:
Spider Ham’s Palace
1706 W. Ohio
Chicago, IL
It’s that time again when the Manbque guys partner up with the Hopcast and Small Bar crew and create another perfect burger and beer pairing!
Burgers/Beers this month:
1. The Ponce De Leon, infused with chocolate mole and smokey hot sauce, then topped with queso fresco and avocado sour cream; this burger smacks your face with flavor. The Ponce De Leon is perfectly pairied with the Goose Island ESB
2. The Stoner: This burger is a flashback to your college dorm, bong days. Filled with smoked gruyere cheese (yeah, SMOKED gruyere), easy jalapeno and topped with bacon peanut butter on a croissant. This is THE cure for your “munchies.” It’s only fitting that The Stoner burger is paired with the Stone Smoked Porter.
$15 gets you all you can eat sliders and glasses of the selected beers.
MANBQUE has partnered up with one of Chicago’s BEST beer bars, The Map Room, to bring you some mouth watering burgers paired with some awesome beers.
Burger 1: The “Hangover” which has bleu cheese, Cholula, Man B Que seasonings inside and is topped with caramelized aged sharp cheddar; paired with Half Acre’s Daisy Cutter beer.
Burger 2: The “Octoburger” which has our own homemade caramel, smoked gouda, Man B Que spices and a roasted peanut outside, topped with cinnamon/butter apples; paired with Half Acre’s Over Ale beer.
it’s real simple, you buy those two beers, you get those two burgers for FREE!!!
It’s finally Friday. This has been a great week for Man B Que and it’s good to see all of the hard the guys put in is starting to pay off. We’re going to be hooking up with one of the best beer bars in Chicago, The Map Room, for another Man B Que Beer/Burger pairing. This month’s event will feature Half Acre Beer paired up with our tasty Hangover Burger and the new, amazingly delicious, Octoburger.
We are also going to be partnering up with Brand BBQ Market and doing some really cool dinner/beer events. Details to follow. These are exciting times for Man B Que!
This weekend will consist of burlesque, rock and roll, art and tandem bike rides (Yeah, that’s right). Enjoy, everyone!
-The Godfather
You’re bored at work, read this:
Last night my celebrity friend, Spencer, yeah, the guy from the magazine, introduced me to a great, great, hilariously GREAT, Youtube clip. This cop steals pot, makes pot brownies and thinks he’s over dosing. Classic. Give it a listen:
This reminded me of those wannabe stoner kids in high school that claimed to have overdosed on pot. I refer to these types as “that guy.” There needs to be a list of “that guy” behavior, I’ll start it off:
1. The Vanity Plater: Things like, 2FST4U or SXYGUY1, don’t make you clever, they make you, “that guy.”
2. Urinal Cheerleader: Typically found at sporting event or concert restrooms. I just want to take a leak, I don’t want to hear you shouting or cheering while you piss and splatter all over your stone washed jeans. You’ve done this? Yeah, you’re “that guy.”
3. Urinal Conversationalist: Found in the same places as the Urinal Cheerleader, but instead of shouting, the Urinal Conversationalist wants to chat about whatever event he’s attending. If you encounter this guy at a restaurant, he’ll comment on the “tasty meal” he just had. If you feel compelled to chat with your dick in your hand, you’re “that guy.”
Friday is here, FINALLY! I can’t complain too much, this week has been pretty great. Well, any week that starts off with a Bears win over the hated Packers on a Monday night is destined to be good.
Wednesday night Steve aka Spider-Ham and I created two new, amazing burgers. Email info@manbque.com for recipes.
Thursday was Man B Que at Ricky Thumbs’ and Tom Grilling’s place. It only took 4 years for them to step up and host. Sorry, cheap shot. Anyway, the food was amazing. It seems like every Man B Que member has been stepping up their game. Dirty Sanchez made some Indonesian shrimp. They were spicy, gingery and delicious. New guy, Lord of the Flies, floored everybody with his pork belly sliders topped with his own secret mustard and slaw recipe. They were truly amazing, everybody was ready for a nap after them. Sean aka Shower curtain made some awesome bacon wrapped pork that we dubbed, “Ms. Piggy’s fingers.” New guy, “80’s Coke Beard” made a chipotle pork chop sandwich that had people tearing up, Valentine aka Sweetheart made some tasty Russian burgers; the list goes on. Good job everyone. I can’t wait for next month’s Man B Que that will be held at Twist-off Jones’ Castle on Oct. 28th. Keep your eyes open for your invitation
Randomness:
A first at Man B Que: Tribuzio brothers, Joey Cans and No Name Steak, went from really cheesy fake fighting to knocking each other in the gut. “Practice your one inch punch on my stomach.” Yes, that was an actual quote. Crazy Italians.
I’m a sucker for this crap: So I’m Cruising Craigslist for stuff to fill up my new digs. Some of this stuff is so ridiculous but so cheap that you almost feel stupid for passing it up. “Hmm, I can really use this Sri Lankan wall hanging.” Man, it would be disaster if I was ever approached by a drug dealer, “wait, this crack rock is ONLY $10? Can’t pass this up.”
Now this is happening: While on lunch I was driving behind a car that had a bunch of band bumper stickers and I thought, “what’s the point?” Do people place stickers on their cars so they can open themselves up to being judged? “Is that a Nine Inch Nails sticker??? Oh my goth!” My co-worker said stickers were there to simply tell people around you what you like. So I thought to myself, “where do I get pizza and blowjob stickers?”
September’s Meatcast calls for a hot evening across Logan Square with Meat Aromas running in the high 100’s. Chicken breeze will give way to increasing late night munchies. A blanket of burgers is on the way, resulting in expanding bellies and glistening chins across Logan Square.
Location: Rick and Tom’s Rooster Shack
2930 W. Shakespeare #2
Chicago, IL
Whoa, is it Friday already? Well, another work week down the drain. This one started off rather painfully. Lemme explain: Sunday morning tailgating, all day drinking, and Sunday night karaoke all added up equal a brutal Monday morning. I think it was my un-natural bending and awkward gyrations during my karaoke renditions of Bryan Adams’ “Everything I Do” and Led Zeppelins’ “Whole Lotta Love.” People say I look like MC Hammer on crack. That’s OK because I got things in motion. Anyway, it is pretty pathetic that my karaoke movements made my muscles sore.
This was Mexican Independence week, which was perfect because my tequila overindulgence and 2am burrito cravings were finally accepted as a celebration of my culture as opposed to alcoholism and drunken munchies. Phew! I went to a pretty cool event downtown that had a pretty awesome mariachi performance and I came to the realization that mariachi makes everything more awesome. I wonder how awesomer (yes, I said “awesomer”) what some of my favorite songs would sound like if the were mariachied. (I just invented that word. From now on when something should be made better, it should be “mariachied”)
Check out the sweet mustaches!
My dream playlist that should be “mariachied:”
1. Raining Blood-Slayer
2. The Four Horsemen-Metallica
3. Billie Jean- Michael Jackson
Another awesome mariachi moment happened yesterday when there was a random mariachi playing songs on the corner of an intersection in my neighborhood. It was quite the pleasant surprise. There they were, the chubby mariachi men, playing their hearts out as traffic drove by and pedestrians made there way through the day. The smile on my face quickly disappeared when I realized that they were on display, almost like a goddamn circus sideshow. (Actually, it really wasn’t like a sideshow, I just freaked out because I had a flashback to when I was a kid and my parents would make me “do something funny” for the guests we would have over. Bastards. Sorry, my stream of consciousness has made a fool of me yet again.)
After the random mariachi incident, I headed off to check out Mastodon, Deftones and Alice in Chains. The line-up was a bit like a reverse passing of the rock and roll torch. Realistically, it should have played out like that, but it didn’t and we were forced to watch the rock awesomeness in order of descent. Mastadon was great, but not loud enough. The Deftones were ok. They’re like the four-door sedan of rock; they’re not going to really impress you or blow you away, but they will get you to the next act without total discomfort. During the set, my buddy, who I am convinced is part gorilla, Petrucci, somehow convinced me that I wasn’t as old as I know I am and got me to go down to the mosh pit. Lucky for me, the Deftones have enough lame, anti-climactic metal songs that the pit never got going again, sparing my brittle bones and old man body. I was really hoping Alice in Chains would blow my mind. I had visions of a zombie Layne Staley coming out on stage and scaring the shit out of everyone. Instead it was some Lenny Kravitz looking guy in skinny jeans. A zombie would have been better. In the end, Alice in Chains came across as the best Alice in Chains cover band ever.
Zombie Rock Stars!
On the way back to our car, Joseph Grease decided it would be a wise idea to stop by Maxwell Street and get a pork chop sandwich. I don’t know if it was a by-product of too many $11 beers, but I too decided a Maxwell Street pit stop was needed. Big mistake. My damn fingers smelled like grilled onions all day and I got to break in my new plunger! TMI?
Have a great weekend everyone. Stop by Joe’s Barber Shop on Sunday for a Hangover Shave! Whatever it is you do, make sure there’s grilling involved…
My Friday drive to work is always a great time to think about the week that was; Successes, failures and everything else in between. The week started off with a huge failure that was based on a previous success. Huh? Lemme explain: My friend George over at Whole Foods taught me a really great Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Recipe to be made on the grill. Well, I went out and got a nice, new cast iron skillet and was ready to rock it out. Problem was, I got the wrong size skillet. The American in me said, “fuck it, go big,” so I got the 12-inch skillet instead of the 10-inch that the recipe called for. Who would have thought those two inches would make such a difference? (Insert, “that’s what she said,” joke) They did make a difference and my cake was burnt to hell. In any case, when done correctly, this cake is awesome. The recipe is pretty easy so you can make it to impress your friends. If your friends are in jail, make sure to add a shank or a metal file to the recipe.
So I burned a cake I made over the grill, pretty disgraceful. “And you’re the Godfather of Man B Que?” Ok, fail. Fine. Well, there is only one sure path to redemption; make an awesome recipe. What can be more awesome than a Mac and Cheese burger??? I wish I could take full credit for this, but my buddy Metro, out in Philly, threw the idea at me, so in his honor the burger will be known as the Metro Mac and Cheese burger. This burger was deeeeeelicious. Email me, info@manbque.com, for the recipe.
Look at it, LOVE it.
Rant:
1. I attended an event hosted by Mayor Daley; he personally invited me. (Ok, maybe it was his P.R. people, but the invitation did say, “Mayor Daley cordially invites you…”) This was a day after he announced that he wasn’t running for re-election. I shook his hand and told him I was glad to meet him, but what I wanted to say was, “I’m glad you’re done, you crook.” Kinda like that Seinfeld episode, you know, “the jerk store called, they’re out of YOU.” Anybody? No? Really? Ok, moving on…
2. I was driving behind a VW Beetle with the license plate “QT GIRL.” When I pulled up next to the car, QT GIRL turned out to be an OLD GUY. They should make magnets warning people that the vehicle they are driving with the stupid vanity plates does not belong to them; unless they’re cool with being ridiculed and judged. In this case, the whole situation could have been easily avoided with a simple, spousal, verbal threat. “Listen here, first off, it’s a f@cking Beetle, that’s bad enough. Now you want to get some bullsh@t vanity plates that say QT GIRL? You must be f@cking crazy. No, not happening!” This would have been acceptable in 1952. Just remember, this is a rant, not an advice column.
3. Football season has officially kicked off! FINALLY! The ONLY downside: fantasy football has also begun. Ok, I’ll admit it, I belong to a league, but it’s mostly to keep in touch with friends out of state. We don’t have draft parties and/or bet money. It’s FANTASY. Nobody wants to admit it, but this is the same thing as Dungeon’s and Dragons. It sounds dorky to say something like, “my Zorknor Dragon just scorched your wizard, “ but it’s just as lame to say, “my running back just got me 200 points.” FANTASY football. You know what else is fantasy? Unicorns. Let’s call it Unicorn Football League.
4. A couple of Patsy Cline songs popped onto my shuffle playlist followed by some Etta James. The songs were about heartbreak and pretty much being emotionally run-over by a guy. Most of their songs seem to follow this same theme. I picture them being like those girls we all used to know that would fall for a guy, do whatever that guy wanted only to get dumped later on when the guy met a girl that wouldn’t do EVERYTHING. You know what I’m talking about. I do feel bad that two of my favorite artists went through this, but if they hadn’t, there wouldn’t be great music. Right?
5. My Friday workday kicked off with this phone call:
Potential client: “So, my brother was driving drunk and he hit an undercover cop. Do you think we need a lawyer?”
Me: “Yes. Yes. Very much so.”
If you’re in Chicago, make sure to drink and eat a lot at German Fest going on in Lincoln Square all weekend. Sunday I will be at the Bears home opener! Damn right I’ll be tailgating!!! Have a great weekend, people!!!
