Right on Q
Kobe Beef Barbecue in the Gold Coast

Sure, your Labor Day blowouts are legendary. (Three words: fireworks, hot tub.)

But a late-breaking development is about to rend the very fabric of your official weekend barbecuing agenda. Naturally, Kobe beef brisket is involved.

Ladies and gentlemen: we present Chicago q, a glamorous dispensary of smoked meats, saucy St. Louis ribs, smoked-olive martinis and bread pudding soaked in bourbon-caramel, opening Saturday morning in the Gold Coast.

Yes, the smoke deities have already been very good to you this summer, raining their Lillie’s Qs, Piggeries and Pork Shoppes down upon you in rapid succession. This, however, is something different, a rare, delicate, seldom-seen bird: the dress-up ’cue joint.

With its black leather booths and white linen light fixtures, you can take a date without losing the romance (licking fingers optional). With 18-ounce rib eyes and a lengthy wine list, you can wine and dine clients without losing the deal. With a 2am license and bacon-cheddar hush puppies, you can safely wind down your night.

The co-owner is a nationally acclaimed pit master—mistress, actually—who harnesses a forest full of various woods in order to match the perfect smoke for the dish. Two industrial smokers in the kitchen are capable of smoking a full ton of meat at a time.

Let’s hope it comes to that.