Sugar Grove is a fast growing bedroom community on the far west side of the Chicago suburbs. There is also a large complex of warehouses and small industrial sites just off Interstate 88 outside of the city. My company's North American warehouse is located just outside of Montreal, but with all the silliness going on between the U.S. and Canada these days, it's been tougher and tougher to get packages shipped across the border without U.S. Customs dissecting each shipment and delaying transit times. It's also caused us to not being able to ship products overnight or 2-day services for people who need equipment right away. We've been scouting warehouse sites in the U.S. and friends of ours in the audio industry have been using a bonded warehouse outside of Sugar Grove as a third-party logistics center. I had a mid-morning meeting with the guys who run the warehouse recently and on a couple previous meetings there, I noticed that there was a pretty nice looking restaurant right at the front entrance of the business park. After I finished my meeting around 11:15 and before I hit the road to head home, I stopped in to the Burnt Barrel Social to check the place out and have some lunch.
Jim Ratos grew up in the far western suburbs of Chicago helping his father in a restaurant the family managed, then later owned. After graduating high school in 1973, Ratos had one goal in mind - to own his own business and control his own destiny. He eventually owned his own restaurant in Ottawa, IL, but by 1982 he had moved back to the Sugar Grove/Yorkville area to plan his next venture.
Ratos got into land development and construction, primarily building small apartments and some commercial developments. In 1985, he started Parkway Development that eventually went into the construction of medial centers and parks in the area. And his focus in providing office spaces for professionals when he began to design and develop buildings for lawyers and accountants who were moving into the far western reaches of Chicago.
Ratos continued to develop other projects including a 10-plex cinema and a child care center, and he was one of the first Jimmy John's franchisees in the Chicago area. Along with his sub shops, Ratos also started Legends Grill & Bar - today a three-location sports bar in the far western suburbs; and Lakeview Grille - a popular fine dining establishment in Yorkville.
While Ratos raised four children, only his namesake - Jimmy - became involved in the restaurants. Like his father and grandfather, Jimmy Ratos loved the restaurant business and was one of the managers at the Lakeview Grill. But he wanted to run his own place and he teamed with restaurant veteran Matt Strong to come up with a new concept that focused on a wide selections of bourbons and whiskies, an upscale bar menu that focused on fresh ingredients, and all of which would be served in a comfortable and hospitable environment.
Through Parkway Development, the new restaurant was built in a development on the northwest side of the intersection of Illinois State Highway 47 and U.S. Highway 34 in Yorkville in the late 2010's. On March 12, 2020, Ratos and Strong opened Burnt Barrel Social to a strong first weekend. However, four days later, the state of Illinois ordered all bars and restaurant across the state to shut down due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
It may have been lucky for Burnt Barrel Social to be open for just a few days to get the kinks out of their system and to work on things during the shutdown. When they were allowed to reopen in the summer of 2020 for to-go orders, it remained a popular place. And when all restaurants were able to reopen for regular dining in 2021, Burnt Barrel Social became a hot ticket on the food scene in Yorkville.
The Yorkville location became so popular that Ratos and Strong surveyed the area for a second location for Burnt Barrel Social. They found a spot at the corner of Heartland Drive and Illinois State Highway 47 at the front entrance to the industrial/business park and construction of the building commenced in 2022. In May of 2023, the second location for Burnt Barrel Social opened to the public. (see map)
When I walked into Burnt Barrel Social just before 11:30, the place was pretty empty. But within five minutes of sitting down at the wood-carved, contoured bar, the place began to fill up quickly. The front part featured a large dining space with flat screens on the wall that hid a beverage station. It was sort of a strange layout with the host stand sort of sitting in the middle of the room near the bar. But it was sort of elegant and homey at the same time.
The rear of the restaurant featured a wing that had more tables and was highlighted by a large fireplace along the back wall. There were a few high-top two-seater tables along the wall opposite the three-sided bar.
There is a small room off to the side of the front dining area that could be used for overflow dining or private parties/events. It appeared that this room was definitely not a main part of the restaurant.
Outside there are two patio areas - both are off to the side of the back wing of the restaurant. This patio area featured an AstroTurf base where people could go out and stand when the weather was warmer. The big patio on the other side, however, featured a large outdoor fireplace and would be used as an outdoor seating area in warmer weather.
The bartender/server that helped me that day was a young lady by the name of Amber. Or maybe it was Amy. I don't remember because she was more interested in talking with some guys caddy-cornered across the bar from me. I was given a food menu when I came in and I ordered up a Gummylicious hazy IPA from Noon Whistle Brewing in nearby Naperville and in west suburban Lombard. It was probably a little too early in the day to have a beer, but what the hell. Starting my weekend a little early.
I noticed that they certainly had a large number of various bottles of liquor on the shelves on the backbar and I took a look at their drink menu to see what they had to offer just for the hell of it. They had over 60 different bourbons available at Burnt Barrel Social, about 17 rye whiskies, and over a dozen varieties of Scotch. Definitely a bourbon/whiskey place, they only had 8 different types of tequila to choose from.
I was pretty hungry because I had a big lunch the previous day and didn't have dinner the night before or breakfast that same morning. I eagerly looked through the menu to see what they had to offer. The appetizers were interesting as they included a grilled sausage platter with bratwurst, knackwurst, and Polish sausage served with kraut and three different types of dipping sauce. Fried calamari was on the appetizer portion of the menu, as were wings, sliders, and a blackened chicken/avocado flatbread.
Soups and salads were available, as well as a number of sandwiches and burgers. Main entrees included a parmesan-crusted grouper, a 12 oz. grilled prime rib, a bourbon glaze salmon, Greek chicken kabobs, and a bone-in cabernet-braised short rib served on a bed of gnocchi dumplings. Now THAT sounded great!
But I ended up focusing more on the sandwich/burger part of the menu including the 8 oz. steak sandwich, the bourbon barbecue slow-roasted pork sandwich, and the "build-your-own" grilled cheese sandwich with a choice of six different cheeses, and where you could add a number of items including grilled steak, grilled chicken, a fried egg, sautéed mushrooms, avocado and thick-sliced bacon. I really thought about going that route.
But their description of "The Burger" on the menu sold me. It was a 10-ounce hand-packed black angus beef patty with a choice of six different types of cheese, and toppings that included onion straws, jalapeños, avocado and a fried egg. I got the burger topped with pepper jack cheese, thick-cut bacon, and sautéed mushrooms. It was served to me on a small backing sheet on wax paper.
I have to say the burger was dynamite. The patty was thick and juicy, full of great beef flavor. The pepper jack cheese oozed off the top of the burger patty, but it didn't overwhelm the flavor of the beef. The mushrooms were definitely fresh and were a wonderful compliment to the burger. And the smoky taste of the bacon helped blend all the flavors together. Lettuce, tomato, onions and dill pickles came with the burger and with everything piled high, it was a messy thing to eat. Nonetheless, the bun held together very well. It was definitely a multi-napkin burger. And it was a spot hitter.
I do have to say that the fries were also very good. They were a bit well-done, but didn't taste burnt. They had a flavor that they had possibly been cooked in beef tallow. There was a lot of the tray and I couldn't even come close to finishing half the fries after concentrating on the burger.
Other than the slow-at-the-switch service thanks to the bartender who was bantering back-and-forth with some young guys who appeared to be regulars seated at the bar, the experience at Burnt Barrel Social was very positive. First of all, the decor gives the place a homey feeling, the food I had was very good, and the spirits selections - especially the bourbons they had to offer - and the variety craft beers were top-notch. It's sort of funny to find a place like this sort out on the outskirts of Sugar Grove. But the way the area is growing, it will be surrounded by other businesses in a short amount of time.
Comments