When I meet someone who has an obvious passion for what they do, it brings a smile to my face… especially if that someone is a person in the restaurant business.  I had the good fortune of meeting such an individual several weeks ago at a media dinner: Dave Raymond.  For those who may not know of whom I speak, Mr. Raymond is known affectionately as “Sweet Bay Ray”…  Yes, the very same as the name on the bottle of sauce that many of you douse your ribs and chicken with on a regular basis during grilling season.

The dinner I attended was held at Sweet Baby Ray’s restaurant on Higgins Road in Elk Grove and hosted by Messieurs Raymond, O’Brien and Papadopoulos (Mike O’Brien and Chef Paul Papadopoulos are owner-partners of the business).  The brief conversation I had with Sweet Baby Ray told me a bundle about the man, his passion, his incredible knowledge and his fervent desire to make certain that things are done right.  I knew in an instant that this man holds the keys to successful restaurant operation (later conversations with the Chef and Mr. O’Brien confirmed that they all shared the same visions).

Like many of you out there who enjoy grilling, I know as much about barbecue as I know about building a rocket ship… which simply means that I love to grill and love to eat what I grill.  But “barbecue” to me is pretty much a slab of ribs with – as a close friend used to say – mumbo sauce slathered over them.  Well, at least it used to be…  After I met "Sweet", things were definitely different.  Dave Raymond is what I would refer to as an aficionado, a maven, a connoisseur of barbecue.  He has traveled all over the country learning about different cuts of meat, various grilling and smoking methods, sauces and just about anything else that must be known in order to produce and offer a superb product at his restaurant.  And although the Sweet Bay Ray’s Barbecue Sauce may be your favorite for grilling ribs, you really should stop by the restaurant and sample some of the fare he has to offer there.  It is, in a word… outstanding.       

Sweet Bay Ray’s focuses primarily on authentic wood-smoked Chicago-style Barbecue.  But they also feature a sampling of flavors from New Orleans and other southern cities too.  The menu offers traditional baby back ribs (which we sampled… and they were tender and delicious), but it is also chock-full of lots of other exquisite barbecue creations.  Our dinner for instance, consisted of a Mini Wedge Salad (crisp iceberg lettuce wedge, green onions and applewood smoked bacon, topped with bleu cheese dressing), New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp Appetizer (pan-seared wild shrimp in a made-to-order New Orleans style barbecue sauce, served with crispy garlic bread), a Barbecue Sampler Platter (prepared especially for the dinner and unfortunately not on the menu: smoked baby back ribs, sliced beef brisket, mini Duce sandwich and barbecue salmon served with Chef Paul’s Corn Maque Choux and creamy coleslaw), and a special dessert trio of Mini Key Lime Pie, Mini Crème Brulee and a Mini Chocolate Brownie Deluxe.  My only regret was that I could not finish all that was on my plate... I was stuffed!  And I could not have picked out a favorite… it was all that incredibly good!

Sweet Baby Ray’s is a pure, simple and excellent example of how a restaurant that is not considered as “fine dining” can simply sweep one off one’s feet.  For starters, although the place opened in 2006, it appears as if it were just built.  Clean?  No… immaculate.  I would venture a guess that it is almost possible to eat off the floors.  Service is incredibly good, too.  One might argue that it was all this way simply because of the special occasion dinner.  So go ahead and argue.  But I watched the wait-staff in the other parts of the restaurant as they tended to diners; they were just as attentive and friendly as our servers.  And while this may not be a place where one would go for a two-hour dinner, I will guarantee that a meal here will not only fill but fully please as well.  The menu is huge and overflowing with any possible barbecue desire one might have.  Service is excellent, prices are extremely reasonable, the flavors are outstanding and the meat is cut-with-a-fork tender. 

If I were to review Sweet Baby Rays – and I realize that this probably sounds like a review but technically is not – I would probably award it Four Zins; it has all the pieces in place to make it one of my favorite places to go.  One of the other things that I really liked was that SBR’s does offer catering service.  And I can promise that if I ever again consider grilling for a large group of friends, my first call – before any of the invitations are sent – is going out to Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue in Elk Grove (they also have another location BTW, not far away in Wood Dale)

If James Taylor had met Dave Raymond and sampled his menu, the resulting musical hit would likely have been something different… perhaps …"Bar-be-cue Sweet Baby Rays"!  Hats off to Sweet Baby Ray and his partners; your vision is what many would seek but few can accomplish; for all you do, these Zins are for you!

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