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An interior look at the newly opened Black Dog Smoke and Ale House in Urbana. (Photo by Anne-Marie Cheely)

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Black Dog Smoke and Ale House »
Address: 201 N. Broadway Ave. Urbana, IL 61801
Phone: (217) 344-9334
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CU has one of the greatest selections of food a small-town metropolis area can have. With so many options, people can be left feeling overwhelmed with choices. Where do I go? What do I order? What sides should I get? In order to help you readers, buzz will be going out to lunch each week and telling you what we ordered. This week, we sat down at Black Dog Smoke and Ale House, located at 201 N. Broadway Ave. in Urbana. Here’s what we thought:

Amanda Shively, music editor

Chose: Chicken breast sandwich with french fries

Price: $5.95

I always thought I didn’t enjoy cole slaw, especially on a sandwich, but the combo of cole slaw and BBQ was a great twist on the average chicken sandwich.

Tommy Trafton, editor in chief

Chose: Pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries

Price: $6.45

The barbecue sauce is just sweet and spicy enough, and it makes the sandwich juicy and flavorful. And then there’s the sweet potato fries, which may be the best in town, even rivaling Seven Saints’.

Rebekah Nelson, photo editor

Chose: Black Dog-style burger with sweet potato fries

Price: $6.45

The burger was a little sweet and a little spicy but mostly delicious. Oh, and sweet potato fries are 10 times better than regular fries.

Michell Eloy, food and drink/community editor

Chose: 1/3 rib slab with fries

Price: $5.95

The barbecue sauce was a little tangy for my taste, but the ribs were perfectly cooked, and they pulled right off the bone.

Jean Kim, arts and stage editor

Chose: Rib tips with cole slaw

Price: $5.95

The slaw definitely left something to be desired. It wasn’t a creamy slaw but a vinegary one — the vinegar was definitely not strong enough. The rib tips were great. The smokey flavor was spot on.