Tagged: summer foods

For Al Brinkman, barbecue is all about the smoke.  The owner of Al's BBQ Shack in DeKalb, Ill., insists meat should be cooked the old fashioned way: with wood smoke, slowly, for several hours.  "We don't use rubs or marinades," Brinkman says, "and everybody seems to enjoy it that way."

DeKalb County's summer haven from the heat is none other than Ollie's Frozen Custard in Sycamore.  The hotspot features tasty treats and a recognizable logo: Ollie, a smiling man with a bowler hat and bushy mustache.

Known most for its creamy custard, Ollie’s has been the post-baseball game favorite since 1985 with the opening of its first store in DeKalb. When space became limited, it moved to Oakland Drive in Sycamore in 1990.