Firewater BBQ close to opening in Geneva

Barbecue fans in the Tri-Cities will have another option soon, as Firewater BBQ gets ready to open in a few weeks in Geneva.

The city council will vote Monday on giving the restaurant at 524 W. State St. a full-service restaurant liquor license.

"We are really shooting for about three weeks," company President Matt Weil told aldermen recently.

The company owns restaurants in Crest Hill and Lombard. It also owns the Whiskey Hill Brewing Co. in Westmont.

Alderman Dean Kilburg asked about smells from the restaurant emanating outside.

"I think we all like the smell of barbecue, but if all of a sudden you get it 24/7, it could be an annoyance," Kilburg said.

Weil reassured him that, if they operate their smoker properly, that shouldn't happen much. "If you have too much smoke it tastes bitter," Weil said.

The restaurant has installed a 4,300-pound, $42,000 smoker that will use logs, not pellets. It is capable of smoking six 150-pound pigs at a time, Weil said.