Like phone numbers and ill-considered doctoral theses, barbecue sauce often ends up on a napkin. Dole out savory blots with today's Groupon to Smokehouse Restaurant in Elgin. Choose between the following options:

• For $11, you get a barbecue buffet for two (a $22 value).
• For $25, you get $50 worth of catering.

Smokehouse Restaurant slings made-from-scratch southern fare, which its cooks prepare daily from family recipes and gussy up with mustard-, vinegar-, and ketchup-based barbecue sauces. The barbecue buffet tempts dining duos with ribs, broccoli salad, fried chicken, catfish stew, and barbecue chicken that's juicier than gossip at the Pentagon. Alternatively, the catering menu assembles one or two customer-preferred meats, such as smoked ham, fried chicken, or ribs, with a choice of three sides, including collard greens, mac-'n'-cheese, fried okra, or potato salad. Smokehouse Restaurant rounds out its catered bounty with dessert, bread, and beverages for each person ($8–$10 per person), so party hosts don’t need to force guests to don soundproof jump suits to prevent a cacophony of stomach rumbles.