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Local Flavor: Lynnie Ques’ pulled pork and BBQ mussels fly high

pulled pork

Lynnie Ques Airport Bar & Grill earns Local Flavor award for flavorful BBQ in an aviation atmosphere

by Josh Bootsma, with Melanie Jongsma

LANSING, Ill. (January 2, 2023) – Lynn Cartwright has lived the restaurant lifestyle since childhood, when her parents owned Thornton’s first restaurant. She worked at Dairy Queen, Colucci’s, and Popolano’s, and she has loved serving up familiar foods to a loyal following of hungry patrons. When she began her own catering and take-out business — Lynnie Ques BBQ — her pulled pork became locally famous. Six years ago she transformed that business into a dine-in restaurant when she landed the opportunity to take over the second-floor restaurant space overlooking the Lansing Municipal Airport. Lynnie Ques Airport Bar & Grill has become a favorite stop for pilots and passengers landing in Lansing. Others love it for the friendly staff, classic menu, and casual sit-down dining.

Lynnie Ques contact info
Address: 3249 Glenwood Lansing Road, Lansing IL, 60438
Phone: 708-474-7837
Facebook: Click here

Signature dishes: Pulled Pork Sandwich and BBQ Mussels

Lynnie’s “BBQ” sauce is a local flavor itself, and it can be applied to nearly anything on the Lynnie Ques menu. Cartwright chose to showcase her popular Pulled Pork Sandwich and her BBQ Mussels.

Pulled Pork Sandwich
Eating the Pulled Pork Sandwich is the last step of a process that takes at least 12 hours. Cartwright uses bone-in portions of pork butt because she finds that smoking the meat with the bone adds extra flavor. The pork is seasoned with a special mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and onion powder before going into the smoker overnight. Twelve hours later, the smoked, seasoned pork is then shredded by hand, piled onto a soft, toasted bun, and topped with a pickle. Patrons can choose either of two barbecue sauces. Lynnie Ques’ signature BBQ sauce strikes a savory balance of subtle sweetness and tangy zip, while the mild option has a more bold sweetness. The Pulled Pork Sandwich is served with seasoned fries, baked beans, and Popolano’s-style coleslaw.

pulled pork
Lynn Cartwright, owner of Lynnie Ques, uses meat shredder claws to turn smoked pork butt (seen at left) into pulled pork. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma)

BBQ Mussels
Though the average diner might not expect to enjoy a rich, flavorful plate of mussels at a restaurant specializing in barbecue, Cartwright’s BBQ Mussels did not disappoint. Cooked in a combination of olive oil, garlic, beer, and the signature BBQ sauce, the appetizer is a perfect sharable option for barbecue and seafood aficionados alike. The mussels are meaty without tasting overly “fishy,” so they pair well with the sauce. The generous serving is based on weight, not quantity, so the actual number of mussels varies slightly per order. We counted over 20 in ours. The dish comes with a handful of small pieces of toasted bread, which dip perfectly in the garlic-BBQ sauce at the bottom of the plate.

The BBQ Mussels at Lynnie Ques are served with small garlic toasts that can be dipped in the sauce at the bottom of the generous serving dish. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma)

Atmosphere

Lynnie Ques is the only restaurant in Lansing with a birds-eye view of the airport, and Cartwright makes the most of that with her decor. Giant photos of aircraft and the airfield wallpaper the interior walls, while the windows opposite allow diners to watch activity on the runway. Life-size photos of Charles Lindberg and Amelia Earhart mark the entrances to the men’s and women’s restrooms. Model airplanes hang from the ceiling, and astute observers will find other aviation artwork on walls, shelves, and bulletin boards throughout the space.

Lynnie Ques pulled pork
Giant photos add to the aviation atmosphere of Lynnie Ques Airport Bar & Grill. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma)

Other notes

Lynnie Ques Airport Bar & Grill is located at 3249 Glenwood Lansing Road, on the north border of the Lansing Municipal Airport. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma)
  • Lynnie Ques is on the second floor of the building at 3249 Glenwood Lansing Road, so an elevator greets people at the main entrance. The door is clearly marked, as are the buttons outside and inside the elevator.
    pulled pork
    The main entrance of Lynnie Ques is a vestibule to the elevator. (Photo: Josh Bootsma)
  • Live music is scheduled a few weekends a month.
  • A full bar and separate gaming area are available beyond the main dining area and stage.
  • Lynnie’s is located on the same property as the Lansing Veterans Memorial and the Ford Hangar, two Lansing landmarks that are also worth a visit.

Additional info

In October 2022, The Lansing Journal interviewed Lynnie about the ghost of Amelia Earhart that some say visits Lynnie Ques:


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Melanie Jongsma
Melanie Jongsma
Melanie Jongsma grew up in Lansing, Illinois, and believes The Lansing Journal has an important role to play in building community through trustworthy information.

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