Well today is the day. Smokin’ BarBQ has opened in Clinton Township. 
I’ve watched this place go from a Dunkin Donuts through a metamorphosis into a BBQ restaurant. Knowing a little about BBQ myself, and knowing a little more than the average person about the food service industry, I decided to give it a try on the first day.
Now I did set my expectations and my opinions accordingly. There has not been a big media blitz or mailings to say “Hey We’re Open!” only an Open sign in the window and the street sign saying “Now Open”. I know that in any soft opening such as this the service hasn’t yet been established. This is a privately owned establishment, the first of possibly more, and there is no large corporately sponsored training program yet in place. As a result I wasn’t upset it took over a half hour to get our food.
Smokin’ BarBQ offers a nice array of items on the menu. They offer pulled pork, chopped beef brisket, pulled chicken, ribs, wings, sides, desserts and drinks. No beer, wine or alcohol. The restaurant seats about 38 people between tables for two, four, or a counter seat on a high bar style chair by the window. The decor is nice, and clean. It should be as they just opened. Two large flat panel screens are on display.
We ordered our food via the phone and were politely greeted. Our order was taken, confirmed and a total provided in a very timely manner. I was told it would be ready in about 15 minutes.
After 10 minutes I got in the car and drove the less than a mile to this location. Being that I love to cook BBQ and I love to eat it more, I really wanted to review what they had.
I will admit that the service was slow, and there seemed some level of confusion regarding the counter and who did which jobs. A little cross training will resolve this. As for the food preparation the kitchen staff is visible via an opening. It was apparent that this is the slow down. The staff, again being new and this is a soft opening, were trying to do too many things at one time. They need to work one order at a time, work down that list, move the order to the next station. It seemed they were staffed enough, just not enough experience. Again, this will come in time.
The owner was there working in the front helping get orders straight and ready. They offer a variety of different sauces which are included when you order. They are called Carolina Tang, Memphis Love, Michigan Cherry Apple, Smokin Heat, and Whiskey Jack. These are provided on the side in little cups with lids. Putting these in a separate bag might be good as one of mine opened up during transport home.
Our order was ready 35 minutes after I ordered it on the phone. What did we order? Well, here we go:
Anita ordered “The Boss Hog” a Pulled Pork topped with melted pepperjack cheese and coleslaw. The sandwiches say they come with coleslaw and 1 side as well. She ordered a side of BarBQ Beans.
I ordered the “Smokin’ Two” combo plate. This is two meats, two sides and a corn bread. As for my two meats, I choose the Chopped Beef Brisket and the Pulled Pork. My sides were the Mac and Cheese and the BarBQ beans as well.
My Choice in sauces:
- Memphis Love
- Michigan Cherry Apple
- Whiskey Jack
Anita enjoyed hers however the Coleslaw on the sandwich must have been the only coleslaw provided. It did not come with a side of it. She found that the meat was very flavorful, tender and good. In her personal opinion the pork could have been shredded a little finer for a sandwich. As she would take bites, large chunks would come out with the bite she took. Anita choose the Memphis Love for her sauce. A nice thick dark sauce that is quite sweet and has a unique flavor.
As for my meal the serving portions of the meat could have been about 50% bigger for the cost of the meal. ($13.99). With that being said, the pork was very tender with a nice hint of smokey flavor. I personally like my pork smoked a little stronger but this was very nice for a restaurant. The chopped beef brisket stopped me. It was incredibly tender. I was very impressed with the bark on it too. Many times the bark on a brisket can be dry and crisp, this wasn’t. And I was pleasantly surprised by the sweetness of it. There is a lot of brown sugar in their rub. My meal was missing a corn bread.
The sides were good. There are black, kidney and brown beans in the BarBQ Beans, with bacon, onions and some nicely pulled pork. (just the right size). The Mac and Cheese was creamy and home made using spiral noodles for the macaroni. Again nice job. Personally I love to cook both of these, however I add green pepper to my beans and I usually smoke both dishes in my electric smoker for a good 2 hours.
I selected the Whiskey Jack sauce. This is a red thinner sauce that I expected to be a lot like ketchup. MAN was I wrong. This is very nice flavor and the hint of whiskey was an outstanding surprise. This sauce won me. It was perfect for the pork, and I took the last of Anita’s Memphis Love for my beef. They complemented each meat perfectly.
For Elizabeth, we ordered the kids Mac and Cheese. This was to come with a drink and an order of fries. I didn’t realize this until I got home. What I got at first was merely a side of Mac and Cheese. This was about a half cup. At a cost of $3.99, it was not acceptable. Turns out they gave me the wrong thing. They immediately corrected that, however we did not get the fries or the drink.
Other than opening day jitters with service, and the food a little cold, the taste made up for it. We will be back.
Welcome to the neighborhood.
