Dallas is blessed with loads of stimulating enclaves, from Oak Cliff's Little Mexico, to Garland's Little Saigon, to Nate Newton's Little Humboldt County. Aiming to turn Fort Worth Avenue into Little Austin, Smoke, opening Saturday.
Purposefully setting up shop next to the Belmont Hotel, Smoke's the equally Austin-minded, bbq-centric spawn of an ex-Mansion chef and the owners of Oak Cliff's Bolsa; abetted by a blue-hued pool room and a picnic-tabled, live music-ready patio, the modern-rustic dining room plays white-clothed tables, suede'd booths, and a stark white fireplace against shabby-swankness like a pallet-mounted chandelier and wood paneling ganked from a Midlothian honky tonk. They smoke all meats on site, and serve all meals: breakfast ranges from the Hungry Bear Smoked Ham Steak & Farm Egg Fritter to Smoke Brisket Cornbread Hash w/ poached egg/green chili/onions; lunch centers around Scantron-ordered barbecue including sugar/coffee-rubbed brisket, paprika/chili/cumin-massaged ribs, pulled pork, two sausages, lemon-sage turkey, and Beer Can Farm Chicken, which thanks to their predilections are much easier to run down. Meanwhile, dinner trots out evening-enders like The Big Rib (w/ garlic fennel & Gorgonzola grits) and the EB&D Loaded Up and Truckin': beef, bacon, egg fritter & cheddar served on a griddled honey bun with "all kinds of pickles and BBQ fries" -- order two, and proceed to do what they say can't be done.
For max informality, the trapezoidal bar sports its own dinner menu (shaved ham on a cheese biscuit, etc), and slings a $25-$55/bottle wine list, on-tap brews (Lone Star, Fat Tire, Shiner & such), and signature drinks such as the Oronoco rum/root beer "Panhandle Thunder" -- because you don't need 175lbs of weed to get Amar-illin'.
