Smoke BBQ Taquiera-A Diamond in the Rough

Selecting a restaurant to review can sometimes be difficult for Michelle and me. New restaurants open monthly and our list of eateries to try continues to grow. We aim to diversify our posts by eating various cuisines and dining at restaurants in different neighborhoods.  It is very easy to default to our favorite restaurants where we know the food will be good, the service will be pleasant, and the atmosphere will have us lingering for hours. Yet still we venture out of our comfort zone into the culinary unknown. On Saturday we went to Smoke BBQ Taquiera located in Homestead.

Michelle and I hadn’t heard much about the restaurant but the reviews on Urbanspoon sparked our interest. Smoke doesn’t have a website but has a Facebook page, though the information is very limited. Because Homestead isn’t known for its restaurants, we assumed Smoke would be like our local hole-in-the-wall tacos and Caribbean fusion restaurant that has three tables and a bar that seats only two. We couldn’t have been more wrong.

SMOKE is BYOB so we stopped at Hough’s my new favorite bar in Greenfield to enjoy a few beers and to pick up a growler to have with our dinner. Hough’s (pronounced “Huff’s”) extensive draft list and connection with Copper Kettle Brewery (where you can brew your own beer) offers a unique experience not offered anywhere else in the city. Michelle and I (and our misconceptions) arrived at Smoke around 8pm. We were welcomed by hardwood floors, olive painted walls with brick accents that led to a high ceiling, unique light fixtures, and a crowded restaurant. To our surprise, there was a 45 minute wait.

After an extensive wait, we were seated at an S shaped bar in front of a drafty stairwell that led to the basement. Our waitress provided us with waters, glasses for our beer, and menus. Michelle and I were intrigued by the eccentric taco selection. We agreed that we would order four different tacos and a side of the mac and cheese to get the full Smoke experience. Minutes felt like hours as we anticipated the arrival of food. The delay in being seated contributed to our impatience though Michelle and I agreed that the service was a bit slow.

I had the Wagyu brisket taco with sautéed onions, hot peppers, and BBQ mustard sauce. The meat was tender and had an enticing smoky flavor. The BBQ sauce was tangy and balanced the brisket well. I also had the pork taco with apricot habanero sauce and caramelized onions. The pork was juicy and the habanero sauce added a bit of spice. The caramelized onions were slightly sweet and contributed a different texture to the taco.

Michelle had the chorizo taco with pinto beans, crispy potatoes and smoked pepper pico de gallo. The taco was spicy but not unbearable and she enjoyed the different flavors and textures. She also had the chicken apple taco with bacon, cheddar, and smoked jalapeno mayo. The taco wasn’t spicy and was a great follow-up to the chorizo taco. Each ingredient was a complement to the other and was a unique alternative to more traditional tacos.

To share, we ordered the horseradish cheddar mac and cheese. We could not keep our forks out of this dish though at that point we were starving and we may have been a bit buzzed. You could taste both the horseradish and the cheddar and the texture was velvety smooth. You can also add meat to the mac and cheese if you would like to have it as a meal instead of a side.

Michelle and I have not stopped raving about Smoke since Saturday. Smoke is an affordable, trendy, BYOB that is worth a regular visit. Despite its unconventional location, limited seating, and slow wait staff, the food at Smoke is worthy overlooking their adversities.

-Mark

Banana (and everything else) Bread

Mark and I try to maintain healthy eating habits. Because of our work schedules, we subscribe to emeals, an online weekly meal planner. Every Thursday we receive a list of 7 clean eating dinners. The ingredients are natural and simple and the portion sizes are moderate. We don’t have much “junk food” in our house and we rarely have an after dinner treat except when dining out or having a dinner party with friends. On occasion I do stumble upon a new recipe that I want to try, or have a craving for something specific (usually salty, fried, sweet or a combination of). 

I like experimenting with adaptations of banana bread because the possibilities are endless. It is an opportunity for me to be creative and to use up a few things in the kitchen. For this version I added chocolate chips, peanut butter, and walnuts to the ingredients.  My inspiration for this derived from the skinny chocolate-caramel banana bread recipe by Recipe Girl (there’s no caramel in my banana bread but whatever).

We are prepared to manage my random cravings, so our cabinets are stocked with the baking essentials-flour, sugar, baking soda, vanilla extract, etc. We buy bananas when shopping but by the end of the week, we were out (only a small obstacle). On Friday after work, Mark and I picked up a few very ripe bananas. Unfortunately I got distracted that evening and all day on Saturday and did not make the banana bread until Sunday afternoon.  No worries though; the blacker the banana, the sweeter the banana bread.

2 cups stone ground whole wheat flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter

2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

3 medium bananas mashed

½ cup egg whites (or 2 large eggs)

1/3 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

½ cup creamy peanut butter

Place the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Toast the walnuts on an ungreased baking pan for 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Because I don’t weigh my dry ingredients, I use a dry measuring cup to take a big scope of the ingredient and then I use a butter knife to scrap off the excess. Don’t pack it in. 

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the bananas, peanut butter, sugars, applesauce, sour cream, eggs, butter, and vanilla extract.

Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula until combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts (reserve a few chocolate chips and walnuts to sprinkle on top).

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips and walnuts on top. Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick or sharp knife inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs or clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Place a piece of foil loosely on top of the loaf if to browns too quickly.

Cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes and then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you can believe it, Mark and I waited until that evening to indulge ourselves in the banana bread. After I finished baking, we made anti-Super Bowl chorizo and shrimp quesadillas with smoky guacamole. The serving size was for four and we failed to reduce the recipe in half, so we were full! We saved the banana bread for a no dinner dessert.

Mark and I loved the banana bread! It was dense like a bread should be, and moist but not too cake like. We could taste the banana, chocolate and walnuts in each bite...but not the peanut butter. Where'd it go? We don't know. Next time I will increase the peanut butter to 1 cup. This recipe was easy fun and combined a few ingredients that we both love.

-Michelle