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