The storefront is plain and unassuming - just like their food! Indoors is about the same, and their placemats go well with the look of the coleslaw.
I am fully aware that the title to this article is a bit bizarre. For the most part, I am aware of the things I write being somewhat bizarre in general. Today as I was thinking about where to eat, the first place I went was closed too early. The second place I tried was open too late. The last place I went was open JUST right. Really, I could have gone plenty of places that would have fit this Goldilocks reference, but the restaurant I ultimately ended up at was perfectly fine and seemed focused on value and comfort foods – the proverbial “just right” that Goldilocks always seemed to seek right before being chased off by bears.
The Smokehouse is a place I assumed would have a lot of smoked meats and cheeses and mostly be focused on sandwiches. My assumption was wrong. The restaurant itself smelled mostly like Lysol, which was clean but I am not sure if that is the kind of smell I look for when sitting down to eat. It definitely is not as tantalizing as the smell of smoked meats.
Overall, the menu is filled with comfort foods. Hamburgers, grilled cheese, BBQ, standard breakfast fare. The thing I was most amazed about were the prices. I got a number of things and still my bill was right at $10. Value seekers will be quite pleased with getting the best bang for their buck.
The decor is basic. When I visited, The Smokehouse was all decked out for St. Patrick’s Day with little leprechauns on tables, shamrocks on walls and green throughout. Unfortunately, their dining area is one big brick room that lacks a lot of character. When you first walk in, there is bar style seating in another section that seemed a little more homey, and it seems the restaurant must do a lot of take-out from signs that state rules about ordering and needing to take the food elsewhere if you come in for take out. I am not sure why that particular rule is there. I mean, if you order take out the very nature of the term “take out” means you do not plan on staying, right?
The condiment-less Salmon Cake Sandwich along with cheese fries, followed by meringue-o-licious coconut cream pie!
I started my meal with coleslaw. My last coleslaw experience was horrid, and this was better than what is offered at the Capitol Food Court. But it is times like this where I realize I am a connoisseur. It comes out in strange places for me, so why not in coleslaw? This recipe was plain and seemed to need something extra. Perhaps some more pepper, and maybe the slight horseradish taste was a bit too much for me, but it was just okay – edible but nothing exciting.
The salmon cake sandwich was BORING. Seriously, I could have just gone to any seafood department of a grocery store, bought salmon burgers, toasted one and put it on the bun and it would be exactly the same as what they did here. In fact, I am almost certain that is what they DID do. There were zero condiments on the sandwich, no lettuce, no tomato, no mayo. I thought about asking for some, but settled for some ketchup (which was not chilled, for those of you who have read about me liking that for reasons unknown).
The cheese fries were basically made by slopping some plain nacho cheese on top of fries. Again, very plain and nothing exciting by any stretch of the imagination – although I suppose having cheese on them allowed me to add a little something extra to my bland sandwich.
I decided to finish up with dessert, which is not common for me. They have a number of pies, and I do enjoy coconut, so the coconut cream pie slice was placed in front of my eyes soon after mentioning it to my waitress. It was heavy on the meringue, but was pretty tasty overall.
Now in reading my review, it might seem that I did not like my experience at The Smokehouse. However, when I consider the bulk of what I got for $10, it was an excellent deal that was filling even if it was a boring meal that could have used a little more imagination from the chefs. Oh, and they had a Word Find as a placemat, where I managed to find my own words instead of the ones they wanted me to find. I am such a rebel – just like Goldilocks – but I don’t break and enter like she does and bears did not chase me out of the restaurant. I almost wish they had cause that would have made for a much more interesting tale.
Word Finds are awesome when you find your own words.
I’d rate a little lower. It is a great place for cheap eats, but you get exactly what you pay for – and if I am going out to eat, I’d prefer to pay a bit more to get tastier food.
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