Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

I’d heard rumors that a restaurant was going to occupy the abandon gas station at the corner of Platt and S Boulevard. Then, while attending a City Council hearing, I heard of a new restaurant going by the name Smoke. I thought it was very clever, the name, Smoke. The lawyer, representing the owner’s of Smoke, declared it would be a barbeque restaurant unlike anything Tampa had seen. I made a mental note and filed it away, “try Smoke.”

Running errands, I found myself at this very corner today and remembered the buzz. Suddenly, I had time for lunch.

From all corners of Platt and S. Boulevard, one can see the red circle Smoke sign hanging from a chain. It reads: Smoke Barbeque and Grill

I rolled into the gravel parking lot and saw a few men sitting outside at the patio tables. It was just quarter past 11 A.M. They were sitting at a table, lined and ready for a large party. The patio was very nice, well kept. It felt kind of sheik, but this is BBQ isn’t it?

I approached the hostess station and three bubbly servers greeted me immediately and stated I could sit wherever I chose.

Inside sat roughly 15 booths, separated from a bar that I swear reminds me of an old-school Southern screened-in porch, which is accessed from another door. Various paintings and Media art hung from the walls with each artists name and contact information displayed.
The booths were very finely crafted pine, stained lightly and quite comfortable. The floors were also pine, again a feeling of an old Southern home. It had the feel of a trendy bistro. Someplace you might find in Atlanta’s mid-town or Austin’s Capital ave. Not Tampa and not for a BBQ restaurant. I was very intrigued.

Heather, our server, greeted my table as soon as we sat down and promptly told us that the kitchen didn’t open for another ten minutes, but she would be happy to get us drinks in the meantime. Due to the almost unbearable humidity, ice water was needed, but now I had wished I had ordered their Passion Fruit Iced Tea ($1.50) or one of their many milkshakes ($3).

Right at 11:30, Heather approached us for our order.

The menu had everything a BBQ restaurant should have; ribs, pulled pork, brisket, chicken, and all the sides, but closer examination showed Bourbon BBQ Duck ($17), Passion Pepper Salmon ($15), and Sweet Moroccan Lamb Chops ($18) with various other global influences. This would not be the typical BBQ restaurant experience.

We settled on the standards. We figured we’d try those and if it was good, come back for the rest. I can tell you, we will be going back, a lot.

About 10 minutes after ordering, out came Smokes Pulled Pork Shoulder Sandwich ($7) with Potato Salad, a side of Macaroni N’ Cheese ($2.95), Grilled Sausages Sandwich ($7) with Cole Slaw and a side of Passion Pepper Baked Beans ($2.95).

My first bite of the Potato Salad told me this would not be the normal BBQ restaurant, as if the décor, menu, and staff weren’t enough. It was actually potato salad made on site. Rough cuts of celery, peppers, and boiled eggs with nicely cooked red potatoes in a mayonnaise based sauce that was not too thick and not too thin. I told my husband, that I believed Smoke’s potato salad was just as good as his, something he prides himself on.

The Cole slaw was again, made on site. Someone is actually in Smoke’s kitchen, shredding cabbage. It was an unusual twist on the old classic, a combination of red cabbage, garlic dill pickles, and possibly apples. The mayonnaise vinaigrette was just that, vinaigrette, just like I make at home. It left a familiar after taste, which I am almost certain, is apple cider vinegar.

The Passion Pepper Baked Beans were loaded with super moist brisket and sausage. They had an almost chili taste, but not really. A combination of black beans and pinto beans (perhaps), afforded a really good play on flavors.

The sausage sandwich was very large and filled with a few types of sausage. The platter ($12) includes sweet Italian, Colombian, Chorizo, and Veal-Pork Herb sausage, so I can only assume this was the combination nestled in a super soft hoagie style roll smothered with caramelized sweet peppers. The sausages were smoky and very juicy. It was the best smoked sausage sandwich I have ever eaten.

The pulled pork sandwich was just plain good. The pork shoulder was perfectly smoked leaving behind the familiar smoky red marks and the sauce seemed to be a combination of mustard and tomato, yet it wasn’t too tart from mustard nor too thick from tomato. Just to make it that much better, Smoke’s tops each huge sandwich with one large Black and Tan beer battered onion ring. I had sauce running down my palms and could have cared less.

The final side dish to be fought over and gobbled down was the most incredible macaroni and cheese I’ve ever eaten. They took the classic Southern style mac and cheese and made it better than I ever thought imaginable. Served on a little cast iron pan, a little milk still laid in the bottom of the pan, cheddar cheese melted on top, and what appeared to be some kind of white cheddar cracker. At first, I thought “oh no, they’ve not cooked it long enough.” WRONG! The residual heat of the cast iron pan continues to cook the dish while it rests in the pan. By the time you make your way to the mac and cheese, it is an ooey gooey dream of cheesy goodness, affording them to serve the perfect Southern staple.

As if this wasn’t enough, Heather surprised us with an order of Vandella’s Sour Cream Pound Cake and Grilled Fruits with real Vanilla Ice Cream ($5). We’re still not sure why she treated us to this heavenly concoction. Maybe it was because after finding out who owns the place, Rick Knapik (former Exe Chef of Ceviche’s), Tony Bruno (former Exe Chef of St. Bart’s), and Gordon Davis (the mastermind behind the whole Smoke concept and longtime Tampa restaurateur), a Restaurant Dream Team if you will, it turns out my husband had done “time” with Tony at Mise en Place back in the mid ‘90’s and well, that happened to be her boyfriend. I can say this, we aren’t complaining. Smoke’s uses only the best ice cream (Tonya and Matt’s Ice Creamiest) and all pastries are made on site. The pound cake was very moist and the grilled pineapple was delicious. It was the first time I have ever eaten vanilla ice cream that had a brown hue from the sheer amount of vanilla bean and extract. It was perfect.

Will I be going back? You can bet I will. There wasn’t a single thing wrong; from service to the food it was perfect. With a team of partners like the list above, it had better be perfect. These guys do what they do, because they love it. They care about the food they make and they care about what their customers think. This is the kind of place you can go to in a bad mood and leave with a smile, because it is that good.

Credit Cards accepted
901 W. Platt Street 33606
813-254-7070
Wet Zoning Pending

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