Grilled Americana

Friday, I was on my way home when I got an excited phone call from The Boyfriend (henceforth referred to as The Boyfriend) asking if I wanted to go out for dinner.

Hmm. Hard choice.

Stay in and eat leftovers or go out and let others cook for me and serve me.

Yeah we were going out.

However this put us at a dilemma. I like to try new things and will eat almost anything. The Boyfriend is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. He won't eat vegetables and anything remotely out of the American-BBQ-Italian realm. So the restaurant had to be meat heavy and yet unique enough to hold my attention.

We had intended to visit the Smokehouse Grill for a while. I read a review on Newsday that was favorable so that was a plus. Besides if I had to go to Outback one more time, I'd scream.

So off we went.

When we walked in, the bar was full and a live band was playing. It wasn't quite clear where the host/ess was but when we turned to the dining area, we were immediately caught by a waitress and told to pick our seat. On a Friday at 9 pm the tables were mostly empty. The service, maybe aided by the lack of dining customers, was very prompt and friendly. I am not particularly patient and I never found myself fidgeting in annoyance.

As a note, their hot tea is a Lipton bag but I didn't expect anything different at a BBQ place.

The Boyfriend ordered a trio sampler; the babyback, the Smokehouse sparerib and the Texas beef rib platter with mashed potatoes and mac'n'cheese. I, encouraged by the Newsday review and our waitress, got a special: crab stuffed shrimp with rice and string beans, which came with salad.

I wish The Boyfriend's camera was working and I had pictures to post. Alas.

My salad arrived first, the Caesar dressing on the side. Unfortunately when I first looked at the dressing I was overcome with dubiousness. It looked thin. Pouring it onto the lettuce and single slice of tomato, I discovered that it was what it looked like, and didn't really coat the salad properly. It was also too heavy on a lemony-sour flavor that lacked the true complexity of a proper Caesar. The lettuce, being essentially flavorless as it generally is, could not rescue the salad. The tomato was mealy and flavorless, which is normal for winter tomatoes, but it makes me wonder why they served it. I would never order salad again and if it comes with the meal I probably wouldn't eat it unless I was starving.

Then came the meals. I have to admit I snitched food from The Boyfriend's large plate. The mashed potatoes were creamy and delicious, with some sort of background flavor I couldn't identify. I am not a great fan of mac'n'cheese so I went straight for the great hunks of meat. The ribs were juicy and flavorful. The BBQ sauce added a little zing to the meat but you could easily eat it without any extra saucing. The Boyfriend said it was delicious in a spicy-tangy way but wished there was some non-spicy BBQ sauce on the table.

My dinner however was a downer. The shrimp was either overcooked to begin with or overcooked in the reheating. The crab stuffing wasn't bad though somewhat mushy. The rice, once stirred with the scampi sauce, was decent but nothing special. I think, as a non-vegetarian, I was a little sad that the only really amazing thing on my plate was the beans. They were a perfect tender-crisp and gently seasoned.

Overall though I think this place is worth a visit. I intend to go back and order their pulled pork. I'll just stay far away from the seafood.

After checking their site, I discovered they frequently have live music. If it's all of the same quality, the bar may be a good place for drinks and music. As a minor note, I wouldn't recommend dining there for a first or a romantic date. The noise level from the band was just a touch too loud. Though generally BBQ does have that messy factor that pretty much precludes any romantic possibility... unless the sight of your significant other's face covered in BBQ sauce does it for you of course.

-Vixen

Smokehouse Grill
296 W. Main St.
Sayville, NY 11782
Reservations for 5 and more recommended
website