Barque Smokehouse Restaurant

The first time I went to Barque Smokehouse restaurant, famished and desperate for sustenance, I had to skip it altogether and went to another restaurant a few doors down.  Why would I do  that, you might ask.  When I got by the door, I was told that the wait for a table would be around 20 – 30 minutes. That was a hard decision then as I am always a big fan of anything barbequed.  That taught me to either come early or have a reservation before returning.  Second time I tried was last night.  This time, I have ample time and was not in a rush.  As I waited, I do appreciate the friendliness and professionalism of the person receiving people and maintaining the line.  For a popular place, it is a blessing to have someone organized and could control the flow of people wanting to try out their food.  Because I still did not have the foresight to book a reservation (honestly, this visit was quite impulsive of me),  I had to wait a little over 30 minutes.  During that time, I entertained myself taking pictures of the restaurant interiors and perusing their menu for food and for beer.  I already knew what I wanted food-wise and I already knew which beer I would pair off with my meal.

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My turn finally came and I was given a table by the patio.  Luckily, the day was quite sunny and it did not feel chilly.  On each table I see a stainless steel pail that was filled with spiced popcorn.  My friend Valerie was running late.  But no matter, the complimentary spiced popcorn paired with sips of my St. Ambroise Griffon Gold pacified me.  I normally prefer my popcorn coated with buttery goodness but the spice they sprinkled on it did it for me.

A few minutes later, Valerie arrived and we then placed our orders.  I chose the sampler (includes brisket, baby back ribs and barbeques chicken thigh) and Valerie had her heart set on the ratatouille.  Service was fast enough and after my routine flurry of camera-clicking, we started trying out the food.  I must say of all the meats in my plate, I loved the brisket the best.  Tender and flavorful, the smoky aroma of the brisket definitely added to the experience.  I was quite amazed with Valerie’s ratatouille though.  If I don’t have such a love affair with anything barbequed, I would love to have her plate as my meal.  The ratatouille sat on crisp-on-the-outside-fluffy-on-the-inside polenta.  Stealing a perfect slice that includes the tasty ratatouille and polenta, that perfect bite was really something to gawk about.  If my serving of vegetables were that delicious in every meal, I think I would be a vegetarian convert.

After eating the last morsel of my meal, I was glad I was persistent to come to Barque’s Smokehouse.  Just be ready to wait and be patient to get your turn.  There is a lot of BBQ love to go around and the wait is worth it. :)