Smoke for Brunch

We’ve been on a brunch kick recently.  I love to try a new restaurant at brunch because it’s usually reasonably priced.  So, you don’t have to invest a whole lot on what could be something you don’t like.  We didn’t have any trouble liking what we ate at Smoke.  Smoke is located just down the hill from the Belmont Hotel.  We love the Belmont for drinks.  This was our first time at Smoke.

The service got off to a slow start.  But, once we finally had someone assigned to our table everything went smoothly.  The Bloody Marys were excellent.  A nice size and very flavorful, yet not too spicy. 

Hubbard chose the Smoked Brisket Cornbread Hash with poached egg, green chili rajas and pearl onions.  Did you notice the word spicy in that description that I took straight from their menu?  No, it’s not there.  It should be. 

 This dish was so spicy that Hubbard was sweating while he ate it.  He likes really spicy food.  A guy at the table sent his back because it was too spicy for him to eat.  It tasted great.  But, I really think a restaurant owes it to their customers to prepare them for the experience they are about to have.  The waiter didn’t even mention that it was a spicy dish when we asked about it.  So, if you like spicy, go for it.  It’s really good.

I got the Pulled Whole Hog BBQ Eggs Benedict.  This was surprisingly good.  The pulled pork was very tender and tossed with BBQ sauce before they throw it on top of the English muffins and top the whole thing with Hollandaise.  I wouldn’t have thought BBQ and Hollandaise would have made a good match.  It was delicious.

The real star of the show as the Thick and Smokey Country Bacon.  It’s housemade.  Cured and smoked on the property.  Look at how thick it is.  It was extremely good.  I believe Hubbard said, “I can’t believe how good this bacon is” three different times during the meal.  It was fantastic.  We both had a big strip of bacon as a side for $3.50 a pop.  Well worth it.  The breakfast dishes were $12 & $13, though they have lower priced items. 

I forgot what this pie was called.  Their entire dessert menu is pie.  But, this stuff was the closest I’ve ever seen a piece of pie come to being a brownie.  Chocolatey.  For sure.  Hubbard gobbled it up.

Overall we enjoyed our experience at Smoke.  It’s a nice casual atmosphere.  I’m curious about dinner and lunch now.