Let me start with the good. The server was very pleasant, attentive and was overall just a great addition to the meal. The physical appearance of the place is fine, rustic wood covered walls. Had a very "BBQ joint" vibe. The name and logo. American Smokehouse Stadium, or A.S.S. and a cartoon horse. The t-shirts make themselves. I can appreciate a nice attempt at the off-color humor. We ordered an appetizer; the Deviled Eggs. They were fantastic. 6 Deviled Eggs that were the highlight of the meal. Now, on to the bad. Which is everything else. That might sound harsh. But believe me, it isn't. My wife and I eat out for nearly 100% of our meals. Probably 95% or maybe more. We visit a lot of restaurants that we love, and are constantly trying new ones; at least one place every week where we have never been. This was nearly a complete disappointment. If your restaurant is going to be focused around smoked meat, have someone that can do the job with some authority. We tried a number of items. The pulled chicken was dry. Not a little dry, DRY. Beyond the dryness, it had absolutely no flavor. None. It was like eating shredded paper. The pulled pork was an anomaly; it was at the same time watery and greasy. All my life I thought oil and water didn't mix, but somehow A.S.S. figured out the secret. As for the flavor, it was also barely there. There was a faint flavor of smoke, but even that was not that pleasant. The only way to make the pork edible (and the chicken for that matter) was to douse it with plenty of sauce. I guess I could add the sauce to the list of good. Not my favorite BBQ sauces ever, but the ones we tried were good, though one was a bit spicy. Did it need that much spiciness? Maybe not, but it wasn't burn-your-tongue-for-no-reason spicy. It still had good flavor. The brisket. The brisket was "okay". It was the only thing that we actually ate that we finished. (we shared a sampler). I don't have much else to say about it. It was cooked well, not too fatty. But again, the flavor was weak. The ribs. ugh. The ribs. Save for one experience in Colorado, where food is generally bad, these ribs were awful. If you could tear the meat off the bone, they just didn't have any redeeming quality once said meat was in your mouth. Now, let me tell you where it goes REALLY wrong... the sides. Okay, I'm not sure how you can make corn on the cob that isn't great, but again A.S.S. figured it out. Corn on the cob. We're talking about corn... on a cob. It's a no brainer. I would eat 20 cobs of even "average" corn on the cob. Eating one half-cob was a challenge. This same sentiment could be applied to the 2 pieces of toast that were served. The best thing I could say about the toast is that it was warm. A warm, dry piece of bread. The cole slaw was average. I only say average because I hated it and my wife thought it was okay. Her exact quote was "It does what cole slaw is supposed to do". That's not exactly a rave review. The mac and cheese was fairly bland, but at least it wasn't as offensive to your taste buds as nearly everything else. I started to question how they could have Deviled Eggs that were so good. The baked beans were awful. What A.S.S. needs is a real chef. I feel really bad writing these things, because I generally don't like to be overly negative about a restaurant, but I also want to be fair to someone counting on this review that is making a selection of where to spend their hard earned money. Speaking of money, A.S.S. isn't cheap. The dinner for the two of us was about $65 after tip. We're not afraid to spend $65 on a meal, believe me. We typically spend about $1800-$2000 a month on restaurants, and that's when we are not travelling. But there are too many BBQ places around that are superior to this one, you should probably find a different venue. Just within a few miles, Mission BBQ (which is a chain) is far, far better. As a value, it just isn't there. The quantity of food was plenty. You won
Very good food and fast service. Only complaint is my husband and I both ordered burgers and they only had 1 unfrozen patty left. I ordered something else. They gave us half off my order for the inconvenience. Great place to eat and enjoy yourself!!!
Was absolutely amazing!! All the flavors !! Not from this area. So Google restaurants near me and this popped up!! Gave it a try and am definitely a fan !! If I'm ever back in this area, I will definitely be back to try something new there. Had the appetizers. Nachos with pulled pork, and smoked deviled eggs. OMG yumm !!
My husband & I ran in on a rare chance of grabbing lunch together. It's odd going into a smokehouse and not smelling food cooking at all. I wondered about that and then heard one of the people in the kitchen asking about the microwave. That being said, my husband's Mac & cheese bowl with shredded pork looked great (I'm lactose intolerant, but I did try the pork sitting on top). The brisket I got was incredibly tender & had a lot of spice, but wasn't very hot temperature wise. Our waitress was nice, not hovering or overly pushy. I may not go out of my way to go back, but I wouldn't turn it down if it was offered.
Sorry this place is very overrated. I went there 3/5/22.. placed a order for a old fashion? Was nothing but orange juice!Nasty! Sent it back. Asked for a starter of fried pickles? Sorry. They tasted boiled !The so called chopped chicken sandwich? Sawdust! To top it off?I had some man with a very small T-shirt. Asked me to turn my phone down? My music was to loud . Mind you,I was sitting in the bar area!oh yea? The French fries!? Little snowboards for for some kind of Littlle doll. Not to mention the foul language in this???? And just to mention... the bar tenders doing shots behind the bar! Go figure?
Great food! Great People!
I do not recommend the fish. There were two huge hot pieces, which is a real plus, but all I really tasted was the oil/grease it was cooked in. The fries were good, but too few, and the coleslaw was kind of bland.
Husband's liked his burger, daughter didn't like the smoked wings but I thought they were very good, son liked his burrito, my fish was good, other son's brisket sandwich was only about half meat. The rest was big hunks of fat. They've always liked this place, but I've been disappointed with it every time before. From now I'll order either the wings or the fish. They were both very good.
I had the brisket. I was expecting a more tender mouth feel. I think I got one that didn't have as much bark on it, because I wasn't tasting any flavor other than the beef. The BBQ sauce was ok. It added more moisture to the brisket, which was dry. I plan on trying this place again, because I think I was there on an off day. My husband had eaten there before and this time was different he said. We concluded we would try another time. I will amend my review when I get a chance to make it there again.The server was very nice and took care of us and the meal was served on a timely manner by the kitchen staff.
My experience is 2 for 2 failures.First order was a full rack of ribs. The meat would not come off the bone and was extremely tough to chew. Manager's response: Sorry, some ribs are thicker than others and we just never know how they are going to turn out as we cook them all the same. - No compensation offered. Secord order: Carry Out: Ordered a Burger dressed well done. When I arrived home with my order the burger was "not" dressed and just meat cheese and a bun. Manager's response: Oh, it must not have been on the ticket to dress it. No apology or compensation. I wish them success, but I will not be ordering again from them.