Far from the Wurst

There is much that can be said about the opening of a new business. It’s a time of excitement and joy, as all the hard work put into making a dream possible comes to fruition. However, it can also be a time of worry since you have to either prove you have what it takes to keep going or fall to the wayside. That being said, I don’t believe that the recently opened smokehouse Smoke, Fire & Coal will experience the latter.

The first thing to note upon entering the building is that the decor fits extremely well. The paint is simplistic, the stone and wood decorations on the walls give a warm feel and the choice to keep the color scheme to greys and browns makes the aesthetic mix fluidly. On top of that, the service was also really enjoyable. There wasn’t a single point where I felt like I was having to wait on my order for too long.

To sum up the quality of the food itself, it was simply delicious. The tamales, while unorthodox in their usage of smoked brisket for the meat, worked really well for me. The sauce was delicious and I found myself scarfing them down. While they were admittedly a bit small, patrons are served two which makes it about the equivalent of a single normal-sized tamale. As for the ribs, the meat was quite literally so tender it fell off the bone before reaching me, and the slightest touch of the fork would make it practically melt before your eyes.

There are three sauces served with your meal. A honey-barbecue sauce that is a near-perfect balance of sweet and savory, a mustard sauce that manages to be both simple yet delicious and a spicy sauce that leaves a nice lingering burn with each bite. I personally wasn’t able to pick a favorite so I wound up alternating between the three with each bite. For those who are of age, Smoke, Fire & Coal sports a wide selection of alcoholic beverages which serve as excellent compliments to your dish.

To put things simply, I really have no major issues that stuck out to me during the visit. The closest thing I could even have to a complaint would be the fact that it was largely empty, which could be attributed to the fact that the business just opened, or that I was there at a weird time. If there’s anything else to say about Smoke, Fire & Coal, it’s that I’d recommend giving it a try. It may seem a bit pricey, but the food, quality and service make the experience more than worth it.