First, let me say, “YUM!” Our previous regular BBQ place closed over 6 month ago and we have been looking for a new place ever since. Our friends live near a great place in Woodland Hills, (My Brother’s BBQ) but that is a little too far away for anything but the occasional visit.
Smoke City Market is probably about a mile away from the house and walkable in better weather. We were out in the wet today and just as the sun broke through we were driving by and there was a parking space, several in fact, right in front. We took this as a sign, as parking for the restaurant can be a bit hard to find, pulled in and made an early dinner of some great BBQ. I had meaning to stop by since I saw a blog post about their recent opening.
This is Texas-style BBQ, so there are no combo plates. It is more like a meat market that happens to sell meals. (You can read more about the history of Texas BBQ on their web site) All the meat is ordered by the fraction of a pound and served up on butcher paper along with a stack of white bread. A variety of sides are offered, including my favorite, mac and cheese, two different potato salads, corn on the cob and more. For our early dinner we ordered 1/3 lb of brisket (the Cutter’s special includes half and half their moist and lean brisket), 1/3 lb pork ribs (about 6 bones), smoked sausage, mac and cheese and creamy potato salad.
Everything was top quality. I had originally ordered a jalapeño and cheese sausage but they were out, so I got the standard smoked sausage. A few minutes later, though, the chef brought me out a jalapeño and cheese link to try. He was still working on the recipe and didn’t have a full order at hand. This is was nice touch. They also comped us some of their banana pudding at the end of the meal. Great banana flavor and chunky bananas.
As with any BBQ place, it can run a little more expensive that your typical restaurant, but ordering judiciously, based on your appetite and avoiding the more expensive side dishes can provide a lot of value for the buck. We ended up taking quite a few leftovers home and they will make a sizable lunch sometime this week.
Wine and beer are for sale, including Shiner for those who want to get the full-on Texas BBQ experience.
Recommended.
Smoke City Market
5242 Van Nuys Bl
Sherman Oaks, CA 91401
(818) 855-1280