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Appetite Stoked By Great Smoke

Tribune photo by JASON BEHNKEN

Smoke Barbeque & Grill offers a variety of grilled items, including fish, chicken, ribs, pork, brisket and more.

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By RICHARD MULLINS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 3, 2008

TAMPA - The words "upscale barbecue" seem oddly mismatched, like "formal flip-flops," or "romantic hangover." The good Lord intended barbecue as a cutoff-shorts event, with your buddies in the back yard or at a Harley bar with plenty of cheap beer.

The only "upscale" part of barbecue should be divided paper plates.

But, for me, Tampa just can't have enough barbecue joints, so I nearly drove off the road when I saw the sign go up on Platt Street for the new Smoke Barbeque & Grill.

Right away, let me clear up some confusion.

This new place sits in a formerly very grungy, very sketchy mechanic and car wash lot - which also had a rolling barbecue cart for customers waiting on their cars.

Different place now.

New owners bought and gutted the spot, and now sell pretty amazing barbecue, with everything from catfish sandwiches to sausage kabobs to $20 plates of beef brisket smoked 14 hours.

We tried pretty much everything on the menu and found that despite some glitches - which we chalk up to starting a new operation - barbecue fans in Tampa really must try this great new spot, especially if they like a spicy kick and some exotic styles of barbecue. In a spectrum of worthy BBQ joints along a Fancy Scale, put Uncle Rodney's on south MacDill at one end, Kojak's in the middle and Smoke at the other.

To start off our test drive, we picked the brisket sliders appetizer and the New Orleans BBQ Shrimp, which packs a serious kick - the first bite tastes spicy; the next will stop the conversation.

For a main course, we tried the Creole Love kebabs, hung on a tall metal frame so you can pull chunks off with a fork one by one. I'm not the biggest chicken fan, but these were amazing.

Here, an important word on prices. They escalate rapidly, and make you wonder if the place is secretly owned by SideBern's or 717 South. My wife called Smoke "wildly overpriced." There are cheaper options: $6-$9 sandwiches. But the combo deals range from $15 for brisket, ribs and chicken to $18 for salmon, shrimp and scallops.

My entree tipped the price scale at $20 for a massive pile of smoked brisket with two sides. I picked the Italian grilled grit cake, which was basically fine-ground cornbread, baked then grilled. Both tasty. The twice-baked sweet potatoes are worth driving from Orlando for. They come topped with toasted mini marshmallows and make you at peace with the world.

At this point, we were in a food stupor, but we fought through the pain and had the homemade pecan pie with vanilla ice cream, just as it should be, and the pound cake with grilled fruit. Both were good enough to just drop by and order for a late snack.

We really wanted to try the Southern Cobbler, but it's hand made from scratch and not always available.

Some minor grumbles: My mother-in-law's barbecued salmon was basically raw - raw like taken from the fridge and walked past the grill in a hurry. I know some like their meat barely warmed, but she had to shave off the edges to eat dinner. And parents won't like that there's no kids' menu.

Still, there's a lot to love.

The place has Tampa links that foodies will appreciate. One of the owners, Gordon Davis, started Ceviche and St. Bart's Island House. There's a show kitchen in the bar area to watch your dinner in progress.

Big glass windows give the place a neat inside/outside feel. When the weather turns cool, there's more space outside on a great deck area.

In the South Tampa restaurant market, Smoke is a great new place.

DINING REVIEW

Smoke Barbeque & Grill

BOTTOM LINE: Upscale barbecue in a funky, renovated mechanic shop.

WHERE: 901 Platt St., Tampa

HOURS: Closed Mondays. Tuesday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to midnight. Sunday noon to 9 p.m.

CREDIT CARDS: All major

RESERVATIONS: No

CHILDREN'S MENU: No

ALCOHOL: Beer and wine available

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes

PRICE: $9 to $20

CALL: (813) 254-7070.

Reporter Richard Mullins can be reached at (813) 259-7919 or rmullins@tampatrib.com.

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