Collingwood has a thriving restaurant scene, especially in
the Blue Mountain area. During a girl’s weekend, we decided to venture away
from the Mountain and try the restaurants within the town itself – the first
being a BBQ joint, The Smoke, which was featured on You Gotta Eat Here.
As their name indicates, the restaurant is known for smoked
foods; not only meats but also fish and bananas used in ice cream. So, it’d be
a shame to visit without trying something prepared using their namesake method.
The smoked BBQ wings ($12) were fantastic, so delicious that we put in a second
order right afterwards. The BBQ sauce had a light tanginess to it but wasn’t
too strong to mask the aromatic smokiness. The wings were grilled after being
tossed in the sauce to help provide a deeper caramelized flavour.
The Smoke sampler ($29) was perfect for our first visit,
allowing us to share and try the ½ rack of back ribs, 8oz of pulled pork and
6oz of beef brisket.
At the restaurant, they cook their meats in the smoker
then cry-o-vac and chill them. As dishes are ordered, the meat is revived in a
sous vide water bath before being finished on the grill. This method certainly
makes for a juicy and tender meat, but also dampens the strong BBQ flavour.
However, if anything is lacking in the flavour department,
the bottles of sauces at the table will correct the problem. I love the fact
that we didn’t have to choose when we ordered and could take our time trying
all of them. Indeed, everyone had their favourites. For me I found the smokin’
hot BBQ sauce great with the ribs, the smoky sweet BBQ sauce with the brisket
the slightly vinegary Carolina mustard sauce great with pulled pork.
For the sides, two orders of mac ‘n’ cheese ensured we
wouldn’t have to fight over it. The penne was nice and al dante but the cheese
sauce could be stronger. Maybe it’s due to the meats and sauces being so
intense, the pasta’s smoked cheddar cheese sauce didn’t stand out at all.
With all the heavy meats, the leafy garden salad ($8) was a
welcomed side and had a great mustard dressing. Meanwhile, their soup of the
day ($9), a potato cheddar, was thick, velvety and flavourful.
The complimentary corn bread was pretty bad – horribly dry, crumbly
and lacked flavour… even a pat of butter couldn’t revive it. If the recipe can’t
be improved, The Smoke should consider offering another carb instead. Based on
the Charleston episode of Parts Unknown, supposedly the best one to pair with
BBQ is plain soft sliced bread.
But, I can overlook this small misstep … really who needs to
fill up on bread when you have such amazing smoked wings?
How To Find Them
Location: Collingwood, Canada
Address: 498 First Street
Address: 498 First Street
Website: http://thesmoke.ca/
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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