| rev:text
| - Smoke was one of the first restaurants I checked out when I moved to Lawrenceville last year, and it remains one of my favorites. You feel the classic Lawrenceville vibe as soon as you walk in the door: rustic, hipster, and a few contemporary touches. On any given night you'll find this hotspot packed with both locals and tourists.
Word to the wise: call ahead. They do not take reservations, but will take your name down if you are on your way. You'll be able to cut a good chunk of time off your wait by doing this. Smoke is rather small and even on weeknights your wait can be 45 minutes to an hour at peak dinner times.
The menu is concise yet well-rounded, which I appreciate. This is a restaurant where you'll discover your favorite items and want to get the same ones every time you come. For me, it's the chips and queso as an appetizer and the chicken apple bacon taco as an entree. The chips are made in-house and are kind of like a pita/tortilla hybrid. The queso is rich and sharp. The chicken apple bacon taco is one of their most popular, with good reason. I've tried other tacos here and always come back to this one. The apples provide a sweetness that contrasts perfectly with the saltiness of the chicken and bacon. The sauce has a zing to it but is not too spicy. Pair this duo with a delicious agua fresca (flavored water made fresh daily), and you've got yourself quite a delicious meal.
Unfortunately I find no choice but to deduct a star for inconsistency. I've been to Smoke probably ten times or so, and I find that wait times for food vary immensely. Just a couple weeks ago my friends and I ordered chips and queso and it was brought out in under five minutes. Today, however, we waited almost 35 minutes for our queso to come out of the kitchen (on a Monday, no less). We were only told that things were "backed up back there" and that it would "hopefully be out soon." I understand that Smoke does a lot of take-out orders and that it's a bit unpredictable for them. However, the inconsistency in food preparation times makes it almost impossible for you to plan an evening around dinner here. If you come and you're in a rush, you may be disappointed. Despite the inconsistency, I'm always willing to wait for one of these tacos.
|