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| - For a place that's been open for about two months, they really know how to please people. Bourbon Street Smokehouse was spotted during a walk back to Ossington Station, and visited a couple of days later. My group was the first set of diners, but more people seemed to come in as we ate, and by the time we left there were a nice amount of tables filled up.
To start, there are some excellent drinks available - draught, canned, and bottled - and a list of delicious sounding cocktails. I was limiting myself, so I just got a can of Guinness.
My companions shared the "sampler for one" (and had trouble finishing that, to give you either an idea of how my friends have small stomachs, or how big the portions are) which consisted of ribs and brisket (their choice out of the options of ribs, two types of brisket, pulled pork, and sausages), while I opted for a full rack of ribs. You're given a choice of two sides for both, so we shared the Waffle Fries, Corn Bread, Macaroni and Cheese, and Baked Beans.
MAINS
The Brisket was nice and tender, however, there wasn't much spice on the outside. Adding a bit of sauce definitely helped, but it was rather pleasant - definitely not as overpowering as some. The Ribs on the other hand are cooked incredibly well. They're not fall off the bone juicy, but they are still very tender. The tips of the rack were chewy and a nice treat saved for after the devouring of the main bit.
SIDES
Starting with the Corn Bread, it's very nice to find a place that does a corn bread that manages to stay pleasantly sweet without being overpowering, and fluffy without practically falling apart in your hands. The edge pieces were just slightly crispy, giving a nice crunch to some of the bites, but the bread itself was succulent.
The Waffle Fries were very similar. A crunchy outside with a super fluffy potato inside. Not an abundance of grease or oil either, which was nice on the fingers!
The Mac and Cheese noodles were nice and soft, covered in cheese that had melted all the way through. I couldn't pinpoint the cheese, but it was a very unique taste that I didn't often get (and definitely wasn't KD).
The beans, I can't really describe aside from delicious. There was such a nice sweetness to them, they weren't too hot, and weren't too cold, and I'm pretty sure I could survive just off them if absolutely necessary.
SAUCES
When you're brought your meats at Bourbon Street, you're also brought a rack of sauces. You have the malt vinegar, mayonnaise, and ketchup and mustard standards, but then you have 6 sauces that each have their own profile.
The Smokey BBQ is by far my favourite. It's a good balance of savoury and sweet, and has a nice smokey flavour to it (as it should) that mixes perfectly with their meats. If you had to pick ONE sauce to go with anything on their menu, it would probably be this! (Also, their ribs come out with a light covering of it to encourage people, due to some being scared off by dry rub ribs coming to their table like some places)
Their Mississippi BBQ is a nice mild sauce, not much heat to it, with a fairly nice vinegar undertone. It's a good standard BBQ sauce, and pairs well with ribs (and mixes VERY nicely with the smokey BBQ).
The Memphis BBQ has nice, sweet undertones, which makes sense, as it's apparently made with pineapple juice! It's got a very mild vinegar aftertaste, but you likely won't get much of it if you're devouring it on the rest of your meal.
Their Carolina sauce has a nice, light heat for people who want a bit of kick to their sauce. It's got a stronger vinegar tang to it, but that's the kind I'd like on some nice back ribs to match the tenderness.
The "White Gold" they offer is more of a side sauce, used for fries and the like. On it's own it's a bit underwhelming, and makes me think of a caesar dressing, but more saucy. Still, it's not bad, and a little bit on ribs is actually surprisingly nice!
Finally, they have a Ghost Pepper sauce. Now, before you run away, please note this is not nearly as hot as SOME sauces that use the Bhut Jolokia pepper. It starts off very vinegary, which lulls you into a false sense of security, followed by a build up of that familiar hot kick from the pepper that (for me) lasted about 30 seconds before evening off. I do not recommend brushing your ribs with it, but if you are a serious spice-head, then this is probably the sauce you want to go with. Fun fact: Putting this on the ribs with the smokey bbq was incredible. The sweetness is a great opener to the heat that hits hard.
OVERALL VERDICT:
Would I recommend Bourbon Street Smokehouse? Of course. It's still finding it's feet, so expect some bumps along the way, but give them a fair shot, you won't be disappointed. Just steps from Ossington Station, too - which is an excellent location!
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