Smoke Shack
| Address: | 332 N Milwaukee St, Milwaukee, WI 53202, USA |
| Phone: | +1 414-431-1119 |
| Site: | smoke-shack.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
MA
Matt Peters
Went in to Smoke Shack today to try their new Blues Brunch Menu. Ive been to Smoke Shack several times and have always left happy. This time was no exception. It had been a while since I was there the last time and some of the faces in the crew were new to me, but that didnt keep them from treating me like wed always known each other. The other person I was with had the chicken and poblano waffles. Id never thought of adding a savory to waffles like that, but Ill be damned if it doesnt work. The chicken was a surprise 1-2 punch with it being smoked like their chicken normally is plus with a light breading with a hint of cayenne in there. The chicken & waffles comes with a side of a thin apple syrup that is perfect for dipping or pouring without it ever becoming like a thick glaze that some syrups can. I had the make-your-own gravy & biscuits. I had it done with the Berkshire ham, an extra side of andouille sausage, and an extra side of the gravy. This came with some homestyle potatoes that were so good I didnt need the extra side. Im one of those people who will put sauce or gravy on just about anything. The ham was amazing. Slices about that of thick cut bacon, biscuits that are a meal unto themselves, a gravy that tastes home made (read: not just pepper + slurry + butter). I ate maybe 2/3 of it all and took the rest home. Huge and filling. Over the course of lunch, wed started mixing and matching. Chicken dipped in the apple syrup, waffle dipped in gravy, ham dipped in the apple syrup. Everything tasted like they belonged together no matter what we experimented with. Now, before I forget, we started the meal off with a cinnamon roll. The size of a small hat, this roll came to us with a side of vanilla icing. Not so sweet that it makes your teeth hurt, you could taste the roll itself, you could taste the cinnamon (instead of just a punch in the face of sugar+butter+cinnamon, see above for teeth hurting), and when you used the icing, it was a very good balance of lightly sweet and lightly vanilla, more subtle than bold. Ill put it to you this way, we already planned our second trip for Blues Brunch in October, this time, bringing more people so we can all sample more items off the menu.
A
A Private User
This would probably be more of a 3 1/2 if that was an option. The great: Mac & Cheese. The pretty good: pulled pork. The must improve: the brisket, the prices/portions. Im a fan of Sorges other places (particularly Bombers) so I had high hopes for Smoke Shack. Its not quite ready for prime time as a barbecue joint. Barbecue is a passion for many. Most folks that start up barbecue joints have recipes passed down to them from parents and grandparents. You cannot focus group your way through it. The bottom line is that you cannot rush good barbecue and there is no way to cook an acceptable brisket in 10 hours. The only way to smoke a brisket in 10 hours is to cook at too high a temperature. The result was a dry brisket. Not doing much for me. To do a brisket right you need 16,18, even up to 20 hours. That said, I was pleased with the pulled pork. (And the mac and cheese was fantastic). However... The other big problem with Smoke Shack are the prices/portion sizes. Something has to give here. Either lower the prices or increase the portion size. Given that this is a barbecue joint, Id rather see the second option. Fans of barbecue do not want dainty portions. Right now, if I am hankering for barbecue and dont want to spend all day by my smoker, I go to Speed Queen (or Ashleys). Smoke Shack hasnt changed that equation. Those places remain superior and much cheaper relative to portion sizes. Nice start, but there is lots of room for improvement. I will definitely swing back in a few months to see how it is coming.
DU
Duck Bharma
Decided to try the smoke shack for lunch on Halloween, after hearing rave reviews regarding the food there. Both my wife and I ordered the beef brisket sandwiches with mac and cheese. the meat was tasty but luke warm, the bun was gooey, and the bar-be-cue sauce was very average, maybe below average, and the mac and cheese was soup-like and watery with very little flavor. The sandwiches were $13.50 each (The waitress was nice and explained that the sammiches were only 1/3 of a pound) and the mac-w/o-cheese was an extra $2.00. So after a bill (with one soda ordered) arrived at $36.00, I left still very hungry, and my wife wasnt feeling well probably due to the mac w/o cheese. After a $40 lunch for 2, (with tip) and with nothing extra served with the lunch (no pickles, or beans or cole slaw), I obviously decided 100% that I would never be back. IMHO a total rip off and one in which I have had better lunches at Applebees for half the cost. Live and learn, but overall I give this place a zero. (I also used to be a front line cook back in the day and know what a decent lunch should cost, and this place was pathetic at best).
AL
Alex Rodionov
Youd think a "hostess" would be better able to estimate wait times. We arrived and were told wed have a 30 minute wait. After 45 minutes of standing huddled in a corner with my already hungry family, 6-year-old included, I went to see how much longer the wait would be. She tells us "maybe another 10 minutes" as I look around and see at least 2 tables of people, plates taken and drinks empty, obviously waiting for their bill to arrive. It seems to me most of their emphasis goes toward supplying drinks to the bar sitters. This is very unfortunate, as we went well out of our way to try this place, and the smell of food we couldnt even eat added to our impatience. After finishing our drinks from the bar, which earned the second star, and waiting 10 minutes past our "10 minutes more" wait, we paid the bar tab and left. 15 minutes later, as we were seated at a second restaurant, two text messages and a subsequent phone call come in. Thanks, of course, Id LOVE to be seated, at or at least NEAR the time of the initial estimate. Thanks for wrecking what, up to this point, had been a fun day.
A
A Private User
Id been wanting to visit this place for a couple months.. But, since I dont currently live in Milwaukee, I had to wait until I was in town. As luck would have it, I was in town last week Sunday so some friends and I paid the Smoke Shack a visit. What a wonderful place! I ordered the pulled pork, one of us got brisket, another got a pulled chicken sandwich, and the last friend got the four meat combo. Everything was loved by everyone! The mac and cheese was outstanding. Our server Melody suggested mixing some meat in with the Mac. Also a good suggestion. She was great and attentive! I think about the only suggestion I might have would be to not serve the cornbread cold. Either warm or room temperature would make it seem fresher, instead of making it seem like someone just pulled it out of a fridge... But, I do understand leaving it under a heat lamp would dry it out, so perhaps there is reasoning behind serving it cold. :) Anyways, we will return! When I move back to Milwaukee I intend to live in the third ward, and look forward to being able to walk to the Smoke Shack!
