Okay, I admit it. I was wrong about Smoke Daddy. In my initial review, I dined outdoors in the afternoon and while I acknowledged that the food was good, I drew some conclusions about the overall appeal of the place that were unfounded. I surmised that Smoke Daddy was past its prime, that the accolades it had received in the past for its outstanding ribs were no longer relevant and that its claims to live music seven nights a week were shaky.
I recently dined at Smoke Daddy again. This time I went on a Thursday night – one of the best nights to judge a restaurant because if a restaurant packs them in on a Thursday night during a recession it means the restaurant has strong local appeal, one of the best gauges of a restaurant’s relevance. Smoke Daddy packed them in. Its eight tables and five booths were full, customers were two deep at the bar and there was a 30 minute wait to be seated. In spite of this, the bartender marked us and served us within two minutes and the host got us seated with ten. The waitress showed up instantly and we were sitting behind a steaming plate of zesty ribs within five minutes. You couldn’t ask for better service.
The ribs were as I remembered them, good but nothing to write home about. Although Smoke Daddy emulates a Memphis rib house in décor and ambiance, the food is less charmingly authentic. The cornbread was a bit on the dry side and the ribs, while moist, weren’t as distinctively flavorful as one has come to expect from the hotly competitive BBQ sector. The one stand out was the side dish of smoke pit beans, rich and tangy, swimming with chunks of pulled pork and generously laced with Jack Daniels. Hello Southland!
Promptly at 9pm, a rockabilly trio hit the small stage by the front window of this narrow storefront, launching into an upbeat mix of western swing, boogie woogie and rhythm and blues. The volume was not so loud as to prohibit conversation so the music acted as a pleasant backdrop to the ongoing banter. A group of sports fans clustered at the bar to watch the Blackhawks game and all factions coexisted peacefully, no one intruding on anyone else’s enjoyment of the place or its features and ambiance.
If Smoke Daddy is old by Division Street standards, it’s not past its prime. I was wrong about that. My return visit to Smoke Daddy revealed that, even if the food is no longer deserving of the high praise of Rachel Ray, the overall appeal of the place is intact. It might be said that Smoke Daddy’s experience has taught it one of the most difficult tricks in the restaurant/bar business, how to appeal to a diverse range of customers and keep them all happy.
Smoke Daddy’s star rating has been increased.
Smoke Daddy Rhythm and Bar-B-Que
1804 W. Division St.
773-772-MOJO / Reservations Accepted for Parties of 6 or more
Hours: Open until 1am Thur-Saturday, 11pm Sunday-Wednesday
Features: Outdoor Dining, Late Night Dining, Live Music, Carryout, Delivery
Avg. Price of a Meal for Two Including Drinks and Tax $30
Website: www.thesmokedaddy.com
Original Review 4/25/08
Most BBQ places indulge in a little hyperbole. They never say we have really good BBQ. They always say we have World Famous BBQ! Look, if every place that claims to have world famous BBQ actually has it, there wouldn’t be room in the papers for anything else. Wars could be prosecuted in far away regions and you’d never even hear about them because you’d be too busy discussing JJ Rib’s Shack in Tuscaloosa. But you probably wouldn’t be discussing Smoke Daddy, at least not unless you’ve been there, because Smoke Daddy abstains from the hyperbole and let’s the food do the talking. And the food is good, but nothing to write home about.
The brisket sandwich is everything you’d expect it to be, serviceably moist but not melt-in-your-mouth, and generously enhanced with one of the two barbecue sauces provided on each table. The ribs are better, imbued with a wonderful smoky flavor from the Hickory, Apple and Cherry wood heaped in the smoker out back. The mac-n-cheese is sharp and tangy. And the cornbread – the litmus test of any true southern style wannabe – is moist and tasty. Nothing off target here. Everything on the mark.
Our service was prompt and friendly and our food arrived with astonishing swiftness. We dined outside amidst the 12 table sidewalk café, but inside the neon-lit interior exudes a Memphis blues feel with a checker board floor, pendant lamps and brightly colored walls. This is no accident.
Smoke Daddy occassionally aspires to be a signature music destination featuring live blues. It appears, however, that some of the wind has come out of those sails. The current website still makes the claim of music seven nights a week but a cursory glance at the Spring 08' on-line events calendar only admits to twice a week, with most weeks offering only a single live performance, usually Fridays.
Also, there appears to have been great praise heaped on Smoke Daddy in the past. Not by themselves mind you – as noted they are not given to self-aggrandizement – but by such notables as Bobby Flay and Rachel Ray, not to mention the New York Times, Chicago Magazine and Zagat. But I see nothing in the acclamation that seems to be recent. (In fact, word on the street is that the place has changed hands a couple times.)
All in all, I am left with the nagging sense that Smoke Daddy is past its prime, and while it is by no means going downhill, whatever lofty aspirations it once had, it is now largely resigned to selling solid southern BBQ in a decent atmosphere with good service.
This is a far cry from saying it’s the greatest barbecue I’ve ever tasted, but then Smoke Daddy doesn’t claim to be world famous. It only wants you to give it a try. And while it’s unlikely you’ll be writing your grandmother in Mississippi about the experience, you won’t be disappointed either.
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