Review: Smokin’ Betty’s
It was fate from the get-go at Smokin’ Betty’s. bda and I sat down, and called out our possible picks. Because they just opened, and I figured the chef would have some things he was pushing, I asked the waitress, “what are your can’t miss items?” 3 of the 4 things she mentioned, we had already picked, so we went along with the fourth.
Smokin’ Betty’s heard my cries every time I tried to find a place for conventioneers to go, and created the cheesesteak springroll. Talk about a menu item to sell the tourists! It’s got steak and roll aplenty, but unfortunately, it’s a little undercheesed. I would love to see it come with a cheese dipping sauce, but that could just be my inner Philadelphian talking.
The barbeque slider trio included chicken, pulled pork and brisket. It’s a sad day in my universe; the pulled pork was the weakest of the three. Even extra barbeque sauce couldn’t quite redeem it. On the other hand, the chicken was moist and tasty, and the brisket, not normally a favorite of mine, I would get as a full-sized sandwich.
The specialty of the house is ribs, and bless their souls for providing a size other than “full side of cow”. I love ribs, but I can rarely eat more than one or two. Riblets to the rescue! The tiny end pieces are available as an appetizer, or a way to have ribs plus 3 other things on the menu. They were definitely my favorite. I don’t declare myself to be any kind of barbeque expert, but I thought the sauce was sticky and tasty, and just a bit sweet. Yum!
The mac and cheese, the one recommended dish that we hadn’t already had our eye on, was somewhat promising, but didn’t thrill me. Maybe it was the 83 degree evening; I’ll give it another shot come winter.
Smokin’ Betty’s has a bar on both the first and second levels, and their 15+ beers on tap are all between $4 and $6. There are also wines by the glass, and a full bar, of course. Big windows give you a nice view of a maybe not that pretty block, but you can always watch the ambulances come and go from Jefferson.
I hate taking pictures in restaurants. Unfortunately, this makes restaurant reviews visually boring. I will have to get over it.
