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Hadn't been to Smokey Bones in Fort Wayne for around 7 months, so decided to try it again when they sent us a $10 off on $20 purchase coupon.
Still didn't have enough help.... had to wait 10 minutes on a table even though I counted at least 6 empty tables right after coming in. They said they didn't have enough help there to wait on them. That's been par for the course at Smokey Bones, so no change there.
When we finally got seated, service was prompt and courteous. I asked how they did their brisket, and they said it was marinated for 24 hours, and then smoked for 6 hours over hickory wood. I ordered brisket and spicy smoked sausage. The brisket was very tender and had a definite smoke ring, though not real deep into the meat. Judging from what they told me and the smallish pile of brisket on my plate, I'm thinking they're smoking sections of flats.... which would make 6 hours about right. Not as tender as at home, but from the taste I think the marinade is partially to tenderize it so they don't have to cook it as long. The sausage had a nice smoky flavor, but was spiced similiarly to hot Italian sausage, not quite what I was expecting. I was hoping for something closer to andouille. A really nice change from last spring, is that they now have 4 different BBQ sauces on the table, with a description of each. The waitress brought extra napkins without asking, before we even got our food, and returned promptly with a small bowl and spoon so I could blend a couple of the sauces together to my liking. I had nice crisp steamed broccoli, and sweet potato fries as my sides, and my 22 oz beer was filled to the brim.
My wife had a baked potato stuffed with pulled pork, parts of which also had a visible smoke ring, and which she said was very good.... so it must have been, because she's something of a pulled pork connoisseur. Her meal came with a salad, and she got some great smoky cilantro ranch dressing with it.
Overall, except for being too short-handed to wait on all their (empty)tables while making people wait until the waitresses caought up, our experience there was much better than past visits. Music was also at a comfortable level.... something that couldn't be said in the past. Once we were seated, it was a good experience. It hasn't always been so at Smokey Bones... that was a large part of the reason it had been 7 months since our last visit. The other reason is that when the weather's nice, we always have more 'Q than we can eat, without leaving home!
Still didn't have enough help.... had to wait 10 minutes on a table even though I counted at least 6 empty tables right after coming in. They said they didn't have enough help there to wait on them. That's been par for the course at Smokey Bones, so no change there.
When we finally got seated, service was prompt and courteous. I asked how they did their brisket, and they said it was marinated for 24 hours, and then smoked for 6 hours over hickory wood. I ordered brisket and spicy smoked sausage. The brisket was very tender and had a definite smoke ring, though not real deep into the meat. Judging from what they told me and the smallish pile of brisket on my plate, I'm thinking they're smoking sections of flats.... which would make 6 hours about right. Not as tender as at home, but from the taste I think the marinade is partially to tenderize it so they don't have to cook it as long. The sausage had a nice smoky flavor, but was spiced similiarly to hot Italian sausage, not quite what I was expecting. I was hoping for something closer to andouille. A really nice change from last spring, is that they now have 4 different BBQ sauces on the table, with a description of each. The waitress brought extra napkins without asking, before we even got our food, and returned promptly with a small bowl and spoon so I could blend a couple of the sauces together to my liking. I had nice crisp steamed broccoli, and sweet potato fries as my sides, and my 22 oz beer was filled to the brim.
My wife had a baked potato stuffed with pulled pork, parts of which also had a visible smoke ring, and which she said was very good.... so it must have been, because she's something of a pulled pork connoisseur. Her meal came with a salad, and she got some great smoky cilantro ranch dressing with it.
Overall, except for being too short-handed to wait on all their (empty)tables while making people wait until the waitresses caought up, our experience there was much better than past visits. Music was also at a comfortable level.... something that couldn't be said in the past. Once we were seated, it was a good experience. It hasn't always been so at Smokey Bones... that was a large part of the reason it had been 7 months since our last visit. The other reason is that when the weather's nice, we always have more 'Q than we can eat, without leaving home!
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