Green Street Smoked Meats

 

 

 

I really like Barbecue and, for the most part, will try to visit barbecue places that I have heard were good and are relatively close.  Having said that, I have a bias against restaurants that seem to focus on the scene more than they do the actual food.  In my experience with Hogsalt, the restaurant group that Green Street Smoked Meats belongs to, I found that their places are run as much on hype as they are the actual food and service.  After a poor experience at another of their restaurants, I have had a bias toward their other restaurants, and have leaned against going to any of the others.  I will occasionally go to a Hogsalt restaurant, but with my admitted bias, they do have to sow a straighter row to meet my satisfaction.  I had heard a lot of good things about Green Street Smoked Meats, but I hadn't gone.  I was, however, in the area relatively recently around dinner time on a day when the weather was less than good, so I went both because I was close and to get out of the weather.  The entrance into the restaurant was interesting as it was in and alley.  The alley is blocked with a half wall labeled with Green Street Smoked Meats which shields a tent covered patio with picnic table seating and a cobblestone deck/walkway.  There were two doors into the building although the the main entrance was at the back of the alley.  While the other door could be used as an entrance to Green Street, it is more used as an exit (and as an entrance to another Hogsalt Property, High Five Ramen, which is located in the basement).  Sawada Coffee is also located in the building, in an open and raised area at the front of the building open to the Green Street Smoked Meats Dining Room.  In order to get to the ordering area from the front door, you would have to walk through the dining room and by the bar, which can be a little tricky when the space is crowded.  The rear entrance has tape trails on the floor that lead you to the ordering counters.  You actually have to visit two counters to order and pay and then the bar if you want a drink (there are coolers of water on the corners of the bar that you can easily serve yourself if you are not interested in having a drink).  The menu is on a large elevated chalkboard behind the first counter where you order your meat (or meats).  There was some objection when Green Street opened about the fact that the meats are sold by the half pound.  Considering the visual size of the serving and the prices, I would say that it's pretty close to what other barbecue joints serve and it isn't an issue.  I will say that the weight does give the illusion of being smaller than it is, so people may order more than they can eat (in one sitting).  After the meats are ordered, you are directed to a second counter where sides are ordered, you pay, and wait for your meal.  All seating in the space are first come, first served.  For seating/eating spaces inside, there are more picnic tables, a large bar, a counter along one wall (where I ate) that provides standing room and a bleacher area below the Sawada space.  The space itself is large and very open with high ceilings and strings of white Christmas lights.  Past the service counters, there was a counter with silverware, napkins, and boxes for takeout.  The bar is in the main dining room, and while it is off to one side, it is possible to sit on all four sides.  There is also a cowboy skeleton standing above the bar on a corner of the bar on the same side as the standing counter, and the walls are a combination of corrugated tin, and brick with peeling paint.  The look is very rustic and shabby, similar to what you might expect in a Texan barbecue shack and it works, because it looks like a place where you might get barbecue.

While I was hungry when I came in, I also ordered more than I could eat in one sitting.  I did however, have pretty good idea going into it, that I had ordered too much, so it was fine.  There were several things that I wanted, so I ordered all of them.  There was also so much meat that I was going to feel guilty if I didn't have any vegetables, so I ordered that too.  I ordered Brisket, Ribs, Frito Pie, Elotes, and Broccoli Salad, with a Schnickelfritz Hefeweizen from Urban Chestnut.  which really, was enough for two people to have a very full meal.  I did end up eating the Elotes and the Broccoli Salad there, because, I figured that the vegetables wouldn't travel as well.  I also ate the Ribs there, because they were ribs, though I also tried the Frito Pie and the Brisket.  Everything was very good.  The vegetables tasted very fresh, and the broccoli was very crisp.  The ribs were pull off the bone and the chopped brisket was very tender.  While I did like what they called a Frito Pie, I would have called it a Walking Taco, but that's a semantic thing.  While the space was crowded, the staff was friendly and the food was good.  While it isn't my favorite barbecue joint, it is good, and I would be happy to return if I was in the area.