Smoke:
Ben and I went to Smoke after a few hours in the Express dressing room at the Waterfont. I was trying to convince him to get a v-neck t-shirt but he is holding fast to his opposition of this trend. You win some, you lose some.
We made it to Smoke about 2PM on a Saturday and there were 8-10 people inside, taking up the few tables Smoke has. I was pleased to see the space was kind of funky and cool. Could use more seats though. There is a tiny counter where you order. The super friendly order-taker told us they were out of about half the menu. OK. We ordered a brisket taco, a ribs taco, and some jalapeno and apple slaw. And were then told the order would take about 35 minutes. Whaaaat?
We were still waiting an hour later, awkwardly standing at a bar-like area as the seats were taken by people also waiting. And I got a parking ticket on 8th Ave for my meter running out (clearly someone was hiding out targeting cars b/c I saw tickets all over the place and missed re-feeding the meter by about 3 minutes – nice). We were given some complimentary horchata (rice milk, cinnamon, sugar, lime – pretty awesome) in apology for the long wait. Patience at this point = thin.
But then the tacos arrived. These things are divine. So so good – awesome meat and accompaniments and tortillas. Absolutely blew our recent visit to Chica Loca Taco out of the water.
But the wait. Just unacceptable. We picked a lazy day to go but most times I would not be able to wait an hour for food I thought was going to be an in and out thing. Please Smoke, get it together. Your food is amazing. I still can’t understand why two tacos took an hour though.
Spoon:
This review is slightly dated but I joined a large (10+) group of friends for dinner on a weeknight at Spoon about a month ago. This place is slick and sleek and filled with neutral tones. Spoon is definitely serving up a modern fine dining experience.
The menu changes and rotates but always has a vegetarian option. I went with the veggie option on my visit. It included a roasted vegetable and brie tart and a salad made of asparagus, tomatoes, and baby greens. Everything on the plate was spot on, every vegeatable fresh. I really appreciate a well dressed and composed salad – the type you only seem to find at fancier places like Spoon. This is definitely a great spot for a special occasion dinner or a nice date. Spoon is not an every day sort of place for me (veggie plate was around $16 and overall vibe of the spot is not particularly casual) but I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for well prepared/innovative food and polished service in the East End.
I am curious about how it could possibly take an hour with only 10 people in the place. Possibly they are magic tacos? Great reviews, and very nice blog.
It must have been timing. I was out of work early one day and stopped at Smoke about 4 p.m. or so to get stuff to go and I was in and out in about 15 mins. I really do think they do everything to order and that was probably the delay. Thanks for the ticket warning. I’ve been fortunate the two trips down there not to get a ticket.
They got slammed on Saturday after that City Paper article. I stop in about 3-4 times a week and usually the wait is between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on what I order. I also understand they are looking to hire help, because to this point it has been entirely operated by the 2 owners, from morning until night 6 days a week. Don’t give up on them!
Also I would suggest to folks to consider calling ahead if that is feasible for you. If I have a small window for lunch I do that.
I am a VERY frequent customer and I can tell you that the wait is due to increased business and the place is just getting off the ground. Sometimes, you just have to wait for things that are this good. I was there the other day and it seemed that they had hired some help. There was another very friendly lady working out front with the owner and our tacos didn’t take as long as they had before. Also, after speaking to the owner on one occasion, she explained to me that they make everything fresh to order. I can tell you that I have waited and it has always been worth it. I call ahead when I need to and I always walk out as happy customer.
Spoon has been on my list for ages, most likely since it opened, but I haven’t made it there yet. I have been to its neighbor, BRGR, and been very satisfied with the food and space. The only hesitation with Spoon for me has been the small menu, as I’ve heard it’s good… but very small. Thanks for the recommendation!