Food For Thought — December 11, 2013 at 11:05 am

A Taste of Americana at Route 66 Smokehouse

As can be discerned from its name, Route 66 Smokehouse is all about good ol’ American grub. The charming two-floor restaurant is decked out with reclaimed wood hailing from Wisconsin and lively hand painted murals on the walls. The recently opened venue has executive chef Billy Kooper at the helm, whose menu focuses on modernized classic country dishes made with local ingredients.

Start your meal with any number of their fun and unique appetizers, including delicious Fried Green Tomatoes, served with crispy jalapeño bottle caps and buttermilk ranch and Warm Pretzels served with pimento cheese. Start off slow because you will want to be hungry when your entrees arrive.

The menu features amazing barbecue and American regional cuisine, with plenty of options to choose from. Those who like to lean towards the lighter side, don’t worry, they’ve got salads, too. But we want to focus on the good stuff. We were lucky enough to taste a sampling of items ‘from the pit,’ including Sliced Brisket, Pulled Pork, St. Louis Ribs, and Smoked Chicken. All of these were outstanding, and each table comes with two different barbecue sauces to try, or not try, with the dishes. The sauces are homemade and really complement the meat. A must-try on their menu is the Shrimp & Grits, made with Anson Mills grits, tasso ham and sauteed shrooms, this was definitely the best shrimp & grits I’ve had.

At most restaurants side dishes are optional. At Route 66, you need to order them. With a variety of dishes to choose from it can be hard to know what to pick. The Truffled Brussel Sprouts were out of this world, the Mac ‘n Cheese was super creamy and the Bourbon Sweeties added a nice sweet taste to our meal. But if none of those strike your fancy, there are more exciting options to choose from.

Another impressive feature at the restaurant is their drink menu. They have an insanely impressive All-American whiskey list, comprised of over 70 different whiskeys, in addition to their craft beers and cocktail list. They also offer classic sodas such as Cheerwine, Dad’s Root Beer and more.

Last but not least, their dessert menu is equally impressive and devilishly delicious. The unfair offerings include Chocolate Chip Cookie, baked in a skillet with vanilla ice cream, Chocolate Pudding, and Bread Pudding, also baked in a skillet. All are so yummy, yet light enough that you don’t feel disgusting after eating them.

The Financial District was surely in need of something new in town and we have a feeling that they won’t be disappointed with this classic American addition.

Route 66 Smokehouse is located at 79 Pearl Street.