Smokey Joe’s Tex-Mex Barbecue Restaurant: Teaneck, NJ

Edit: The blog entry below mentions that we didn’t eat the chicken for fear of it being undercooked. However, Smokey Joe himself (via a comment conversation you can see in the body of the entry itself) assured us that the chicken was cooked to proper doneness and noted that the pink you see in barbecued chicken can be a result of the cooking process. We checked this out ourselves from a couple of sources and this is true.

He says… You ever get a hankering for Chicken and Waffles only to find out the place you wanted to try was closed, so you went to another place that ended up being closed, and ultimately settled for a Kosher barbecue pit? No? Just us then? Ok… Smokey Joe’s is located on Cedar Lane in Teaneck. With a strong and vibrant Jewish community, it’s not surprising to find many a Kosher choice in the town. Even the vegetarian Chinese restaurant went through the proper process to be respectfully Kosher (at least the certificate says so). Smokey Joe’s however, has the honor of being the,”first authentic, wood-fired, slow-cooked, pit smoked Glatt Kosher bbq restaurant in the US of A.” The “of” in the country abbreviation is only further emphasis of this fact. But I digress. Lets dig in (pun intended HAR HAR HAR) to what HASA found. –The Food– Smokey Joe’s Cornbread (Gratis): The cornbread was actually quite delicious. A bit cakier then I’m used to (it fell apart in my hands), but it had kernels of corn adding a nice flavor and a bit of contrast of texture. It came with a sweet onion jam that was good, but good in that way that I wasn’t sure whether I loved it or it was just ok…it started off sweet which was nice, then rounded itself out in my mouth with a strong onion flavor, and then back to sweet again. If the chick from My Sassy Girl was essentialized into a jam, this might be it. Even better was the tagline in the menu: “The first basket is on us!” It made me feel like I was buying a used car and/or drugs… “The first basket is on us… if you want a second, you’ll have to kill a man”. Honestly though, it really was pretty good. Ari’s Wings (12 pcs/$8.95): Fried wings, mixed with buffalo and bbq sauce. That’s really all it is. It was a nice sauce–finger lickable, but that’s all I can really say. It also seemed like some feathers were on still… is that normal? BBQ Sampler Plate ($24.95): This was Jess and my main course which we shared. This came with Chicken, a Rib, and a few slices of brisket. Let’s break this down: - Chicken: unfortunately, this was pink and undercooked. What we did have before we noticed this, was ok. The skin had a nice taste… but still… undercooked chicken? no thanks. - Rib: The beef rib that came with the sampler wasn’t too shabby. A nice flavor, albeit a little tough. My one qualm would be the noticeable amount of mustard used in the rub, which ultimately didn’t blend with the rest of the seasonings. Cutting near the bone revealed what kinda looked like schmaltz on the knife. - Brisket: This was the most delicious of them all, and why I’m writing about it last. A nice, sweet, fatty top portion kept it a little moist, although I think the brining that they probably did to it also helped. Also, I can’t help but think this was a corned beef brisket thrown in the smoker–if that’s the case, BRILLIANT. Either way, tender, moist, and definitely the best of the three. —- All in all, I think that it was a nice experience, though I’d probably only come back whole-heartedly for the brisket. Getting undercooked chicken was a big turn off, but the rest of the meal was nice, and the service was good. BTW, for more about Glatt Kosher, click here. I had to look it up too…I’m glad I did

She says… Sadly, the chicken and waffles place we wanted to go to was closed. In our disappointment, we decided not to stray too far from the theme of “Soul Food” so off we went in search for something remotely close to that. For some reason every place we wanted to go to was closed so we somehow ended up in Teaneck in front of a Kosher bbq place. Eating there brought a strange progression of emotions for me. While eating there I was pleasantly surprised with the food but the more I thought about the meal (yes, I reflect on food) the more I decided that I probably wouldn’t eat there again. And so the emotions begin (as indicated per emoticons)… — The Food — The cornbread w/ onion jam (free! ): It was a pleasant surprise to have this edible gift brought to our table. J knew this was coming but I was clueless. I found the bread to be very good and fresh tasting. I loved the fact that there were corn kernels in the bread. It was still warm when it was brought to us which is always (I repeat, always) a bonus in any restaurant serving bread items. The onion jam I found to be rather pleasant. It had a nice sweet start and a subtle onion flavor. Mostly I tasted sweet and had to really let the jam sit on my tongue to taste the onion. All-in-all it was a good start to a meal… Ari’s wings (12 pc/$8.95): The menu said that the sauce on these wings was a mix of buffalo and bbq sauce for a sweet and tangy taste (or something along those lines). Intriguing, I thought… It’s not such a far-fetched concept but I’ve never had it before so I suggested it. It definitely was what it said it’d be. When you taste these wings you get the tangy kick of buffalo sauce followed by the soft sweetness of bbq sauce. The wings are deep fried which I found to be a delightful surprise (yay! ) since lately I’ve been exposed to the mushy buffalo wings of Applebee’s (bleeehh… I only go bc of half price appetizers and Dynamite Shrimp). Overall, I’m a fan of crunchy textures. The wings would’ve been more plesant to eat if there weren’t so many remnants of feathers on the wings. At first, the feathers didn’t bother me because I’ve been exposed to such things before but there were just SO many (boo! ). At one point I plucked out a feather remnant that wasn’t just a thin strand, it was a thick, hollow tube. The more I thought about it the more grossed out I became… but I guess with all those feathers on there perhaps it’s an indication of how fresh the chicken is? (Think positive… think positive…) BBQ Sampler Plate ($24.95): This dish came complete with 3 or 4 slices of brisket, 1 rib, chicken leg and some sweet potato wedges. Let’s start with the wedges… *The wedges: Not what I expected. When I read “sweet potato wedges” I thought “potato wedges” as in the deep fried, french-fry like things you get at most places. These were cut sweet potatoes seasoned with a very earthy type seasoning. It had a very strong flavor that I didn’t like or dislike . I thought it tasted a bit like nutmeg (it had that spice quality) but more earthy… if that makes sense. *The rib: It was a pretty good portion but the seasoning didn’t work for me . When I ate it, I tasted this strong flavor mixed in with the bbq sauce. For the longest time I couldn’t figure it out until J helped me realize it was… mustard! The mustard was strong! It was smothered all over the rib, so much so that it was visible on the rib and on your knife when you cut it. Now, I’m not a mustard hater but I just thought it was too strong and didn’t go well with the bbq sauce. Also, the meat was kind of chewy… *The chicken: The meat was pink and undercooked. The skin tasted pleasant and had a nice smoky/char-grilled taste but the meat was very undercooked. We ended up telling the waitress at the end of the meal but she seemed very unconcerned. (Darn, I should’ve taken a picture of it…) *The brisket: Definitely the best of the three by far. It had a nice smoky-sweet flavor, was cooked well and moist. It wasn’t mind blowingly good but it was very tasty. I’d also have to agree w/ J where the meat was like corned beef (a bit in taste and definitely texture). Fresh lemonade: Personally, I found the “fresh” lemonade to taste like Minute Maid lemonade. I actually like Minute Maid lemonade but I don’t consider it to be fresh tasting at all… One bonus is- free refills! —- Service: The service was pretty friendly and the food came out pretty fast which was good but they often forgot to bring out little things (ie: plate, utensils and napkins) for us unless we flagged them down and asked. —– Most likely, I won’t be coming back here again but if I do it’ll definitely be for the brisket. As for the chicken, I’m staying far, far away.



Smokey Joe’s Tex-Mex Barbecue Restaurant
“The first authentic, wood-fired, slow-cooked, pit smoked Glatt Kosher bbq restaurant in the US of A.”
496 Cedar Ln
Teaneck, NJ 07666
(201) 836-7429

Prices: $Free.99 (for the cornbread)-$37.95
Parking: Street
Dine-in or take out. Catering available.
Vegetarian options available! (Though they have seitan marked down as soy )

 

Gyro House: Oradell, NJ

He says… The Gyro House sits in an unassuming spot on Kinderkamack Rd next to a Music School and something else not food-related, all of which are on the ground level of what looks like an apartment.  A block’s radius from the ‘House (which is how I’ll now refer to it) are: a Chinese take-out spot, a Mexican taqueria, a deli, a pizzeria, and an Italian Restaurant, making it–culinarily speaking– the most racially diverse block in my piece of suburbia (just kidding, although it does lead to a lot of choices for dinner ). Upon entering, you can definitely tell that they just started recently.  There are no chairs, and random bits of decor everywhere including a tea/coffee thing that I’m sure you put on a stove, and I’m sure would be used as an instrument of divine torture (it WAS pretty nice looking though).  They also had limited fridge space as I saw gallon tubs of Greek yogurt in the fridges up front where customers pick drinks–unless of course, the ‘House is also your next go-to place in the case Costco ran out of Greek yogurt (do they even sell that there?). It really does look like a take-out spot, organized like a Dominos pizza (also no tables) or a glorified street meat spot that just happened to find its way into an Oradell shop space.  Which again, isn’t bad.  I love street cart style food, and it found a good translation here for the townsfolk. –The Food– Cheese pastries ($4.50): It should be a general rule in life that you should eat anything delicious that people wrap in something and fry to make it more delicious.  Not fried too hard, and not greasy at all, the pastries had a subtle tartness to it from the cheese they used (I think it was feta).  My only regret was that it was probably crispier when it came out of the fryer, but we ate it at home after a 10 minute drive and it probably steamed a little in its styrofoam casing. Gyro kebab ($8.95): If you read Jess’s side first, you’ll know that we watched the Good Eats episode on gyros whist eating gyros–when in Rome i guess (or actually in this case, Greece, which in actuality, should be Turkey in relation to the ‘House).  I actually had been craving gyro from a previous view of that episode, which is why I had to get their gyro platter.  The platter came with your usual gyro ecoutrements including a salad that probably no one ever eats, rice, and pita.  The pitas were nice and big, and seemingly unleavened which gave it a nice visceral tear upon biting and pulling.  The rice was also quite good, sitting below the gyro and getting a nice flavor from the spices on the meat.  The meat itself too was quite good– a little dryer then what I’m used to–it seemed like they sliced the gyro and reheated it on the griddle–but still flavorful and not too lamby.  The portion was also generous which justified the $8.95 price tag. Chicken kebab ($8.95): Jess’s look after her first bite of chicken kebab led me to believe that she really enjoyed it, and I have to agree.  The chicken was very delicious, and still quite juicy.  Also a generous portion was given, with 8 cubes placed rather nicely on the rice.  I was happy that the seasoning on it wasn’t too over-powering– I didn’t get that eat-food-sweat-food feel that I often get from stuff seasoned with Greek/Turkish spice choices.  If we were playing that game of who’s dish was better, I would definitely say hers.  The chicken was also enhanced by their yogurt sauce, which had a nice burst of fresh mint in it. Rice pudding ($2.95): A funny story about the rice pudding.  As the dude behind the counter was packing our food, he said, “Do you want to try our rice pudding?”  Thinking that it was gonna be a freebie since they were new, I said, “Sure why not”.  He then rang up the $2.95 on the till and then told us that we had to let it sit and cool since it was right out of the oven.  Ok so it’s not that funny… but gosh darn if I wasn’t fooled.  Your win ‘House employee…your win.  Anyway… the rice pudding was also very pleasant, and a nice way to end the meal.  It definitely could use some cinnamon or almonds (I don’t know if that’s traditional but I’m going with what I’ve had at other Turkish establishments), but the flavor of the pudding itself was subtly sweet.  My one complaint was that the rice was undercooked, but that might have been a factor of us putting the pudding in the fridge to speed up the cooling, which in turn might have hindered the carryover heat that would have cooked the rice had we just let it cool like the ‘House employee said.  ‘House employee, 2…me, 0. — I would go back there, definitely for some chicken kebab and maybe for some of the other Turkish desserts they had… maybe too for a gallon or five of Greek yogurt.

She says… The Gyro House is a little take out place on the busy Kinderkamack Rd in Oradell, NJ. It recently opened a couple of months ago. J noticed it while we were driving around the area one day and recommended we check it out. (I think he wanted to go just because he wanted to order a gyro by pronouncing it ‘hero’.) We decided to go check it out but were put off to see that despite there being space for it, there were no tables or chairs to eat at the restaurant. Sad! Since it was late we opted to take it home and eat while watching “My Big Fat Greek Sandwich” on Good Eats. (Corny, I know… don’t be jealous. ) We ended up coming home with four dishes off the menu: cheese pastries, gyro kebab, chicken kebab, and Turkish rice pudding. —-The Food—- Cheese pastries ($4.50): These were quite delicious and tart. Basically, they were like little Turkish style egg rolls. Instead of spring roll wrapping, filo dough was used and the filling was feta cheese and parsley. They offered a delightful, light crunch while biting and a tart, sour feta cheese taste. If you’re not into sour cheese then I wouldn’t recommend this. There were four in the container (I wish there were more! ) Gyro kebab ($8.95): This was J’s dish. The lamb came in thin shavings of lamb w/ rice, veggies, pita, and white sauce. I had a little sampling of it and thought it tasted pretty good, w/o a heavy, lingering lamb taste. The lamb seemed like it was cut and then cooked again because it wasn’t very moist but I thought that was good since there wasn’t a lot of oil and it made the meat seem lighter. I’m sure J’s side can tell you more than I can. Chicken kebab ($8.95): This was my dish and I must say I REALLY enjoyed it. I wasn’t expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. The chicken came in 8 huge chunks that were definitely straight from a skewer since there were skewer holes in it. It had a nice smoky, flavor to it and was seasoned very well. Each bite was so good that I couldn’t stop eating until I finished it all (there goes my diet…again). The dish also came with this great, soft rice that had some sort of brown pasta-like thing in it which seemed to add to the flavor of it, giving a slight sour-like quality. I also loved the white sauce because it tasted fresh and the light hint of mint was a great compliment to the meat and rice. Rice pudding ($2.95): The flavor was nice and light but not too sweet. It was made on site and was fresh out of the oven when we bought it. I really enjoyed the light vanilla flavor of it but was disappointed to find the rice was undercooked. There wasn’t a bite that didn’t have the ‘crunch crunch’ of undercooked rice. For some reason it really grosses me out to eat undercooked rice, almost as much as it grosses me out to find a scale in my fish. If it wasn’t for that and a lack of dusting of some cinnamon, the pudding would’ve been perfect. —- All-in-all, a good experience. I’d like to go back there again since the food is pretty good, well priced, and the service is pretty quick.



The Gyro House
“Everything is Homemade”
246 Kinderkamack Rd.
Oradell, NJ
(201) 599-9299

Prices: $2.99 – $10.95
Parking: Street
Take-out only. Catering available.