*Very average.
*The baby back ribs were very tender but lacked enough of a smoky flavor. Lunch portions and value were both very good. Servers seemed to have some trouble handling such a large group of people.
*This place was OK. I’m not much for the fancy BBQ places – sit down and be waited on, no sauce on the table, white cloth napkins, etc. And I thought it was fairly expensive for the portion size and quality. I paid $10 (including tip) for a sandwich, a small portion of fries, and a small coleslaw. The sandwich meat (beef and pork) was good but the fries were undercooked. They had plenty of wait staff but they spilled stuff twice on the table and messed up a few orders.
*This Smokehouse on 135th replaced the Zarda’s that went out of business so I was surprised when I arrived and saw the parking lot full. The restaurant was outfitted as a swank joint for a barbecue place (and the price reflected that). My overall impression was Smokehouse is trying to directly compete for the same clientele as Jackstack which is another pricey, swank barbecue establishment in Overland Park. After I ordered, the waiter later brought coleslaw before my meal. Coleslaw before the meal? I guess it went with the experience of eating at an upscale place. Soon after I finished the slaw, my pulled pork and rib dinner with fries arrived. My pork and ribs were slathered in nondescript barbecue sauce which was added after the fact by the staff. I wondered why they would do such a thing? I found out after I put a forkful of pork into my mouth. I was instantly transported back to my high-school-cafeteria-eating days when I was served bland stuff called “barbecue” from some ginormous food vendor. The ribs were no better. Both items didn’t seem smoked to me and the extra barbecue sauce took away from my eating experience. Perhaps the sauce was used to mask the lack of flavor in order to give the barbecue flavor. I was charged approximately $11.85 to find this out. Thankfully Casey had a Smokehouse coupon which he split with me so I got $5 off the bill.
*The beans had a pretty good taste, but I've had better. The fries were slightly seasoned, which gave them a descent flavor. They only had two sauces, that were completely different. The mild had too much tomato taste for me and hot was ok. They didn't have any sauce on the table and didn't bring enough in the small bowl, when I asked for some additional sauce. I like to dip my fries in the BBQ sauce. It was a higher scaled BBQ atmosphere, which was fine, but they didn't have some of the "staples" you expect at a BBQ joint…like sauce on the tables. :) The price was ok. We may have paid for some of the atmosphere, but it was ok. Service was "just ok". They did have some people in training, which was fine, but we had 2 glasses of water spilled on members of our party, we had to switch around our orders, and share the small bowls of sauce! I'd like to go back to see if my first impressions of Smokehouse BBQ is better.
*Food was about average. Service was a problem in this visit. I had a coke spilled on me and no offer to comp at least my drink.
*Smokehouse was okay. It was in the old Zarda's restaurant and it looked nice inside. We had excellent service and there was 15 of us who attended. My meal was okay. The fries were good, the ribs were okay along with the sausage and chicken and beans. This would be a nice place to take out of town folks and you had a large group. It reminds me of Fiorellas and KC Masterpiece.
*Smokehouse BBQ was overall a pretty good place to eat. I felt the meat was soft and tender, but could have been slightly more flavorful. The baked beans were good but not great. The service was exceptional considering we had a larger group and it was lunch time. Lastly, I felt the value was good in regards to the portions provided and the quality of the food.
*I have eaten at Smokehouse before and this was the best meal I have had. The service was quick and the food was good. We took 16 people and were served quickly. I will go back. The beans were good, not great. The Sliced brisket was tender and good. The ribs were average.