Dining Out Boston

Yeehaw! Last night I braved the frightful cold for some homestyle ribs at The Village Smokehouse, a friendly barbeque joint thatpublicly proclaims to be "Nothing fancy mind ya, just a place where good folks go."

The Smokehouse's interior easily makes you forget you're in Brookline, with its serious wood paneling, black-and-white ranch photographs, and Texas paraphernalia. While we waited for a table I watched sports on one of the two large-screen bar TVs and waited for the occasional massive burst of flames from the open grill.

Immediately after we were seated the waitress plunked down a plate of warm cornbread on the red-checkered tablecloth and quickly took our drink orders. A cold beverage is a must with barbeque (even if it is 12 degrees outside) and The Village Smokehouse offers a standard variety of beer, wine, and whiskeys ($4-6) as well as some speciality cocktails like the Blue Cactus or the Longhorn Lemonade ($6-8). For an appetizer, Bunches and I split the buffalo wings ($6), whose sweet-sour sauce was a refreshing change from the conventional brown sugar glaze. Next time I'm trying the gigantic onion rings or Texas fries, both of which were heaped into kitschy plastic baskets.

Our entrees were delivered promptly after appetizers plates were cleared, along with our chosen side dishes of thick, sweet baked beans, tangy coleslaw, and creamy mashed potatoes. (I was fairly disappointed macaroni and cheese was not among the choices.) My beef ribs ($17) were juicy, tender, dripping with sauce, and falling off the bone. Thank goodness each table had its own roll of paper towels because there was no way my little napkin was going to do the trick. Bunches' NY strip steak ($18) was a bit of a disappointment, as the meat was overcooked (despite his request for rare) and the seasoning inadequate. Perhaps he would have fared better having ordered one of the simpler, more traditional sandwiches like the chili burger ($8.50) or pulled pork ($10). Hefty portions of hearty barbeque left my belly quite swollen, so there was little chance of cramming in dessert; however, in the future I'm definitely trying a slice of chocolate pecan pie.

The Village Smokehouse isn't the best barbeque you can find in Boston (that would be Redbones, a story for another time) but it's pretty damn good. Go with people with whom you can best your sloppiest, for at least one of the sauces will find its way down the front of your shirt, and have fun on in your dinnertime trip to
the Lonestar State.

The Village Smokehouse
1 Harvard St., Brookline
www.villagesmokehouse.com