I have been waiting forever for Smokin’ Oak (the barbecue place next to Loowit) to open. I tried to go there on a Friday night shortly after they opened. I picked the wrong night.
The annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Esther Short Park had drawn a huge crowd downtown, and apparently many of them had the same idea I had. When I walked into Smokin’ Oak, there were hangry (hungry + angry) people squeezed everywhere and the staff appeared overwhelmed. The hostess told me that there was a one-hour wait time, so I decided to come back another time.
I tried again on a Thursday night before 5 p.m. (they open at 3 p.m.). There was no wait but there were some people at the bar and in the family-friendly dining area. I tried the brisket and spare ribs. They come with two sides each. I chose the macaroni and cheese, corn bread, jalape?o beans and collard greens washed down with an Old Smoky cocktail. The food surpassed the high expectations I had based on the humble bragging of the owners –Erick Gill, Kimba Gill and Bryan Rodgers — when I interviewed them a week before. Every bite was perfection and the smokiness of the Old Smoky cocktail (High West Campfire whiskey, house smoked bitters, demerara syrup in a bourbon barrel-smoked glass) made it the right sipping cocktail for the meat and sides.
Smokin’ Oak serves bona fide Central Texas barbecue. Rodger’s Texan father gave him the family recipes and taught him how to barbecue. Brisket is king in Texas and this brisket is cooked on low heat for thirteen hours until, as Kimba Gill said, “it turns to meat butter.” The meat is traditional but the smoky cocktails are Erick Gill’s own creation. Such as any traditional barbecue place, the meat is smoked for up to 16 hours, so when it’s gone there’s no time to quickly cook up a new batch. In other words, for the best selection of meat, arrive early.
Getting this business going wasn’t easy. The trio built this place (including the smoker) with their own hands and the help of their friends. That process was challenging and at times life-threatening (Erick Gill made the first cut into the decommissioned propane tank that became the smoker). There are lots of people who are excited about Smokin’ Oak finally opening, so at peak times there can be a long wait. Crowd control can lead to stressful situations. A one-star review on Facebook snowballed into an unfortunate string of posts between a disappointed guest, Erick Gill and a bunch of other people. It is best to show up early on a weeknight. If you aren’t a fan of early weeknight dining, wait a month or so and give the owners time to catch their stride.
Smokin’ Oak benefitted from a good working relationship with the city of Vancouver and the generosity of other downtown business owners. Erick Gill explained, “It’s a newer generation. There were adversarial relationships between bar owners in the past. It’s good to be part of this generation. The Main Event guys are good friends of ours and Shane at Pacific House. These guys have this whole rising tides raise all ships mentality.”
The owners believe that the downtown area has a bright future. They have high hopes for the development of Vancouver’s waterfront. Despite their enthusiasm for a downtown renaissance, there are doubters. One day, Rodgers was outside in the smoker and a man came up to him and told him that the restaurant was going to fail. Rodgers asked about the waterfront and the guy responded, “The water flop property. That is a field of dreams, man.” Rodgers replied, “Well, how did that movie turn out?” A few hours later, there was a line of people snaking down the block waiting for Smokin’ Oak to open.
Rachel Pinsky can be emailed at couveeats@gmail.com. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @couveeats.
