Parker's Smokehouse — Restaurant in Ashland

So we had the great pleasure of dining here last evening as guests of patrons Patrick and Colleen Fahey.

I have heard many good things about this establishment over the past few years, but just never took the time to stop here, though I’ve passed it many times out on the mc.

Well I am here to tell you now, this is a must stop for anyone who enjoys great Que!

From the moment we walked in were greeted to the friendly and accommodating bartender to our cute and friendly server, we felt welcomed.

Kaylyn was very helpful in explaining the menu and particular dishes and also the carousel of BBQ Sauces, which are ALL very tasty.

I wanted to try their wings, as I am a bit of a connoisseur of great wings, so I ordered 12 Flats, well done and half Hot Cajun and the other half Regular BBQ. First bite had me hooked and the others (who were only gonna try one each) helped me finish them off. Excellent wings and a must have on my next visit.

For our main dishes, my wife and the others ordered Chicken with various sides (great selection of sides) and I ordered the PitMaster Sandwich which consisted of three meats (Pulled Pork, Brisket and Hot Links) on a soft Hoagie and a side Cornbread Muffin. We all loved what we had and I must say my sandwich was the bomb. I tried all of the sauces but kept coming back to the House Special, Hot & Spicy and the Texas Red. I finished ever bite and the muffin which came with a generous amount of soft butter.

Side note, my wife let me try some of her Sweet Potato Fries and they were off the plate delicious. Best I have ever had.

One of the owners came over to check on us and chat a moment as well as the front end manager. Our server was very attentive as well, coming back often to see if we needed anything and if the food was to our liking, which we assured her it was. Even the busboy came by several times asking if he could remove plates and such, which is awesome as this is a personal peeve of mine (a lot of places let the dishes and waste pile up, only removing when you leave)

All in all this was a great experience and we will definitely be coming back and bringing other friends that we know have not been...

For our appetizers we ordered and onion flower and their chips with chicken, the onion was slightly overcooked but the chips were pretty good. The service left a little bit to be desired, our waiter forgot some of the condiments we ordered as well as the extra ribs on my order. I ordered one of my favorite Burgers which is a Swiss mushroom, it's also one of my favorite hamburgers to make so I am very critical when it comes to this particular Burger. It wasn't bad, the meat was a little on the dry side, a little more cheese and mushrooms would have kicked it up a notch and some type of a sauce would be great, personally I prefer a reduced brown gravy however there seem to be nothing on mine so I added ketchup. Once we reminded the waiter about my ribs he was quick to get them to my table, ribs is a another thing that I enjoyed making and I am again meticulous about the process, I prefer a wet rib versus dry which is what I received so I was pleased about that. It was cooked perfectly and all of the flavors you would expect were there along with it being wet but not overly soaked, I find the quickest way to ruin ribs is to completely smother them and sauce.

If you are going there strictly for ribs, I would definitely recommend this place as I said I was very pleased with the quality of them, they were cooked perfectly, they were season perfectly, there was the perfect amount of sauce. The Onion spent probably 2 minutes too long in the oil so the breading was a little scorched and a little too hard for my liking. On the burgers I would suggest a little bit less time on the grill or perhaps hamburger with a little more fat just to keep it moist.

In defense of the service we received, it was incredibly busy when we got there and prices were decent, if this was a more expensive place, the service would have been unacceptable. The staff did seem incredibly friendly and any issues that we had were immediately rectified oh, so we were...

I live in Bellevue now but I've been all over the south and the world in my life. This is a top notch smokehouse! I ordered the ribs (with sauce) and brisket, with Romano potatoes and steamed veggies. Ribs were fall off the bone tender, not overly sauced but flavorful and amazing with a touch of the extra table side sauces. Brisket was lean and fork tender, well seasoned, and perfectly smoked. The Romano potatoes were soft, covered in cheese, served hot, and had a nice kick of cayenne! I consider myself a "medium spice" person and these were a good heat for me. Mixed veggies of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots were warm and also fork tender. The cornbread muffin, though! I grew up in the south and never had something like this...sweet crusted top almost like a light honey glaze and a soft, crumbly bottom. Absolutely amazing with or without the whipped butter and not even a hint of dryness. Husband ordered the pit boss with pulled pork, brisket, and sausage on a hoagie without any sauce and loved it! Really loved the sausage and brisket especially. Excellent hoagie and the steak fries were perfect for a guy who likes "simple, easy" but flavorful food. Without a doubt, the best BBQ I've had since living in Nebraska, and easily takes a top place against what I've had in Texas, Kansas, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. My only missing star is because it was a little loud for my husband to hear well while we were seated at the bar because it was a full restaurant....not really a problem once I was too busy putting the food in my mouth to talk! Can't wait to come back and try...