Valley Smoke Restaurant — Restaurant in Twentymile

The food is amazing and perfected here. The portions are deceptively small (smaller than they appear) the smoked wings and corn bread are the prize winners of the appetizer menu but don't rule out the fried green tomatoes either. The drinks are well made and dangerous as its hard to taste the alcohol in them but trsut me, it there and plenty of it. The menu has something for everyone and is above average in pricing (about $18 per person) but youre paying for quality barbeque and amazing flavor. Our table had the fried chicken, 2 choice bbq combo of brisket and ribs, churrasco steak, venison steak and a ceasar salad with salmon and tomato basil soup. The soup came with grilled cheese "croutons" which is just grilled cheese cut into pieces but it's not what your mom used to make you in middle school, becuase its better. The salad was a bit odd for me; a head of slightly grilled romaine lettuce with house made ceasar drizzled atop and salmon on the side. Presentation a bit strange but the flavors are phenomenal and the bit of smoke flavor is a game changer for me and ceasar salads personally. The churrasco steak was divine. Well cooked and seasoned as well as topped with a chimichurri garnish that accents the salty flavor of the steak with a garlic and slight vinegar taste mixed with fresh herbs. The fried chicken was good but nothing spectacular but the mashed potatoes come with a smokey gravy that makes the entire dish. The brisket and ribs are fall apart in your mouth perfection as if god himself bestowed upon them a smoker from the heavens. However, the star of the show is the venison. Now I will start with I have had tons of venison in many different ways and have never really liked it enough to order it a second time but this sht...Excuse me, this Divine Sht, taste better than bison steak. It has so much flavor and falls apart better than filet mignon. With the mashed potatoes together, reminds me of a gourmet shepherds pie in terms of flavor. In terms of sides, get the creamed corn and mac n cheese. Do it, you'll be greatful you did. Oh, an important note: make reservations as the house is always filled, best time would be about 4:15pm as its right before dinner rush and the drinks takes about 15 minutes to make as they hand squeeze all the juices into them, but the appetizers will hold you over for a bit. They have an outdoor dock with comfortable seating in the back that comes right up to the riverfront. There are heaters for when it gets cold and plenty of grass for kids to run...

My love for beef brisket knows no bounds, but I only have it at places that I know specialize in it. In my self-destructive phase, I had a few bad brisket experiences and made a pact with myself, never again.

It had been maybe a year or so since the last time I had danced with the cut of meat from the lower breast of a cow, so you can understand my excitement when I was told we were going to Valley Smoke.

We were seated in a booth fit for a world champion and started off with an order of Fried Chicken Liver, cornbread, and some fried green tomatoes. The cornbread was carrying the team on its back à la Greg Jennings. It came in this warm skillet and was almost like a cake. Corncake. Hehe.

I scanned the menu like a Colts Peyton Manning going through his progressions and saw a tomato soup. The thing about me is I NEVER miss this read, as tomato soup has to be the most underrated soup in the game. This one was a top 2 tomato soup I've ever had, as it came with a perfectly charred grilled cheese hanging off the rim to dip. It was spiritual. My only regret is that I got a cup instead of a bowl smh.

For the main event, I obviously got the Valley Smoke Beef Brisket Plate with a side of cream corn and brisket baked beans. It was the elegant dance I had so long yearned for, fulfilling every last hope and dream. The cuts of brisket easily sliced through, falling off the theoretical bone, melting in my mouth.

I'm salivating right now thinking back. Who knows when the next brisket I have will be. It's bitter, baby, but at the same time, it's very sweet. A slow roller coaster, but I’m on my feet………. Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened……….

I thought that last paragraph wrapped this review up nicely, but I must come clean about something, my dear reader. I lied to you earlier. I have another regret other than just getting a cup of tomato soup instead of a bowl:

These were arguably the worst quality pictures I have taken for a review yet and do not do Valley Smoke the justice it deserves. I won't make excuses because I carry myself like a world champion and world champions don't make excuses. But if I were to make excuses, I would say that I was with my girlfriend's family for the first time and I can't be that phone-eats-first guy on the initial impression, even though that's exactly what I am. I need to make a good first impression before I take the mask off. I mean what would you do? No excuses though, I'm a world champion.

IG...

My wife and I went to dinner here after receiving a gift card. My initial thought was that it's just a barbecue joint... But they've taken barbecue and tried to fancy it up. Mandatory valet parking... I'd prefer to park my own vehicle, especially since when leaving we waited 10 minutes in a line of 15 people to get our vehicle back. It's not a big deal but the guys were rushing around like crazy because they were so busy. Doesn't give you a warm and fuzzy when they're frantically driving expensive vehicles around. They may need to hire more valets when it's busy. The menu is a bit odd with German potatoes and Veal schnitzel, steaks, shrimp pasta, of course a burger among other choices. You can find something you'll enjoy but you'll likely have questions about the menu. The hostess brought us to a table that needed wiping down. She got that taken care of and sat us outside with a nice view. We started with some corn bread which was good. It was simple but sweet like I prefer. My wife ordered shrimp pasta. She said it was creamy and had a good Parmesan flavor. I ordered a two meat barbecue platter with brisket and pulled pork. I was given the choice of marbled or lean. I should've said lean because marbled was extremely fatty. Flavor was good except that I wasn't offered any barbecue sauce with it. A bus boy brought the food and nobody came to check on us until after we were done eating. They tout it in the front and offer it up for sale but I didn't even know what it tasted like. The meal also came with garlic toast but they only give you 1/2 a piece of bread and mine had a stale crust. Pickles on the side was a bit strange to me too, but makes sense given the German twist to the menu. My wife tried to order a house Cabernet and they were out. She had to "upgrade" to the next choice. Oddly, it came chilled. Overall it was a good meal albeit a bit over priced for what it was. At just under $100 for two people with 3 drinks and a corn bread... I think I'll stick to Four Rivers for barbecue. It's closer, cheaper, larger portions, and I can get my own barbecue sauce! The only thing missing there is the view. Hopefully you all have a smoother experience...