Smokehouse 41 BBQ — Restaurant in Oakhurst

If you’re seeking a place to feel unwelcome as a paying customer, look no further!

Our out-of-town party of two was very excited to try the food. We entered with the audacity of anticipating an employee would acknowledge our existence as customers. Or make us feel welcomed. Or take our order. After all, they want our business, right?

After 15 minutes of waiting in line outside, we were able to head inside and stepped up to order. The woman behind the counter cutting the meat at ~6:30pm on Wednesday 5/22 proceeded to take the order of the folks behind us. We reasoned it was a mistake and she would take our order next, so we waited for a few seconds while looking up at their drink menu on the back wall.

Instead of taking our order, she turned to her co-worker down the line making the sides and said to him “I have no idea what those two are doing.” She then focused on us with displeasure and welcomed us with our first customer-to-employee interaction: “Are you just watching?”

I responded that we had not ordered yet. However, it became apparent due to her lack of response that this rhetorical question was our prompt to order. I requested a pulled pork sandwich. Obviously irritated by us (perhaps we were breathing wrong? Or maybe we just looked annoying?), she chopped the pork into large chunks that were not pulled and threw it in a bun. She pushed it to her co-worker making the sides.

Evidently also confused that it was not a “pulled” pork sandwich, but rather a “chunked” pork sandwich, he asked her “what is this?” She laughed as if to spite us and claimed it was a pulled pork sandwich. He laughed uncomfortably and proceeded to politely give me my sides.

Left $55 later, having allowed this employee to walk all over us for no reason. No, I did not come into your restaurant to “just watch.” Could not recommend this place less if this type of service is accepted. Should’ve left immediately but was so caught off guard.

We had terrific service and food at Plazuelas. Check that place...

Takumi of BBQ - one of the best We come here with a heart of testing our luck and are full of surprises and joy. Overall, I recommend you come by if you are craving artisan food.

Tri-tip This is not your ordinary tri-tip that dry as hell. Their tri-tip is the best I ever had. (same as the chef according to her, lol) Putting it near your nose, you will notice a meld and fresh wood smell. The gray edge area is full of flavor, yet the center is right on medium well but full of moisture. Overall the tri-tip is truly a gem we found. I would rather come here for tri-tip, than having Ruth-Chris or Gordon Ramsay’s steak house for free.

The 41 baker (loaded sweet potato) The white sweet potato with meat and sauce is a symphony of taste. The chef said this is their most popular dish, I totally agree. The potato is at the right temperature. The center has good potato-like textures, which are mixed with meat, cheese, and spicy sauce. However, the edge part near the skin gives you a natural sweet taste of sweet potato. It balances the center part, making it a wonderful adventure.

Slaw I have to compliment their slaw, it is sweet and fresh. I can taste honey, apple, and many fruity flavors. Which it makes a good resting place while you battle with those delicious meats.

Beef brisket It’s delicious and full of smoke flavor. I would say it is tier-one brisket. It blends well with their spicy BBQ sauce.

Overall I did not expect this when I first walked in. Each dish is well designed with good｛front, middle, after} tastes, and well balanced in {sweet, salty, spicy, smoke} flavors. In Japan, a good chef will make a common family dish to the extreme, escalating the food to another level. And tonight (2/4/2024), I found a similar thing here, I am so glad fate let us walk in and encounter the Takumi...

Average BBQ for touristy prices. Protein is certainly on every hungry hiker's mind after a day in Yosemite, and we made a point to come here for dinner based on previous reviews. Look for the two-story sky blue lodge-style building. Fair number of parking spaces, shared with some other businesses in the plaza.

The place is smaller than the building suggests, with the counter and dining space taking up maybe half of the building's first floor. The door puts you directly in front of the order counter and kitchen, and staff were peppy and friendly. Order meat from the first employee, sides from the second, and get your drinks from the register person who will ring you up. The whole process is pretty efficient, and though we were initially told the brisket was out, someone brought out a giant slab of brisket right before we were about to order.

We got a half pound each of brisket and smoked sausage, and a half rack of ribs. Complemented by broccoli salad and mac n' cheese. Everything was pretty meh. Brisket, despite being as fresh as we could have gotten it, was dry and the flavor had been cooked out of it. Even though it had a nice smoke ring, there was no juice to each bite and I had to swab it in BBQ sauce to help it go down. Similarly, the ribs had a nice glaze but didn't have fall-off-the-bone quality. Sausage was, well, sausage. Sides were okay, with the broccoli salad being a nice variety of apples, slaw, and raisins, but the mac n' cheese was saved only by the bacon bits on top (optional). Not sure if we came on an off day but would be shocking to go 0 for 3 in meats at a dedicated...