RESTAURANT REVIEW
(Submitted to the Putnam County Courier, October 24, 2004)
If you love surprises and you love BBQ, there are plenty of both at Chris and Susan Casino's. new restaurant, HOLY SMOKE . For years we have pursued real BBQ and have sampled it in Gaylordsville (smoked turkey legs at a fair), East Fishkill, Pawling, Danbury as well as NYC, Kansas, Alabama, Florida, California, Louisiana and Texas. So when we spotted the attractive HOLY SMOKE sign on Route 6N, it was natural for us to slam on the brakes. We couldn't pass it by. No way.
When you walk in, the smell is right . Susan Casino greets and seats you. The restaurant looks airy and clean. The waitress is cheery. She obviously likes her job. The menu is varied and innovative.
Chris will tell you good quality choice meats is a key, along with the right wood, the right temperature and patience. "It's a long slow process," he says. "There are no short cuts." Chris has cooked in Manhattan, Kansas and both Galveston and Houston Texas. He also worked for Stouffers. Top of the line products are all over the menu down to fine Beverages where he stocks Stewarts Sodas. Ales and beers are imported and domestic.
For Starters Corn Fritters are crisp outside, gooey inside, a treat not to be missed.
Trash Ribs come from the kine bone, that triangular flap, which runs perpendicular to a rib rack . They are surprisingly juicy and succulent, boasting exactly the right shade of rosy pink produced by great smokers, with three wonderful home made dipping sauces to mix at the table. BBQ Spring Rolls in a crisp tortilla shell have a memorable complex, saucy filling, yet are not messy to eat.
Because we want to taste as many of HOLY SMOKE's dishes as we can, we try both Texas Beef Brisket and Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches, each served on an Arthur Avenue hand-formed Kaiser roll, and each smoked to tasty pink perfection that amateur smokers wish they could achieve. The pickles are cold and crunchy. We just loosen our belts a little, mix up some more sauce and dig in.
Side dishes are delicious, too. Spinach is warm and creamy. Beans are baked with chunks of BBQ meat . Skinny sweet potatoes are fried crisp. It is delightful to find that nothing we taste is heavily salted. More local restaurants might take note.
The Casinos' Italian sweet tooth shows up at Dessert. Home made Apple/Raspberry Crumble should probably be served warm, maybe with ice cream. Here, it is served straight from the refrigerator. The final good surprise is the Banana Split with Smoked Chocolate Sauce. Never heard of it? It's a first for me and a fascinating twist on a universal favorite.
We questioned Chris some more after dinner and learned that hundreds of pounds of meat pass slowly through his huge stainless steel smoker every 24 hours. It's a process that doesn't start until 10 PM every night, when a fire under water-soaked wood in the smoker is allowed to burn for 2 hours before the temperature is right and the smoke is sweet and white. At Midnight the meat is loaded in on the racks and left there all night, at a constant temperature, until 10 AM the next morning. After the perfectly smoked meat is removed, the smoker is scrubbed down thoroughly and made ready to be fired up for another night's work.
How many times do we go to a restaurant and find almost every dish worth applause? Seldom. We are lucky Susan and Chris Casino chose to open in our neighborhood. The quote by Alexander Pope on HOLY SMOKE's menu is, "Send me, Gods, a whole hog barbecued," Chris Casino, thankfully, is doing just that for us in Mahopac! We are already salivating thinking about our return visit.
Located 3.5 miles from Jefferson Valley and 3 miles from Mid-Mahopac, 8 miles from Carmel, on a totally renovated old restaurant site, HOLY SMOKE is open from 11:30 AM to 10 PM, 9 PM Sundays, closed Mondays
241 ROUTE 6N, MAHOPAC, NY 10541, 845-628-9795.
c.Nancy Bookman Hoffman
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