Hey guys!
This is going to be a super short post because Ryan is about to click “play” on the remote and start the movie Taken.
I AM SO FULL!!!!!!!!!! I can’t believe I wasn’t full last night after three slices of NY style pizza but tonight I am literally busting at the seams. Both Ryan and I agreed tomorrow morning we WOULD be in the gym bright and early to sweat it all out.
I ended up going to Anthro this afternoon with my garage sale money in my pocket but I tried on like eight items and didn’t end up buying anything. I decided it would be best to save! We did, however, end up going to eat tonight at Smoke, a “contemporary” bbq joint in our neighborhood.
We both have heard great things about this place and were excited to finally try it out. Both of us are sort of bbq snobs—after living in Alabama and South Carolina you get to be that way I guess! However, this place totally rocked and combined classic down-home bbq with a contemporary twist. We both loved it! To start out, we ordered the cajun shrimp as an appetizer:
SO good. My favorite part was the crispy polenta in the center. It combined all of the best flavors and the shrimp were cooked to absolutel perfection. This dish was divine!
One of our friends said we just “had to try” the yuca cheese rolls so of course we got those too. I love anything yuca and R loves anything cheese so it was an easy sell!
I’d liken these to soft potato rolls except made with yuca and with cheddar cheese in the middle of the rolls! They.were.awesome. Enough said. They were served with a paprika honey butter but I passed. I thought they were better when dipped in the cajun sauce from the shrimp! We both probably ate a whole one.
For my entree, I chose the seafood kabob with scallops, shrimp, bell pepper and sweet onion. Again, very tasty! All the seafood was cooked to perfection and I loved the sweet glaze they brushed on before grilling. I got to pick two sides with my meal and naturally I chose the feta, tomato and basil salad and grilled corn on the cob!
Oh yes! And to drink—–Sangria!!!! I pretended I was on vacaction 
Ryan ordered the pulled pork bbq sandwich with mac & cheese on the side and was in hog’s heaven (no pun intended)—
SO full! Sweaty working tomorrow! Time for elastic waist pants again! Night!
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
Polenta + BBQ sounds amazing, and the yucca cheddar rolls look Mmmm. Actually, everything looks divine! Hope you have fun watching that movie
.
Looks delicious!!! Holy Yum!
Cajun shrimp with polenta! YUM!
Enjoy your evening!
OMG…your meal literally has me drooling over here!!
Enjoy the movie, Taken. We loved it! It is like the show 24 in movie form! Loved it! Could watch it over & over and I am usually a “watch a movie once” kind of girl.
Have a nice night!
I just saw the movie taken last weekend. It was awesome!
Good looking BBQ as well!
mmmm that looks delish.
I love how everything is presented!
This would be my boyfriends DREAM!! I wish we had places like that over here!
What an amazing dinner! Everything looks so delicious and it sounds like you had a great time. Enjoy your movie night!
How did they get that skewer to stand like that?
What presentation!
These photos tonight had me drooling before bed!
That sangria looks delish. And I would be right there with Ryan, ordering the mac and cheese!
Taken is such an amazing movie!
That looks fantastic! We’ve been craving bbq lately. I think Smoke is a little far for us though.
Have a great Sunday!
I love the vertical presentation of the kabob! The charred texture on the veggies is beautiful
This restaurant sounds so cool — a modern spin on old southern favorites.
Ha, I love the dichotomy of your orders! Seafood, tomato and basil, grilled corn… and then there’s Ryan with pork, fries, mac and cheese. Such a classic guy meal
i simply adore the kabob presentation! i’ve never seen seafood looking so glam!
Haha aw I know how you feel. I definitely need to sweat it all out some too, but my legs are soooooo sore. I have been eating well just so much it seems! I think I’m just bloated though. Haha!
-Muffy
Wow, that is such an impressive meal, both in taste and presentation! I am craving some sangria now…
ahahha the “Free Beer Tomorrow” is such an awesome sign!
Wow! WHat an amazing meal. Definitely going to have to try that!!
Hope you enjoyed Taken…intense move, amazing story line!!
BBQ!! My fave! When we retire, hubby and I have this wild dream of going on a barbeque tour across the US. Texas, Kansas, the whole South, and now this place too!
having been born in the south. that is totally my kinda food
hope you liked “Taken”, I love action movie and this one was right up my alley!
That dinner looks delish! I love the creative presentation of the kebabs. Enjoy the rest of your weekend:)
That place seems awesome! I love a mix between contemporary and classic food. The plating is lovely!
Wow that is quite the meal and the presentation!!!!!
Have fun sweating today!
I watched Taken last weekend and it was awesome-and I usually don’t love action movies. Liam Neeson is a total badass in it!
wow that seems like such a fun place to eat
the shrimp and bread sound awesome.
Kabobs in the summertime are just so good! How was the movie? The previews looked freaky!
Looks delish!! Yummy!!
How was Taken? I’ve been wanting to see it!
-Aaron
Aaron,
Taken was AMAZING!!!! Seriously, I thought my heart would pound out of my chest the entire time. Very suspenseful and well-done!
Ahhh those rolls sound great!! Hope the movie was a good one
I would definitely partake in the yuca cheese rolls. Sounds like an appetizer screaming to be covered with hot sauce.
I have never tried yuca. I am intrigued by your love of it. I am going to need to give it a go. Is it a starch? What does it look like in its natural state?
Jenna,
How yummy!! I wish we had a place like that here in Austin
Also, How can I add my picture onto the side of the comment?
Oh elastic waist pants… for delicious eating like that, I think a solid pair of maternity pants are warranted!
Yummmm!
I am about to watch Taken! Hope it’s good.
Your dinner looks fantastic!!!
That looks awesome. we’ll have to try that out when the kids go out of town next month.
all your dinner foods look amazing. I love reading your Tampa reviews since it gives me a little motivation to cross the bridge and explore Tampa a bit more….there is just so much to do in St. Pete too, ya know?
Ryan’s mac looks amazing! Oh my goodness…..