barbecue Connecticut – CT Snapshot

To kick off season 3 of CT Snapshot, we decided to review Taíno Smokehouse in Middletown. While several smokehouses exist in Connecticut, Taíno Smokehouse stood out to us because of the history behind its name. According to the description on the restaurant’s website, barbecue originated with indigenous peoples of the Caribbean such as the Taíno. Today, barbecue is very much part of American culture, but many Americans don’t know where the cooking method started. By simply visiting the restaurant’s website, we knew that the owners want to remind people of barbecue’s Taíno roots and serve delicious cuisine to customers from all over. We couldn’t wait to check the place out and chow down.

Taino Smokehouse

Grade: B+

Location: 482 South Main Street, Middletown, CT

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Atmosphere: 9/10-When you enter Taíno Smokehouse, you’ll likely notice the design of a Taíno chief on the floor. The design reminds people of the restaurant’s logo and barbecue’s Taíno origins. Even if customers did not know about the history behind the restaurant’s name, the design and logo create a sense of wonder and intrigue. Likewise, the logo, name and design differentiate Taíno Smokehouse from other barbecue restaurants in the state. With a few more Taíno-related decorations, the restaurant could really stand out.

Service: 10/10-Taíno Smokehouse is not spacious, but seating indoors and outside fills quickly. The waiters, waitresses, cashiers and cooks can handle the demands of their customers. They also treat customers with a friendly attitude and constantly check up on them. These qualities speak volumes about Taíno Smokehouse in terms of their care for quality, customer service. We also didn’t have too long for a check.

Price/Selection 8/10-Taíno Smokehouse offers a wide selection for their menu in terms of their appetizers, wings/chicken pops/shrimp, BBQ sandwiches and BBQ dinners. We expected a bigger portion size for the amount we paid for our dinners, but we found the portion size for our appetizers to be more than suitable.

Taste: 8/10-We had mixed feelings on the taste of our entrees. Make no mistake; we enjoyed our entrees, but some proved more savory than others. We found the BBQ pulled pork dinner to be fantastic along with the sweet potato fries. The BBQ chicken dinner proved satisfying as well, but not quite on the same level. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our entrees and left zero scraps behind.

In a nutshell: 35/40-In a nutshell, we enjoyed the history, service and entrees of Taíno smokehouse and encourage our readers to visit. We plan to stop by Taíno Smokehouse in the future, but we must venture on to other restaurants in the state before doing so.

Life feels different in Connecticut lately. We feel different. People seem a little more on edge and for good reason. You might feel sad and you might be looking for a return to normalcy. We’ve found comfort in spending time with family and friends around the holiday season in an entertaining atmosphere. If you’re looking for some holiday cheer in the nutmeg state, why not try Gobi Mongolian Grill in Southington! We’ve visited twice and definitely enjoyed ourselves.

What is Mongolian Barbecue? Gobi Mongolian Grill in Southington serves a type of cuisine called Mongolian barbecue. Ironically, Mongolian barbecue relates to neither Mongolian cuisine nor barbecue. Taiwanese restaurants developed Mongolian barbecue during the 1970s. The restaurants’ chefs cooked diverse varieties of meats, vegetables and noodles on round, iron griddles. Imagine a hibachi dinner in which you CHOOSE the contents. Customers handed chefs the vegetables, noodles and sauces and they cooked them without hesitation. This type of tradition caught on in America and has maintained popularity into the 21st century.

Check our Mongolian barbecue adventure-

Gobi Mongolian Grill

Grade A-

Location: 855 Queen St, Southington, CT

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Atmosphere: 9.5/10: Gobi Mongolian Grill has a spacious interior with an orange and brown color scheme that will likely contribute to your hunger. You will also notice the giant iron griddles that rest in the middle of the room. People wait at marble counters by the griddles with the dishes they selected. Before you visit the counter, go to the buffet area in the back of the room to choose from a variety of noodles, vegetables, meats and sauces for the chefs to cook. Remember-this is all you can eat so grab as many dishes as you desire. You can also choose dessert!

Service of chefs: 5/5-These chefs will cook any type of ingredients and quickly. I added pineapple and strawberries to my plate and they cooked it! I was greeted with a few laughs by the chefs and odd looks by Christina and our friend Brandon.

Service of waiters/waitresses: 3/5-On a busy night, you might have to wait a little while for refills of drinks. Your table could benefit from ordering a bottle of wine to prevent waiting or a large pitcher of water. When we visited a second time for Brandon’s going away party, we encountered much faster service.

Price/selection: 9.5/10-The picture shows only the vegetables you have to choose from! The meats, noodles and sauces boast the same type of variety! You can have as much of this as you want for $15.95. During lunch hours, you can have the same type of buffet for only $8.95. You’ll spend less than you would at a hibachi dinner! The drink prices are reasonable too.

Taste: 9/10-You can create a seemingly endless amount of tasty combinations. Unlike most buffets, the ingredients do not sit out to spoil. We encourage you to try new foods, but be careful of your choices. Pay attention to the spiciness warnings if you don’t like spicy foods. If you’re not a daring person, choose foods that you are familiar with. Otherwise, you’ll end up wasting a lot of ingredients.

In a nutshell-36/40-Whether you’re visiting at lunch or dinner, with friends or family, Gobi Mongolian grill is a “must try” place in the state of Connecticut. We encourage you to try this place as a date or with a large group of people. You’ll find good times and holiday cheer at this restaurant!

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Tag: barbecue Connecticut

Trying Taíno Smokehouse

Grab some Gobi Mongolian Grill in Southington