Nestled on the bank of the Trinity River in Ft.brWorth is Woodshed Smokehouse, a tribute to allbrthings grilled, cooked and smoked. It’s a gloriousbrhybrid of smoky, meaty barbecue and fresh, zestybrTex-Mex right in the heart of Cowtown.br
Texas’ favorite chef and Food Network regu-brlar, Tim Love, opened the restaurant in 2012 withbra goal to bring familiar and exotic meats to thebrtable, and that’s exactly what he did. Upon walking in to Woodshed, it’s impossible not to noticebrthe shiny glass window where the “animal of thebrday” – could be goat, boar, venison – slowly ro-brtates on a spit. It’s immediately clear that Wood-brshed is no joke when it comes to meat.br
The establishment blurs the line betweenbrindoor and outdoor seating. General ManagerbrDavid Lace describes it as “a patio venue with abrparty atmosphere.” No matter where you’re seated, you’ll feel like you’re in a beautiful backyard,brrelaxing at a wooden table admiring the riverbrwhile overhead fans waft the scent of smoky meat.
br br brWoodshed doesn’t take reservations, whichbrmakes for a high activity level as servers bustlebraround wearing shirts scripted, “I’d totes smokebrthat” and hopeful singles linger around the bar.brLuckily, our group came in on a Tuesday nightbrand was able to be seated right away. It’s casualbrand primitive, yet trendy, but the menu – a piecebrof paper held to a slab of wood with two rubberbrbands – tells a more complex story.br
Boasting three smokers, two rotisseries, twobrwood grills, and four to five rotating woods tobrsmoke menu items on, Woodshed’s flavor palettebrwould raise the eyebrow of even the most experienced foodie.br
br“We use four main woods to smoke with: hick-brory, oak, mesquite and pecan. Each wood has abrdistinct profile and is best for certain items,” Lacebrsays. Each day, Woodshed chooses a new animalbrand a new sausage, which shapes some of thebrmenu offerings, while classics like the Beef Brisketbrand the Smoked Red Fish are offered all the time.
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Lace says the meats can elicit lots of questions from customers,brwith the daily rabbit/rattlesnake sausage the most bizarre.br
To start, we ordered the Smoked Hummus, made with pit master fat (sounds repulsive, but tastes delicious) and the SmokedbrWhitefish Dip. Both came with camp bread (a puffy, soft breadbrthat’s cooked over an open flame) and fresh tortilla chips.br
The hummus was slightly spicy, and the dip was the perfectbramount of fishy and smoky. The animal of the day was pig, whichbrmade for some delicious Pulled Pork Tacos. The sausage was elk,brwhich was a nice addition on top of the Woodshed Burger. Thebrmanager brought out some Lamb Brisket as we chomped down ourbrentrees. The boldest in our group raved about its tenderness.br
We also enjoyed some greens that proved that at Woodshed,brvegetables have bite, too. Both the Crispy Brussel Sprouts withbrfermented lime vinaigrette and Slow Smoked Cauliflower withbrcreamy mornay sauce were sinfully good.br
Woodshed features a “Brewery of the Month” on their drinksbrmenu, fit with 25 craft beers on tap, beers in cans, wines on tapbrand specialty cocktails. It’s rare to spot a group of people not tak-bring advantage of the adult offerings, which gives the atmospherebra rowdy and fun feel. Woodshed hosts live entertainment Wednes-brday through Sunday with local up-and-coming artists to top offbrthe vibe.br
As required by its landlord, Woodshed must use eco-friendlybrproducts due to the proximity of the river – but this restrictionbris well worth it in light of all of the unique opportunities the location provides. “We have trail access for bikers, joggers and run-brners,” Lace says, which has led Woodshed to co-sponsor two funbrruns each month. The frequency of joggers-turned-diners evenbrspurned the creation of a Pup Menu. That’s right. Your furry friendbrcan enjoy various sizes of bones dipped in pit master fat and “ChefbrTim Love Rainwater” that are sure to get the drool going.br
Considering its location, atmosphere, service and food, Wood-brshed boasts more than just a hip restaurant; it’s a unique experi-brence. Being only about a half hour away from Southlake, you havebrno excuse; put on your cowboy boots, grab some friends, and headbrover to Woodshed for your own taste of Ft. Worth.
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WOODSHEDbrSMOKEHOUSE
3201 Riverfront Dr.
Fort Worth, TX
817.877.4545 WoodshedSmokehouse.com