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Pappy’s Smokehouse owner Mike Emerson has long said that he’s happy to help interested parties reproduce his wildly successful barbecue restaurant – as long as they’re willing to work with him at Pappy’s for, say, a couple years or so.
Frank Vinciguerra and Mike Ireland certainly paid their dues at Pappy’s – including Mike’s moving up the ladder the old-fashioned way by marrying the boss’ daughter.
We’re kidding, of course. Ireland (and Vinciguerra) spent years at Pappy’s and learned firsthand about how the meat hits the smoker there just about the same time the late-night bar scene’s heads are hitting the pillows.
Ireland’s and Vinceguerra’s new addition to the Pappy’s family, Adam’s Smokehouse, opened last month at 2819 Watson Road, just south of Southwest Avenue. (Landmark: Chris’ Pancakes is on the southeast corner of Watson and Southwest.)
If you’re a fan of Pappy’s and Bogart’s, you know the drill. Ribs (above) are the signature item, smoked over apple and cherry wood, $21.99 for a full slab and $15.99 for a half slab. Sandwich fillings include pulled pork ($6.99), turkey ($7.50) and tri-tip ($10.99, below left), all with two sides or with option upgrades for more meat.
Plates, with two sides, are also available for the meats above, as well for a half ($9.99) or whole chicken ($15.99). Oh, and in a nod to its proximity to the Hill, Adam’s also offers smoked salami (above right). Burnt ends were also originally on the printed menu but have become a when-available special.
Several sauces are available, including some new experimental offerings like cranberry-and-cayenne.
In appearance, Adam’s bears a familial resemblance to its brother Bogart’s, both of them housed in long-ago storefronts spruced up with yellow front doors. The windows on either side of the door (as well as one in the middle of it) floods the space with light during the day.
Red goes about a third of the way up the side walls, leading to the same yellow the rest of the way up. The walls are lined with primarily sports-themed artwork, including a shrine to the great Stan the Man. (Just a suggestion for one addition: An old movie poster from a specific Tracy/Hepburn collaboration would show a great sense of cleverocity.)
There’s seating for maybe 35 or so in a pinch. We carried out, and our order of a slab and two plates popped out in about six minutes. Of course, the Pappy’s- and Bogart’s-like lines had not yet started to appear.
We’re betting that they will. And remember: Like their sibling restaurants, when something runs out at Adam’s, it runs out for that day.
There’s a small lot in the rear with a driveway immediately south of the restaurant, and we found plenty of street parking on the nearby main drags. (Yes, you may have to walk a block or two. It’s a city, remember?)
Oh, and about that name. Like Pappy’s, Adam’s name is a tribute. (What? You thought Mike Emerson was “Pappy”? Common mistake. He christened his original restaurant with the nickname of his late older brother, Jim.) And Adam’s is a tribute to Adam Gaffney, a Pappy’s employee who died in March, 2012 at the age of 25.
Adam’s Smokehouse
2819 Watson
314-875-9890
11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Wed - Sat
11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sun
Photos by Kellie Spano
