Must Try: Smokin' Oak

Sometimes you just must get in the car and go.

Well, if I’m honest, we had business to tend to in Vancouver, Washington, but Karrie had not been since she was a kid and I had never been. As we traveled down the road, we soon were seeing country we had never seen, and it was beautiful and breathtaking, especially along the Oregon and Washington border as we traveled along the Columbia River. A thought popped through my head once that this water had once seen the Grand Coulee Dam and was now here.

We arrived in downtown Vancouver around dinner time and we found ourselves in The Smokin’ Oak, as suggested by some people we met. Therefore, I am writing this column because my life and palette were changed forever in that little barbecue joint. Their menu was stacked with all the usual offerings you would see on a Texas-style BBQ place, but on Thursday nights, they serve meatloaf.

OK, I know what your thinking. Out of all the things I could have ordered, meatloaf would be way down the list. I agree, especially since my wife makes awesome meatloaf that I request on my birthday every year. You see, the man sitting next to us (who looked very familiar to me, I was sure I knew him) suggested it, and I went for it. So did Karrie.

It is now the number-one meatloaf on the list of two. This meatloaf, made from smoked brisket and smoked pork, is one of the best things I have ever eaten. Period. Drop the mic.

But if it was just the food I would not be writing this. I also had a Smoked Vanilla Stout that just may be the best beer I ever tasted, as well. That was suggested by one of the three owners who just happened to be serving us.

The atmosphere was friendly and homey for a rustic-but-classy BBQ joint. The place was full, and everyone seemed very content with the offering in front of them.

But the food. Oh yes, the food. I am not fibbing or stretching the truth when I say this: I would drive back down on a Thursday for six hours just to have that meatloaf again. I would then turn around and drive home for another six hours. It is worth it.

Funny thing about my new best friend, the man who suggested the dish that I thought I knew. I did kind of know him, but not from where I thought I did. When I was a firefighter at the dam, he worked for Bonneville Power. We had seen each other a few times. He now works in Portland and had made the trip over the river just to eat at the Smokin’ Oak. Someone had suggested the place to him and the legendary meatloaf on a Thursday night.

I have never done this before, and I hope to do it again, but this is my first column about places you must try. I give the Smokin’ Oak in Vancouver a five-star award, and all others places after will have to try and measure up to this legendary place. I recommend it to everyone that likes meat; they do it how it supposed to be done, and the staff are top notch, as well. They also cater, providing special local brews and side dishes are just as mouth watering as the white oak-smoked meats. I mean, they knocked my wife’s recipe off the leaderboard, and it had been there a long time.

We had a great time in the lower corner of our state. But this piece of meat that blessed my guts will forever be in my dreams until I return again and have seconds. The Smokin’ Oak is a must stop if your passing through or going for a visit. It is even worth a 12-hour drive to try some. I’m Jess saying.