Smokin' Lil's BBQ: 'Comfort Food' Paradise
Olivia Marshall & Amber Tucker
Issue date: 11/3/05 Section: Features
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In our own Northampton, at 7 Strong Ave., there is a little slice of Louisiana called Smokin' Lil's BBQ. A bar and grill that is family friendly, Smokin' Lil's is a casual place with low lighting and red chili lights, red booths and chair coverings, and an indoor cactus window garden. The kitchen is open to watch the hustle and bustle of the cooks and wait staff. The music was a mixture of G. Love and Special Sauce and Joe Crocker-jazzy but not in your dad's Kenny G. kind of way. The staff was friendly and efficient, our glasses were always full and the restaurant was kept very clean.
The menu consisted of typically-rich southern bayou cuisine: jambalaya, macaroni and cheese, pulled pork and pulled chicken sandwiches, a variety of burgers, hush puppies, catfish, marinated ribs, brisket, coleslaw, beans, and potato wedges, good old comfort food. Vegetarian? On a diet? Smokin' Lil's may not be the place for you. Otherwise, Lil's is absolute heaven for the shameless meat-eater (and is not the place for the Miss Priss-calorie-counter).
Slow smoked for twelve hours and then tossed in delicious barbeque sauce, the pulled pork was like heaven in between two soft buns. This was a sandwich that made me want to say "Oh, yeah!" Coupled with large, seasoned potato wedges and zingy coleslaw, this meal hit the spot.
The Farm Guy burger was covered in bacon, a generous helping of tangy barbeque sauce and the works, served with the same delicious coleslaw and fries. What more can a girl ask for? This burger was so good that it would almost make you feel guilty to be caught alone with it in a room. Just one bite draws you in for more.
The Bourbon Pecan pie was on the more gelatinous side, but the caramelized pecans were easy to pick off and enjoy alone. The Chocolate Badino, however, was a rich chocolate soufflé with molten chocolate center, served with vanilla ice cream; it is the perfect dessert for a chocolate "fix."
If you stick with sandwiches and burgers, you are unlikely to burn a hole in your pocket. The rib page however, is not as student friendly when it comes to prices. The Farm Guy burger, the pulled pork sandwich, the Bourbon Pecan Pie, and a cup of coffee came out to $23.94.
Serving sizes were just right, filling but not embarrassingly "wheel me back to campus" filling. The overall grade for Smokin' Lil's is a B+. You probably won't develop an addiction, but it is a place well worth going back to and recommending to others. At Smokin' Lil's don't be afraid to get your hands messy; you have to just dig in and enjoy, and enjoy you will.
The menu consisted of typically-rich southern bayou cuisine: jambalaya, macaroni and cheese, pulled pork and pulled chicken sandwiches, a variety of burgers, hush puppies, catfish, marinated ribs, brisket, coleslaw, beans, and potato wedges, good old comfort food. Vegetarian? On a diet? Smokin' Lil's may not be the place for you. Otherwise, Lil's is absolute heaven for the shameless meat-eater (and is not the place for the Miss Priss-calorie-counter).
Slow smoked for twelve hours and then tossed in delicious barbeque sauce, the pulled pork was like heaven in between two soft buns. This was a sandwich that made me want to say "Oh, yeah!" Coupled with large, seasoned potato wedges and zingy coleslaw, this meal hit the spot.
The Farm Guy burger was covered in bacon, a generous helping of tangy barbeque sauce and the works, served with the same delicious coleslaw and fries. What more can a girl ask for? This burger was so good that it would almost make you feel guilty to be caught alone with it in a room. Just one bite draws you in for more.
The Bourbon Pecan pie was on the more gelatinous side, but the caramelized pecans were easy to pick off and enjoy alone. The Chocolate Badino, however, was a rich chocolate soufflé with molten chocolate center, served with vanilla ice cream; it is the perfect dessert for a chocolate "fix."
If you stick with sandwiches and burgers, you are unlikely to burn a hole in your pocket. The rib page however, is not as student friendly when it comes to prices. The Farm Guy burger, the pulled pork sandwich, the Bourbon Pecan Pie, and a cup of coffee came out to $23.94.
Serving sizes were just right, filling but not embarrassingly "wheel me back to campus" filling. The overall grade for Smokin' Lil's is a B+. You probably won't develop an addiction, but it is a place well worth going back to and recommending to others. At Smokin' Lil's don't be afraid to get your hands messy; you have to just dig in and enjoy, and enjoy you will.