Alexander J's Smokehouse

PLACE: 5490 Fenton Rd, Mundy Twp (Just north of the Fenton/Hill intersection)

NUMBER: (810)715-9137

VISIT NUMBER: 1

PRICE: $$-$$$

CUISINE TYPE: BBQ/Steakhouse

TIME TO ORDER: About 5 minutes

TIME TO FOOD: 10-15 minutes for 4 entrées, 5 minutes for our appetizer.

STAFF IMPRESSIONS: Waitstaff was nice, but seemed unsure of himself.  Did not know about the beers, and let us order beers that were not available at the time, not once but twice.  We wanted a chance to look at the menus, but the waiter hovered either at our shoulders or at the table next to us, so we felt rushed.  It was early afternoon, though, and we were the only table, so perhaps he was bored.

FOOD IMPRESSIONS:

•The bacon boats were delicious.  Truly. The soft starchiness of the potato, creaminess of the melted cheese (Colby?), and the bacon!  Applewood smoked, I believe.  Excellent!

•The sauces were good, especially the candy apple, I believe it was called?  It was sweet, with a spicy kick as part of the aftertaste.  I forgot to write down the names, but if I could buy sets of the sauces, I would.  They'd be good gifts - there's something for everyone, and even the spiciest one had a really good flavor.

•Perhaps it was because we came in almost exactly when they opened, but the meat...  I tasted no smokiness, no dry rub, nothing without the sauce, which had been heaped onto the center of the sandwich & soaked into the bun, which made the bread oddly sloppy.  I would have liked my meat to have been completely coated in sauce, though.

•Honestly, the best part of the trip was dessert.  We tried the Kentucky Pie, and it was amazing.  I'm not a fan of pecan pie, but pecan pie with a chocolate chip cookie baked into it?  Sign me up!

DRINK SELECTION: I believe Coke products.  As for beer, I'd suggest deciding on a few beers, just in case some are out.  Their menus are posted on their site:

http://alexanderjs.com/menu.pdf for the full menu, or 

http://alexanderjs.com/bar.php for a "bar" menu.

SATISFACTION: Yes.

WOULD RECOMMEND?:  I'd like to return for dinner, to see if we came in before the kitchen was actually "ready" for us.  I know it can take some time to actually be ready for a big order, and we did order a lot of food.

NOTES: Our waiter was very sweet and attentive to the child we had with us, and there are spaces wide enough for high chairs, with room to walk between tables.

The restaurant was VERY clean!  VERY, VERY, VERY clean.  I was impressed.  The restaurant has a very fun and lively atmosphere, so it's easy to see why the trivia and karaoke nights here are popular.  They also schedule events quite often, so it helps to check their website, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

Have a place you want me to visit?  Contact me:

localflintrestaurants@gmail.com

OR

twitter.com/FRestRevs

Tap Takeovers: When Brewery and Restaurant Combine

Have you ever gone to a bar or restaurant and lamented about their beer selection?  Ever wonder why craft brews only seem to have one or two taps, and the rest are devoted to mainstream beers that only really appeal to some?  Ever choked down a "watered-down" brew just to have a beer with dinner?  Not interested in beer, but have to hear this from a beer aficionado every time that you end up dining out together?  Well, a new type of dining experience has popped up in the Flint area within the last few years, one that seems to please both food- and beer-lovers: Tap Takeovers.

In their most simple form, tap takeovers are exactly what they sound like: a brewery will come into a bar or restaurant and literally "take over" every tap that the place has.  Quite often, it's no where near that large, as either the brewery can't handle an operation that large due to time restraints or other issues, or the place being "taken over" can't open up all of their taps, for whatever reason.  In those cases, the bar area will usually have a takeover menu printed, but other beers can be ordered off of the menu.

Another thing about tap takeovers are the length.  Quite often, they will last a few hours, even up to a day; representatives of the brewery may show up and stay around, to answer any questions about their operation.  However, sometimes, a bar will continue the takeover on their own, until every last keg is drained dry, so as to not lose those profits.  That is why I recommend, if you wish to attend a tap takeover near you, but not have to deal with all of the people, that you call the location of the takeover, to see if they plan on keeping the extra beers on tap after the takeover.

Sometimes, a restaurant can't afford to host a complete tap takeover; unlike bars, they have people coming in at all times of the day, and the regulars may protest the removal of certain beers.  Many of these restaurants instead put together a sort of "beer dinner", where they pair specific brews to courses on their menu.  These are rather fun to take part in, and definitely a good experience for both beer-geek and foodie alike.

As mentioned before, these types of events have become a lot more popular in the Flint area.  It appears that the owners of Flint area bars have heard their patrons' pleas for a structured, yet adult, night out.  Indeed, there are a few local events coming up soon!:

At Alexander J's, located just north of the Fenton/Hill intersection, they will be hosting a Bell's Brewery Dinner on August 8th.  They plan on having 4 courses, complete with 4 different brews, for $44, and will only have 50 tickets available, go get them before they're gone!

See the details here: http://ow.ly/i/2Hrum

Check out their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/alexanderjs.smokehouse.1

A little birdie told me that Table & Tap, located on the corner of 2nd St. and S. Saginaw in Downtown Flint, is planning on having a tap takeover by Kuhnhenn Brewery, sometime this September!  I recently tried Kuhnhenn's DRIPA, and let me just say that, for a Double IPA, That thing is DANGEROUS.  Very mellow, very smooth, but I hear that's the virtue of rice over wheat.  I will definitely post more on this takeover as I find out!  In the meantime, check out their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/tableandtap