Taino Smokehouse (Middletown)

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I drive by this place every single weekend and I’ve been intrigued.  Then I read some reviews and I knew I had to try it.  I placed a dinner takeout order around noon today.

I got here a little before 6:30 to pick up my order and the place was busy but shortly after I arrived it was SLAMMED.  I’ve worked in restaurants before and I knew exactly what it must have been like for them – I wanted to jump in and help!  The place is very small to begin with, basically an attachment space to Ace Hardware next door.  Actually, the first time I stopped by (last week) they were closed but my initial reaction was, “That’s it?” referring to the size of the restaurant.

Many of the tables were full and there was a line of people waiting for pick-up orders and also waiting for a table.  Some put their names down and decided to come back in twenty minutes or so.  They seemed to have a hard time cranking out all the orders for takeout and for the dine-in service.  Also, staff members were fulfilling multiple roles and working very hard.

When I got there I still waited 5-10 minutes for my order to be finished even though I had called ahead of time.  That gave me a chance to talk to other people waiting for their orders.  The guy ahead of me said that he’d been there a bunch of times and everything is great.  I couldn’t wait to see for myself.

I left the restaurant with BBQ wings, a pulled pork dinner, a brisket dinner, sides of collard greens, garlic mashed potatoes, and honey butter cornbread.  I know I say this a lot but holy smokes.  No really, holy smokes.  Everything was terrific!  My favorite were the BBQ wings.  They were coated in a dry rub, not fried, and smoked, then slathered with a fantastic BBQ sauce.  The meat on the wings were plump, juicy, and cooked perfectly.  Delicious.  I also loved the garlic mashed potatoes.

There are so many more menu items to try, I am sure I will be back.  Ribs are next on the list.  I’m already looking forward to eating leftovers tomorrow.

Their soft opening period started a short while ago and their grand opening is not until March 24th, 2013.  Until then the menu could change frequently.  It already has from the time I looked them up this morning to just now.

482 S Main St
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 358-9828