Pot Liquor CAS
Pork Belly with Country Grits
Slow Smoked, Hand Sliced Texas Style Brisket, Louisiana Hot Links, Spicy ‘Cue, Sweet ‘Cue
“Spare Me Baby” – Dry Rubbed Spareribs, Mopped Baby Back Ribs, Cornbread with Honey Butter, Mac n’ Cheese
Brownie Bread Pudding – Bourbon Glaze, Sea Salt Vanilla Gelato
Strawberry Shortcake Sandwiches – Pound Cake, Strawberry Cream Gelato
Occupying a large space at Town Square and still in ‘soft opening’ stages it was nearly 9pm when myself and two friends arrived at Pot Liquor Contemporary American Smokehouse and although the hip-hop soundtrack trends a bit too loud while service is still green as well as a bit off-kilter I’m happy to say that nearly everything we tasted was quite excellent, a wide variety of barbeque styles represented with sauces and rubs drawing influence from Alabama and the Carolinas to the Lonestar State and even Kansas City. Described by director of development Flip Arbelaez as a ‘fusion’ of styles, both in food and décor, with design concepts ranging from reclaimed barn wood and mason jar chandeliers to a slick marble bar at the restaurant center the majority of our meal at Pot Liquor CAS was paired to sounds far more ‘urban’ than Southern but looking squarely at the ‘cue from a tightly regulated indoor smoker burning a blend of woods low-and-slow at 250°F there was nothing at all to suggest the cuisine to be that of some city-slicker. Unfortunately sold out of the pulled pork given our late hour of arrival and additionally limited on desserts which, save for a few, are not yet available it was with a focus on the remaining variety of smoked meats that our order was crafted and with our server literally cheering us on in phrases like “yeah, I like that” or “that’s totally what I’d do” it was not long before our order arrived, a single appetizer of crisp but under-seasoned pork belly over buttery ground corn plus a large pair of plates featuring more than enough meat and sides to be shared. Beginning first with tender sliced beef featuring a substantial waft of smoke but otherwise seasoned in only salt and pepper I’m confident in saying that Pot Liquor already offers the best brisket in Sin City and moving onward to snappy house-made hot links that paired beautifully with the mayonnaise and horseradish white sauce I was again impressed, the somewhat dry spare ribs a small step in the wrong direction though falling-from-the-bone baby backs were a return to form and easily on par with Rollin’ Smoke, though commanding nearly twice the price even without accounting for the AYCE option at the longstanding Vegas favorite. A bit underwhelmed by sides, particularly the skimpy portion of cornbread that commands a $5.95 menu price, it was in a duo of the three available desserts that we rounded out the night and with each option carrying a $6 pricetag the brownie-beneath-a-croissant style bread pudding proved unquestionably a must order, the nearly molten chocolate base well suited to blend nicely with slowly melting ice cream rife in vanilla amidst ample amounts of butter.
THREE AND A HALF STARS: Clearly more corporate than the traditional Southern Smokehouse yet innovative in their scientific approach to barbeque with a controlled temperature in-house smoker it will be interesting to see just how Las Vegans respond to Pot Liquor CAS, the high tariff likely to turn some away in a city where good barbeque is sorely underrepresented and many seem satisfied by the swill being turned out by Famous Dave’s at less than half the price. With everything made in-house including brines, bacon, hot links, and a wide array of sauces it should go without saying that these guys are dedicated to what they do and with a high likelihood to only improve with time and customer feedback I look forward to a return visit sometime before year’s end – hopefully to find the ‘cue consistent, if not bettered by a well seasoned smoker, with sides and the music turned down…or at least tuned to something more befitting the sort of cuisine being served.
RECOMMENDED: Hand Sliced Brisket, Baby Back Ribs, Brownie Bread Pudding. The Alabama White Sauce and Pot Liquor’s Sweet Barbecue Sauce were also excellent.
AVOID: Cornbread is small, though quite moist even before adding the honey butter while mac n’ cheese was decent, if not particularly memorable. As noted above, Pork Belly was sorely lacking in seasoning or salinity and all told I’d have rather received a portion of grits in a mac n’ cheese sized bowl and let the kitchen keep the pig.
TIP: Currently in soft-opening mode some of the items listed on the menu are not yet available but with the culinary team and ownership all present, accounted for, and eager to inquire about the customer experience I’d advise all but those most curious to hold out for the October Grand Opening – this is a place I expect will only improve as they learn the nuances of the smoker and their customer base, the potential for something that is already ‘good’ to become a new reference standard is exciting to say the least.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
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