RETURN TO PREVIOUS PAGE Hickory in the Smokehouse by Pauline Uchmanowicz, The Woodstock Times - June 5, 2003 Why would a classically trained chef with Manhattan and Paris restaurant pedigree open a down-home barbeque juke joint? For Mark Slutzky, chef and co-owner of Hickory BBQ Smokehouse, old habits die hard when it comes to food. "Barbecue has been a passion in the Slutzky family for more than thirty years," the Culinary Institute graduate said. "I wanted to take my parents' backyard recipes, from when we vacationed in the Catskills, and use my cooking-school training to create a Hudson Valley barbecue fusion." On a recent Friday evening, I ventured out to Route 28 to Hickory BBQ, once the site of the Retreat, a longtime Italian restaurant, and more recently Ampro Sports. Purchased by the Slutzky family last July, the building's exterior has been refurbished with barn-red paint, new curbing and landscaping, which fetched a letter of appreciation from county officials citing "beautification." A rich and smoky flavor hit me as soon as I opened my car door. Four gleaming Harleys huddled in the parking lot like lollipops in a candy jar. A flyer posted just outside the main entrance announced "Smokehouse Blues Open Mic Jam," Saturdays beginning at 10 p.m. Mark's brother Steve, co-owner and general manager, greets customers at the door. The overhauled interior features two large dining spaces with seating for a hundred, divided by a fieldstone fireplace. The knotty-pine walls of the front room combine with resurfaced hardwood floors and wooden tables to suggest rustic charm. Adding a dose of whimsy, metal paint buckets serve as drop-lamp shades above a row of booths. The rear seating area, suitable for private parties, includes a cozy corner banquette. Five squeeze-bottle condiments, all family-recipe barbecue sauces, rest on each table. Original pastel paintings by Michael "Doc Hickory," grand patriarch of the clan, grace the walls. A newly installed PA system is in place for live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights, with acts ranging from blues and western swing to Texas jazz. A cozy pub abuts the dining room, its horseshoe bar still intact from the Retreat days. Salvaged booths, freshly cut pine walls, state-of-the art TVs and a jukebox extend the overall ambiance. Intended to compliment their smoked food, the house serves two dozens domestic and imported beers, including microbrews and drafts, as well as New York State wines, featuring selections from Millbrook, Fox Run and Cascade Mountain vineyards. Customers also may dine on the outdoor patio just off the bar. "Our newly planted trees will grow up to muffle the sound and block the view of passing traffic," Steve assured me. Back in the main dining area, a cut-window revealed a tidy wait station, leading into the new kitchen, giving it a quasi-open feel. Comprised mainly of Onteora High School students, the dining room staff cheerfully bustled back and forth under the watchful eye of Steve's wife Jill, front-of-the-house supervisor. Mark's wife Debbie works behind the scene, doing the books and promotion. Doc Hickory occasionally expedites in the kitchen, while his wife, Carol "Ma Hickory" serves as font of culinary wisdom. Drawing on his lessons from the CIA and France, as well as stints as executive chef at Manhattan's Avalon Bar & Grill and at Neuman & Bogdonoff caterers, Mark Slutzky has designed a seasonal menu, drawing on fresh ingredients indigenous to the region. "We're fortunate to be able to support and take advantage of New York State's fresh produce, farms, dairies, and wineries," he said. "Our goal is to use local products to promote Contemporary Barbecue cuisine and to educate diners about the authenticity and history that our unique cooking process provides in terms of quality and flavor." The Hickory menu incorporates many of the Slutzky family traditions and recipes. It features hearty plates of freshly smoked beef, pork, ribs, chicken and fish, prepared on rotation racks in the gigantic Southern Pride smoker. Working throughout the day, the machine is fueled by gas and full-log woods, including cherry, apple and above all hickory. The chef prefers the fruitwoods for cooking fish, such as the local Eden Brook trout. Sampler combinations, such as the Kingston Trio (any three smoked meats) and the Barbecue Feast (billed as "For the Pork Avenue Crowd") are designed to introduce customers to Slutzky's version of barbecue. Diners also will find more upscale offerings, such as hot-smoked wild striped bass, magret duck breast and local free-range chicken. A wealth of side dishes should satisfy vegetarians. Choices include macaroni and cheese, roasted potato salad, braised greens, market-vegetable specials (made to order), sweet potatoes, rice and peas, and BBQ baked beans. Also available, pub pleasers such as BBQ steak sandwiches, homemade flatbread wraps, hand-cut French fries and donut-size onion rings round out the offerings. Biscuits and cornbread are baked twice daily, with seasonal pies and cakes likewise homemade. Kids may dine on corn dogs, smoked chicken fingers, ribs or a vegetarian plate, the average meal ringing it at six dollars with a scoop of Jane's Ice Cream for dessert. I started off with pickled vegetable salad, a tangy mixture of beet, okra, carrot, cauliflower, broccoli and turnip served with a ranch dipping sauce. The slightly pink smoked trout arrived filleted, with the head and tail still intact; accompanied by homemade tartar sauce it was cooked to perfection. I also sampled smoked ribs, pulled pork shoulder, chicken, and turkey thigh, finding each cut tender and juicy. A lover of sauces, I gleefully enhanced the meat flavors with the tableside sauces, which range from Carolina-mustard sweet to jalapeno spicy. The maple-syrup cornbread and buttery biscuits, as well as the slightly sweet baked beans and tasty collard greens especially pleased me. I was too stuffed to sample the homemade desserts, though key lime pie, chocolate pecan pie and chocolate mousse cake all looked tempting. The chef sent me home with a slice of peanut butter and banana pie in an Oreo cookie crust. Inspired by one of the King's favorite sandwiches, chef Slutzky concocted the recipe in honor of the Elvis impersonator appearing in his joint later that night. Located at 743 Route 28 in Kingston, Hickory BBQ Smokehouse is open for lunch and dinner daily with late-night menu available Friday and Saturday. For more information you may call 338-2424.