Smokin’ Al’s, Bay Shore, NY

 My kids have been obsessed with the “big piggy in the sky” for well over a year now. Whenever we take a stroller ride into town, they start asking if we’re in “the city” yet. Apparently, the cool, jazzy-blues vibe that Smokin’ Al’s gives off suggests that it’s a happening place to be.

Now that the warmer weather is here, we’ve been walking into town, a lot. Every time we hit Main Street, they start asking “Where’s Al?” And, to go along with their incessant badgering, I always let them stop out front to scream, “HI AL!!” and then I quickly dash off down the street.

My son, Tyler, has been begging us to eat at Smokin’ Al’s “house” for months now, and after he started crying in the car on a recent drive-by, we decided to give in. They really, really wanted to eat at the big piggy’s house, so we told them we’d take them for Sunday lunch.

Now, it’s not that I didn’t want to eat at Smokin’ Al’s; I was just apprehensive about bringing my kids into the joint. You see, our children have a history of causing mass destruction whenever we go out to eat. [We still haven’t been back to Meson Ole. It’s been over two years since Tyler barfed up an entire dinner all over the table and carpeting, but I still can’t erase the horrified faces of the wait staff from my mind. And, I really miss their guacamole tostadas…] But, my husband and I knew we weren’t going to get out of this trip, so we put on our brave faces and hoped for the best.

To prep for lunch, we made sure that the kids were well-rested and in good moods. It also helped that we warned them that if they didn’t behave, we were taking them home – immediately. So, off we went. Their excitement was contagious – and rightly so – because Smokin’ Al’s is a very cool place to go.

Overall, Smokin’ Al’s was pretty kid-friendly. The waitress gave us a table by the front door and immediately handed out packets of crayons to Tyler and Abbey. They were happily drawing on the backs of their placemats before we even placed our drink order. The décor is pretty laid-back too, with paper towel rolls acting as napkins (perfect for messy kids!), and the music was lively, but not so loud that we couldn’t hold a conversation.

[FYI – My only complaint was that the kids wanted to sit in the window seats, but the waitress said they were only for parties of six or more. Hey Al, families should get the window seats, so the little ones can watch the passer-bys while the adults enjoy your awesome food!]

Again, our waitress was great and she took our order within minutes of getting us settled. We kept it simple and ordered pulled pork wraps, with coleslaw and sweet potato fries.

The kids ordered mac-n-cheese and chicken fingers because they said it was the “best mac-n-cheese ever”. Since this was their first time at Smokin’ Al’s, we’re not quite sure how they knew it was the best, but they were pretty confident of their decision.

 

While we waited for our food, Tyler played photographer and snapped lots of pictures of the “big piggies in the sky”. Surprisingly, Abbey was just happy to be sitting in a restaurant with us, and behaved beautifully.

 Everything we ate was truly mouth-watering and I’m pleased to report that they didn’t skimp on the kids meals either: the chicken in the chicken fingers was real white meat, and not full of “asses and elbows” like I had feared. Oh, and the kids were right – the mac-n-cheese was very yummy! [Did I mention that my husband and I have eaten here before? In that case, we should have remembered how ENORMOUS the servings are because the wraps were bigger than my head!]

As soon as we finished eating, our waitress appeared to wrap up our leftovers and bring us the check. Perhaps she saw the devilish glint in Abbey’s eyes, or maybe it was because they were a bit slow, but by the time Abbey dropped a bomb in her diapey (I told you she was naughty), we were already on our way out the door. Happily, we managed not to throw up on anything, and even got to change Abbey’s diaper in the back of the car vs. stinking up the entire joint!

  Overall, Smokin’ Al’s is a pretty cool place for kids and adults alike. So, if you’re in our neck of the woods, you should give it a try – and bring the kids along too…

 

 

2