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I love garlic bread. The more garlic, the better. Imagine my excitement when I was introduced to Smoke House in Burbank, which brags it makes the “world’s greatest” since 1946. I had built up high expectations. I really wish I hadn’t…

Upon entering the Smoke House, I was very optimistic. This was a very classy joint. The dimly lit, red boothed dining area created a cozy atmosphere. The crowd was mixed - booths were filled with both the young and the young at heart. It was obvious I was at a local favorite. My stomach grumbled as I perused the menu and read the descriptions of a number of appetizing entrees.

In the end, I decided on the “Diamond Jim” sandwich ($14.95). This is basically slices of tri-tip on the famous garlic bread. As soon as my order arrived, I immediately cut off a piece of the garlic bread first. While it was good, it wasn’t what I expected. If I didn’t know that it was garlic bread, I never would have guessed from the amount of cheese that just overwhelmed the garlic completely. I do like it when restaurants bake some mild cheddar or parmasean with their garlic bread, but I really think Smoke House overdid it. This almost turned out to be a good thing, as the tri-tip was not seasoned at all. The “garlic” bread turned out to be a nice contrast to the tri-tip. What I also liked was the horseradish mayo that was on the side. In fact, when I couldn’t take the garlic bread any more, I just started picking out the tri-tip and eating it with the horseradish mayo.

While I can’t say the garlic bread lived up to the hype, I will vouch for the fact the restaurant should be called Smoke House. The tri-tip I had was very nicely done, and from what I could see, all the other diners were going for the meats.

Tips:

Smoke House takes credit cards, but have at least $4 in cash with you, as it is valet parking only ($3.50).

If you want to go for the garlic bread anyway, in October, Smoke House will celebrate its 60th anniversary. As part of the celebration, garlic bread orders will go for 60¢.

4420 West Lakeside Drive
Burbank, California 91505
(818) 845-3731

Monday-Thursday:
11:30-4:00(Lunch) & 4:00-10:30(Dinner)

Friday:
11:30-4:00(Lunch) & 4:00-11:00 (Dinner)

Saturday:
11:30-3:00(Lunch) & 3:00-11:00(Dinner)

Sunday:
10:00-2:30(Brunch) & 3:00-9:00(Dinner)

By Pauline (see more of her posts).