Tropical Smokehouse fires up
‘ Florida barbecue’ restaurant serves jerk turkey, medianoche hot dogs and smoke mojo pork
Across South Florida, the tastiest, tenderest local barbecue always seems to be inspired by somewhere else: Texas low- andslow brisket and smoky Kansas City pulled pork, Memphis- style beef ribs and mustardy, North Carolina- inspired sweet sauces. But where does one find a spot devoted to South Florida’s barbecue heritage, evoking the region’s rich fusion of Cuban and Caribbean flavors?
Tropical Smokehouse, a new West Palm Beach eatery billing itself a casual “Florida barbecue” joint, is chef Rick Mace’s attempt to answer that question.
“We have to wrap our minds around the idea that Florida does have a regional barbecue style that’s being overlooked, and it’s not tied to Southern or Texas influences,” Mace, 41, says. “I’ve really latched onto that epiphany. It’s given me a sense of purpose.”
Mace grew so intrigued with his barbecue project that, in December, the Ohio native quit Café Boulud, the elegant French restaurant he helmed for sevenand- a- half years as executive chef. Mace then partnered with Jason Lakow, a former Café Boulud manager, to open Tropical Steakhouse, slated to debut in mid- January at 3815 S. Dixie Highway.
The 2,500- square- foot location replaces the former Mazie’s, which Lakow operated with chef Eric Baker ( another Café Boulud alum). Baker, who named the American bistro after his grandmother, split with Lakow in October 2019 and later bought the eclectic Rebel House gastropub in Boca Raton.
“After we parted ways, I just couldn’t continue a restaurant named after someone else’s grandmother,” Lakow says. “Rick’s idea captivated me.
“We have to wrap our minds around the idea that Florida does have a regional barbecue style that’s being overlooked, and it’s not tied to Southern or Texas influences.” Rick Mace, chef at Tropical Smokehouse
There are new stories to tell about Florida’s barbecue heritage.”
Mace says the new Tropical Smokehouse is named after and inspired by the Tropical Hut, an iconic shoebox of a drive- in diner – nicknamed “The Hut” by locals – that sold barbecue, burgers and shakes out of a neonrimmed building near the Royal Park Bridge. Mace says Tropical Smokehouse will embrace
“tropical- industrial” décor, a mashup of cursive neon fonts and industrial- chic brick walls and exposed metal ductwork.
But Tropical Smokehouse won’t just be powered by classic kitsch. Mace is currently halfway through building and welding a 4- by- 3- foot custom cabinet smoker, which when finished can pump out smoked, Florida- caught fish that will be a signature of the barbecue menu. And a fancy 500- gallon smoker, bought from Primitive Pits in Georgia, will turn out mojo- spiced pork shoulder and jerk turkey breast.
“We didn’t want to be the next place that does burned ends, pulled chicken, cornbread and brisket,” Mace says. “Every place down here does that. So we thought, well, what is Florida known for? The answer is smoked fish, but no one really made a commercial fish smoker. Fish is pretty unforgiving. Fish doesn’t have fat like pork. Fish will turn to shoe leather if you’re not careful.”
For now, Mace plans to smoke dolphin, cobia, kingfish, mackerel and wahoo, although he’ll have to tweak the menu around seasonal supply. The rest of the menu, he says, is directly inspired by local Cuban and Caribbean cuisine.
“Our flavors aren’t going to be ketchups and mustards – which you find in the BBQ Belt – but instead more mojo and orange citrus, limes and garlic and oregano, flavors that are familiar to anyone who’s been to enough Cuban and Jamaican restaurants,” Mace says.
Also noteworthy on the menu is a pulled- pork sandwich ($ 15) piled high with crispy onions and avocado and – in a lighthearted twist – a medianoche sandwich stuffed with pork shoulder and an American wagyu beef hot dog ($ 11). Rounding out the menu will be hamburgers ($ 9.75-$ 12.75), a coconut black- eyed pea and rice
bowl ($ 8.95) and sliced meats by- the- half- pound, including salmon and mojo pulled pork.
Tropical Smokehouse, at 3815 S. Dixie Highway, in West Palm Beach, will open in mid- January. Hours will be 11: 30 a. m.- 10 p. m. Tuesday- Sunday, closed Mondays. Call 561- 323- 2573 or go to EatTropical. com.