nosh

eats

| drinks | sweets

J . B J .’ s Smokehouse

Dining
Around
The D

Esther Allweiss
Ingber

J.B.’s Smokehouse

225 S. Canton Center Road
Canton, MI 48188
(734) 892-2531
jbs-smokehouse.com
$$½ out of $$$$$

.B.’s Smokehouse in
Canton, a half-hour’s drive
from Farmington Hills, is
a leading contender for best
informal dining this summer.
Open since March 17, the
restaurant-bar is off to a fine
start for several reasons.
Executive Chef Brandon Clark,
formerly with Zingerman’s
Roadhouse in Ann Arbor,
serves a from-scratch menu
of satisfying comfort food. His
popular Southern Style Mac ’n’
Cheese is made with Béchamel
cream, to which beef brisket,
pulled pork and barbecued
chicken or veggies may be
added.
The friendliness of Clark and
General Manager Megan Burke
Panchame sets the tone for

staff. J.B.’s bar is well-stocked;
the décor is fun (more about
both later) and live music is
offered 6-10 p.m. Tuesdays and
Thursdays.
J.B.’s also has the distinction
of being inside Busch’s Fresh
Food Market. The independent-
ly owned food retailer in south-
east Michigan owns 17 stores
with a workforce of 1,700.
The restaurant’s name pays
homage to the late Joe Busch
(J.B.). Prior to starting his gro-
cery business in 1952, he oper-
ated a smokehouse in his rural
hometown of Clinton. Three
of the six Busch children co-
own the family business today:
President/CEO John Busch and
his brothers, Doug and Tim
Busch.

J.B.’s, with a separate
entrance, has access to fresh
local produce and specialty
items from the supermarket.
The restaurant adds to custom-
er convenience, noted Doug
Busch, the company’s coordi-
nator of community events.
Guests can pick up items in
the store after visiting J.B.’s, or
relax with a beverage while a
companion is shopping.
Those who imbibe will
appreciate the 22 Michigan
craft beers and two hard
ciders on tap. Among six sea-
sonal cocktails is Staff Favorite
Grilled Sangria with a garnish
of grilled citrus.
J.B.’s seats 170, including on
indoor and outdoor patios.
The dining room features black
subway tiles and boxy wall
drawings that look like white
chalk on a blackboard. Detroit
references and sports teams are
subjects. I liked the pyramid of a
chicken atop a pig, atop a steer.
Wood for the dining room’s
communal high-top table came
from an old factory in Clinton.
My daughter Julie and I cel-
ebrated her recent birthday
at J.B.’s. She ordered the BBQ

jn

Chicken Club, substituting avo-
cado for the bacon.
“It was real tasty and a good
portion,” Julie said. “I liked dip-
ping my fries in their chipotle
sauce.”
I picked a Combo Platter
with beef brisket and one-quar-
ter rib rack. Both were deli-
cious, but I preferred the moist
brisket. Vinegary Carolina
coleslaw was one of two sides I
chose from a list of 15. Brisket
and pulled pork take 10-14
hours to prepare in the Busch’s
Meat Department smoker; ribs
and chicken are ready in three
hours.
Accompanying our orders
was a pack of five locally made
barbecue sauces in bottles. My
favorites were thick, robust
Bourbon Molasses and sweet
Kona Teriyaki. The others are
Carolina Style Mustard, Red
Hot Chipotle Honey and Cherry
Ale.
For dessert, Julie got Banana
Nilla Puddin’ and mine was
Bourbon Bread Pudding. Our
EarthChoice to-go boxes got
mixed up, but as Julie said later,
“At least we both had good
ones.” •

July 27 • 2017

37