You might have thought that Williamsburg pretty much had it all as far as regional southern cooking goes. Not so, according to Louisville expat Meghan Love, who along with her Oklahoma-born artist husband Jeff Lutonsky opens Mable’s Smokehouse and Banquet Hall on Tuesday. “There wasn’t a place in our neighborhood to find the food we grew up eating,” says Love. That food — borracho beans, Rotel-Velveeta dip, Luzianne sweet tea, hot links imported from Schwab’s in Oklahoma City, pulled-pork tamales, and, of course, pie — makes its debut in a suitably honky-tonk setting that the couple built themselves.
Love, who used to shake cocktails in some of Manhattan’s finest restaurants, says her personal approach to bartending is relatively streamlined. “We have three vodkas, two gins. Our bourbon selection will be big, but nothing artisanal — that’s for damn sure.” The joint is named after Lutonsky’s grandmother (always a good sign), and she’s the one to thank for many of the recipes, including a barbecue sauce so closely guarded Lutonsky insists that kitchen staffers sign a confidentiality agreement. Click through for a look at the space and the menu.
Mable’s Smokehouse Menu [PDF]
Mable’s, 44 Berry St., entrance on N. 11th St., Williamsburg; 718-218-6655
