Bottoms Up
Fiery CityCentre restaurant doesn't limit happy to just an hour
You may already have your weekend brunch plans sorted, but about Monday through Friday? CityCentre's International Smokehas got you covered, from a speedy lunch menu to a plethora of drink and food specials.
The global eatery from celebrity chef Michael Mina and celebrity entrepreneur, TV host, and New York Times bestselling author Ayesha Curry focuses on wood-fired cooking with local ingredients, and its bold menu displays innovative steaks, seafood, and ribs alongside a bevy of crave-able vegetable options.
When it comes to lunch, there are two game-changing packages of perfection from which to choose. The "Power Lunch" is guaranteed to leave you satisfied for $14.50, and includes your choice of entree and salad paired with a soft drink. For your entree, choose from a juicy grilled chicken sandwich, flavorful pulled pork sandwich, the savory International Smoke Cheeseburger, or EJ's famous chili and cornbread. Complement your delectable entree with one of these three healthy yet tasty salads: mixed green, Caesar, or Greek.
For those looking for a bit more bang for the mid-day cravings, International Smoke's "Business Lunch" is the way to go. For $25 a person, you can indulge in a two-course meal plus a decadent house-made cookie and still be back at your desk before your boss notices you were gone.
The Smoke "Business Lunch" starts with your choice of soup or salad. For soup, International Smoke offers a delectable curry coconut soup featuring smoked shrimp, peas, tofu, peanuts, and curry cornbread. If you want a salad, you'll get to choose from two flavorful options: truffled Caesar with gem lettuce and truffle pecorino or garden green salad with beets, radishes, and herb vinaigrette.
Then you get to move on to your second course. Choose from among smoked St. Louis ribs served with Korean-style barbecue sauce, sticky rice, and kimchi; fried chicken smothered in buttermilk brine, perfectly whipped potatoes, and sinfully tasty duck fat gravy; Asian Caesar smoked salmon with sweet and sour eggplant, tender baby zucchini, and crunchy sugar snap peas; or the International Smoke Cheese Burger made with Texas Angus beef and a healthy slice of American cheese, served with a side of garlic-rosemary fries.
Worried about that dessert course making you late? Don't be, because it's a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie packaged to-go.
If you're a "Tupperware and leftovers" kind of person when it comes to lunch but don't mind whooping it up in the afternoon, check out International Smoke's happy hour.
Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 3-7 pm, and again for reverse happy hour at 9 pm to close. The weekends even get in on the fun with happy hour from noon to 4 pm on Saturday and all day Sunday. All happy hours feature $5 draft beers, $5 glasses of house red or white wine, plus $5 off punch bowls and $2 off specialty cocktails.
But it's not just drinks. Afternoon munchies are no match for this particular happy hour, with a wide variety of items at half price and a bar menu where you can get individual portions of such International Smoke favorites as junior jerk-fried chicken, pulled pork, and cheeseburger sandwiches for only $6.95.
The countdown to the weekend starts with Winedown Wednesday, with all wine bottles half off all day long. Thursdays are for $2 tacos and $2 margaritas served all day, while ladies will especially like Friday happy hour, when Cosmorita cocktails and glasses of rosé are each $9. Why limit being happy to just an hour? Or a weekday?