Y.E.E: Where there’s Smoke... there’s Fire @ The Smokery

Cocktail and Beer Tasting!
Always a fan of local business having local beers on taps and even a cask from Beau’s!
Food Tasting!
Always a fan of food tasting as I can have a taste of food without getting to stuff. Love their Mac and Cheese!
I have been wanting to come to The Smokery since it opened last Summer and now finally thanks for our CM Kris U for organizing and The Smokery for hosting. Now I know I definitely would be back for more craft beers!
Gift to Go!
And I got to take home the special spice rub. perfect for the BBQ season!

Another great event headlined by our CM, Kris! This time, we had the chance to venture outside of most of our usual comfort zone all the way in Stouffville!
For the evening, we got to try what the restaurant is known for and that is their smoked meat.
The smoked brisket was moist, delicious and bursting with flavor — it rivals that of dare I say even Schwartz all the way in Montréal! How I wish I had two slices of sour dough and some mustard to make myself a sandwich. Nevertheless, the accompaniment of the corn bread was wonderful as I don’t often eat corn bread, but for tonight, I did as it was smooth and creamy, sweet — best cornbread I ever had! I’d go back alone on a separate visit just for this! There was also honey fried chicken but unfortunately, due to more people showing up than the ones that RSVP’d, my +1 (as well as the peoples at our table) and I did not get a chance to try this out. Bummer!
(If you RSVP your answer as NO and show up anyway — please be more considerate of others, there’s a reason why there’s a RSVP list!)
Lastly but not least, thank you to the wonderful bar staff — the locally brewed Cask Ale was very interesting and easily one of the more memorable brews I’ve had recently!
It was also awesome to meet the new Unilocalers at their first Elite event, it was not too long ago that I myself was a newbie. I could only hope I made them feel welcomed like the others have for my first time way back when!
Thank you once again to Chris of The Smokery, his staff and Kris of Unilocal for hosting this event!

Never been to Stouffville before… It was always a far away place I’ve only heard from people that say they live in Markham… «technically». Well I strapped my 407 on 40 mins vs 1 hr 15 mins lol and headed on a mini road trip for delicious bbq and a fun time.
I definitely got that :) starting with the bingo game was awesome, I got to meet and greet all the other Unilocal and I feel closer to them and less awkward about walking into a room full of half familiar faces of when I stalk their reviews ^_​^
The drinks: cask pale ale, pomegranate beer, goose cocktail and another delicious creation started flowing. The cask ale was a great treat because it’s not very common. The first glass was really hoppy but still had the wheat beer characteristics, the 2^nd one definitely calmed down and the 3^rd and 4^th was perfect! They were mini glasses lol I didn’t drink a 4 pints by myself.
The smoked salmon appetizer could have used a bit more cream cheese but the smoked salmon was definitely a treat :)
The buffet (I always lower my expectations for buffet food just because food is meant to be served straight from the heat) although the fried chicken was coming out in hot batches. The mac and cheese was okay, I really liked the brisket, not too fatty and flavorful, the corn bread was moist and the fried chicken with a honey crust was delicious. It wasn’t too sweet for me but others found it on the sweet side.
The restaurant owner was very approachable from the beginning and answered my many questions about the cask ale! Cheers for the special gift of spice rub, can’t eat to use it at home.
All in all it was a fun, interactive and tummy filling night. I didn’t even dread the ride home, tummy full of deliciousness=happy Jannies!
Thanks Kris U for stepping it up again and for a fun Sunday night!

It was a fun event and thank you our wonderful CM Kris U. who brought us to the very first YEE in Stouffville and let us play the super fun Unilocalo game!
I hope Stouffville will end up become another GTA area full of good restaurants and places to hang out.
The Smokery is a very comfortable and home-​feel like restaurant. The staff and manager there were very friendly and attentive. We all got to sit comfortably to enjoy our buffet meal with cornbread, mac and cheese, honey fried chicken drumsticks and roasted beef brisket… yummy! I especially enjoyed the smoked salmon appetizer prior to the buffet. I was also very pleased that Squeeze blood orange radler was served during the event, and of course the give away bottle of the restaurant’s own brand spice rub was given to everyone. Thank you The Smokery Kitchen and Bar:)
Especially fun part was the Unilocalo game. Everyone of us finally got a chance to interact with all fellow Elites and their +1, though I did not win the game.
Look forward to more amazing events!

*tear* in my eyes… Little Kris U. is all grown up and going places. This time he’s went as far as uncharted territories in Stouffville GTA. Got us going circles and face-​to-​face chatting, unheard of in this tech age. I missed apps but if I missed the S’mores you’ll see smoke out my ears. Smokery is «da» local spot for Ontario Craft Beer to go along with BBQ. Thank you Ladies & Gentlemen of The Smokery Kitchen & Bar, and Mr. Kris U. for reaching out where no Community Manager has gone before.

One day I’ll come to these Elite Events as an actual Elite!
Big shout out to Kris and Chris for getting so many randoms to come to a place all the way in Stouffville. Not even people who live close to Stouffville go to Stouffville. But the place was well worth it!
Honey fried chicken, beef brisket, Mac and cheese, and cornbread! They were all so good. The worst part was that I had to share it with all of you. If I could, I would have shamelessly eaten all that Mac and cheese by myself!
P. S. I heard Jacky’s name as Jake so I was the one who told ONE person that the answer was Jake. I’m guessing everyone else just copied off of each other???
Also disappointed no one had to show their talent. Would gave been awesome…

What an incredible event! We all had so much fun!!! :D Thank you to the Smokery, manager Chris & staff & our awesome CM Kris !!! :D
The evening started off well w/​the fun Unilocalo game. It was a wonderful way to connect with Unilocalers. Now we know who has a special talent, cool tattoos, can bench 200lbs, etc. Happy to have won tickets to the Cirque Mechanics at RH performing arts centre!
Got to sample some beer as well (French Daiquiri, Raddler, Cask Ale, Canada Goose)! I loved the French Daiquiri. We will certainly be back again in the future. The samplings were delicious! The honey fried chicken was amazingggg. Crunchy & sweet on the outside and juicy on the inside. Exactly how I like it. The brisket, even though it was slightly dry was lovely and tasty. The cornbread was dense and moist. Prob. even better with honey (obsessed w/​honey I’m sorry). Mac & cheese was superb! Likey the best I’ve had at a restaurant. I can always tell when places skim out on ingredients, but def NOT at the Smokery! I also loved the s’mores !! The chocolate was to die for!
Shout out to Mat, congrats on your elite badge & hope you had fun at your first event! Also thanks to Cherrie & Allyson for sharing your cheesecake with some of us at the end :) The Smokery & Chris — thank you for your hospitality & for the smokery spice rub (tied up so nicely w/​burlap string & tag)! Hope to use it this week. Kris — you did it again w/​the 5 stars !!!

First event in Stouffville! WHAT! What! (Hoping first of many to come!)
I really enjoy the location of this event because it’s close enough to Markham, but it’s not the only thing I enjoy.
We started the evening off with the check-​in offer of Unilocal’s version of Bingo, UnilocalO! I loved it, what an awesome way of getting Unilocalers to make new friends. I’m sorry if I came off as snubbing anyone off, I get tunnel vision when winning is at stakes!
The drink menu was lovely, but as a person who doesn’t drink, I had to ask the bar staff to make me something non-​alcoholic. The lovely Khalil offered to make me a Shirley Temple, what a gentleman!
Chris of The Smokery set up a buffet of cornbread, honey fried chicken, mac & cheese and smoked brisket. Food was amazing and I would have loved an entire tray of mac & cheese all to myself, along with a tray of honey fried chicken and a whole brisket and a few loaves of cornbread, so basically, everything. I want all the foods!
After the buffet, we were told they’ll be serving dessert. If you’re not familiar with Simon C’s love for desserts, you should really watch his reaction when dessert is mentioned. It’s the best! The dessert was The Smokery’s take of s’mores, in a pie form, with a graham cracker base, smooth chocolate truffle and topped with slightly charred meringue. I would have loved a whole thing of that too.
Did you leave early? Then you missed the Uncle Tetsu’s Japanese cheesecake tasting courtesy of Allyson and Cherrie. Yes, I may have insisted them sharing, but at least I didn’t stab anyone with a fork. (Hrkhm… Amy!)
Another five-​star event in the GTA. Thank you CM Kris for setting this one up. Thank you The Smokery’s Chris, Khalil, Genevieve and all the other staff for hosting and giving us a wonderful Sunday evening!

Once again, an AMAZING Unilocal event, thanks to Kris and Chris (the owner)! Food and drinks were delicious. Chris and his staff were super friendly and accommodating. Unforgettable smores dessert that I could eat for days. And thanks for the take-​home Smokery Spice Rub.

Amazing event hosted by Kris U as this is my second elite event but first as a Unilocal elite. Despite the location being far from my feeding grounds, my guest and I enjoyed the night with Kris U, Chris (gracious owner of the establishment), wait staff, chef and all the fellow elite members. The owner and staff opened their doors to us on their only off night of the week.
The game in the beginning was a nice icebreaker especially for new elite members meeting others at the event. Great idea Kris and it was extremely fun. The décor of the venue fit the smokery theme in a unique neighbourhood of a small town.
Now on to the food. We were served smoked salmon appetizers and it was difficult to refuse them when offered more. Once we were seated, Chris explained our buffet menu of honey coated fried chicken, corn bread, smokery’s version of mac and cheese, smokey roast beef and a surprise dessert at the end.
The chicken was different than my usual Korean fried chicken routine with the crispy skin that was not too dry. The sides were delicious but the beef stole the show. Nice and moist with the whole piece melting in my mouth. The surprise dessert was smores which was good but I usually do not have a sweet tooth.
Again thanks to Kris U for a memorable night especially being able to fit me in on this exclusive event. The owner Chris and staff did an amazing job showcasing their talents. I will definitely try again when I pass by Stouffville so hopefully there are festivals nearby. I do not mind exploring what other specials places that this town has the offer.

I haven’t gone to a Unilocal Event in a while because I’ve been so busy and I’m so glad I made it to this one! It was nice catching up with some friends while enjoying some great food.
It’s the day after the event when I’m writing this review and all I’ve been thinking about is the awesome mac n cheese and the smore. It was so nice of Chris (the owner) to give us a take home sample of his spice rub. I can’t wait to use it when BBQ season starts (which is basically now)!
Of course, all of this is possible because of Kris. Thank you for hosting yet another wonderful event!

Another new city visited, and another great Unilocal event! It’s great that Kris and Unilocal GTA is connecting with new businesses a little further out — gives them a chance to learn more about Unilocal,and for us Unilocalers to learn about them.
One thing that always makes these events a lot of fun is the opportunity to connect with the Unilocal community and meet new members. Yesterday’s event took that up a notch with the Bingo game that quickly descended into madness (in a good way of course)! While I can’t say I remember all of the categories anymore (other than Kathy H.‘s dad having children — imagine that? and Amy Z being the Unilocal baby haha), it was a great way to get to know others that we haven’t chatted with previously.
What can I say about the food and drinks? The brisket was surprisingly a bit on the dry side… but everything else was quite impressive. That honey fried chicken was spectacular, and just the right combination of tender meat and crunchy batter. The mac and cheese did not disappoint, and the corn-​bread quite honestly might have been the best (i.e. moistest) I’ve ever had. Wish we could have had more of everything, but the fact that the food disappeared so quickly is a testament to how good it was I guess haha…
Thanks for another great event Kris!

DADDY APPROVED!
Forever the little girl in my dad’s eye, I wanted to show him that I can take care of myself and he should stop worrying. What better way to show that than to bring him to a Unilocal event? Good food and good people, also beers and Unilocal buttons.
Even he had fun as people went up to him during the icebreaker bingo, and he pointed to the box «Has Kids.» tehe! Actually, thanks to this bingo, I met a lot of the new Unilocal members and would love to chat them up again.
Chris and Kris U were so fantastic. Chris is super nice and kind, he speaks with passion for what he has created here. The cornbread was delicious! as was the coffee brisket and the mac&cheese. The service is fantastic here, especially with us Unilocalers running around. The bartenders were quick and efficient. My dad likes to try different food and drinks (but he would never review them), so we ended up trying all the drinks. So that was nice!
Kris got us mingling with the Unilocal bingo, ending with tickets to win! yay tickets!!! I left the game towards the end, because conversations started and they tend to last forever. I haven’t been back in Stouffville in a long time, my last visit on this street was two years ago. It looks like a lot of new wonderful businesses have opened up!!!
Another successful event by Kris! I love this time of the year, it’s so bright out when we left! What a great way to start our summer.

Awesome Event! Being my first event, I didn’t know what to expect; however, the Unilocal Community is really great! They are definitely extremely helpful and made the evening really enjoyable.
The venue was definitely a really nice spot in Stouffville. It seems to combine southern comfort food with some local style. Smoked Pork, Corn Bread, and Honey Fried Chicken are some of the best I had. The craft beers and Canada Goose cocktails were not to be missed.
The service was excellent and the owner Chris definitely put on a great event. When in the area, I will definitely stop by again!

Very fun night indeed, especially the game! Wasn’t expecting to meet everyone (almost), but the game definitely did the trick. As for the food, it was darn good! Corn bread, Mac and cheese, chicken and beef. Noms! The beef was a little dry, but the end part was so darn juicy. And fatty. Noms.
me first Cherrie! Lol
Now that I posted this first, I will thoroughly run through it lol. Big thanks to Kris for reaching out to the owner of this place (Chris). Stouffville has a lot of potential when it comes to restaurants. The community is still developing and starting a Smoke house here is a good move! Again, I was not expecting to meet and greet everyone tonight but I managed to do so. I’d say about 80% of you. T’was nice meeting everyone because I had a fine time with y’all.
As for the food, I thought everything was superb. The cornbread was unbelievably soft/​moist (the way I like it! Rawrrr). Mac and cheese was also well made, not greasy! Don’t get me started with the chicken. I did say in my last review that once you have tried Papa George chicken, you wouldn’t want anything else. Well I think I lied a little because this chicken was UBER juicy (if not more) and CRUNCHY! The beef however, was a different story because I had two pieces. One in the beginning and one just before he took away the beautiful piece of meat back to the kitchen. First piece was too dry, kind of like eating Chinese bbq pork lol the second piece I had was fatty, so all the beef juices was in it — N to the O to the M to the S = NOMS! I have a weakness for fatty parts of the meat. The dessert was also something to die for. Must. Go. Again. To. See Genevieve lol jk. To have my meats, duhhhhh!
Once again, thank you Kris for another event well planned! Very grateful you put so much effort into making these events happen! Until next time… Tree top trekking?

FIVE-​star for the way event turned out, meaning FIVE-​muy mucho gracias-​star for Kris U, and FIVE– awesome-​thank you-​for having us all-​star for the owner, chef, and staff.
The event, the game was fun. Was shy to mingle but it was nice to meet new people and find out a couple of things about them, and them me. It really was a great idea. Stayed longer than usual because of the Unilocalers at the table… hehehe.
Chris the owner (sorry, forgot his actual last name), I liked that he participated in the game. He explained the beer making process and seemed cool. Enough to make me come back again in the near future. Really, the take home gift was not nothing. It was the dry spice marinate to rub on your choice of grill next time. Barbequicious!!! The décor is just fine for the atmosphere.
The food: smoked salmon appetizer, corn bread, honeyed crispy chicken, beef brisket, and Mac and cheese. The corn bread is soft, everyone has their own version of this. I like it. Yummy. The chicken, fried and sweet, lol, I love it. The smoked beef brisket, I’ve never had it before, so I don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like, but people said that that’s how it should be. I thought it seemed dry, but not enough for me to stop eating it. I’m still gonna say yummy because it was a first. Mac and cheese, in general, for me, it’s either really good or yucky. It was totally awesome! The treat for all this was a s’more made from Lindt chocolate… my ABSOLUTE favourite! Love anything Lindt. It was biting into a Lindor truffle, only you skip the shell and go right into the gooey cooler centre. Hmmm chocolate heaven. Yes, thoroughly pleased.

It was super fun meeting everyone tonight! I really really enjoyed the yummy meat this place serves… as a non meat lover I appreciate when meat is delicious and this did not disappoint! The owner was absolutely lovely, as was the staff. Also the actual restaurant is bright and clean and inviting. This was such a great event! Kris you are the man as always!
PS: those smores were the bomb! I want a giant one for my birthday cake!

This was a great event! It was probably the first time I talked to so many other people at an event (thanks to Kris’s fantastic game). It definitely was a lot of fun and I got to meet a lot of interesting people.
I wasn’t expecting to have a buffet style sampling. The fried chicken had a nice crunchy outside and juicy inside. Would have liked it to be seasoned a bit more though. The beef brisket was melt-​in-​your-​mouth good. The corn bread was nice too. I tried the French Daiquiri which was quite delicious.
All in all a fantastic evening. Thanks Kris, Chef Chris and the staff of The Smokery for hosting us all!

Amazing first-​ever YEE in Stouffville YEAH: D!
Thank you CM Kris for introducing us to this fantastic restaurant: D Chef Chris and his team at The Smokery Kitchen & Bar were very welcoming and served up some delicious comfort foods! The sexy bartenders just kept the alcohol coming! Btw, I loved the Canada Goose (signature cocktail drink)!
The interactive bingo game with our fellow Unilocalers was so chaotic (but in a good way!)… it was SUPER FUN getting to know each other that way: D Now we know who likes to sing in the shower, who has cool tatts and who has cute pups ;) And congrats to Jake W. (whoever you are) for attending your 4^th GTA Unilocal Elite event tonight: D
The «buffet» offered tonight was outstanding. The honey fried chicken was crispy and so juicy-​licious. I love cornbread and I am constantly searching for the best cornbread. Theirs truly hit the spot… it was sweet and moist. If it was served with butter and was warmed up a bit more… it would’ve been perfect: D S’mores bar was definitely the cherry on top.
5 star event, Kris. You’ve done it again: D It was definitely a very memorable event. And my date won tickets to Cirque Mechanics from the bingo game, yay! Chef Chris was very personable and the Smokery spice rub was a very thoughtful gift for summer BBQ… thank you ^^ I will definitely be visiting again soon!
P. S. For those Unilocal foodies who stayed til the end. I was very excited to share the Uncle Tetsu cheesecake with you all — 20 ways lol… even if Teresa didn’t insist, I would’ve insisted on sharing ;) I know you all cheesecake monsters hahaha: D Thank you Allyson T. who waited 2 hrs to get the cakie… you’re the best!

This was such a funny and awesome event! The place itself is AMAZING, looks more like a well-​decorated house than a restaurant. I like that, it makes you feel so at home. Chris x Kris made this event the best it could be. Super nice owner that went out of his way to explain certain ales and menu items for us. The bartenders are gorgeous (Damn, Genevieve!) and cute (ahem, Khalil) and the drinks offered were amazing– I loved the french daiquiri but I absolutely fell in love with the Amsterdam radler. So good! Had numerous cups of it.
The game was super creative and fun– got to finally put some faces to the names of my Unilocal friends. (Alfred A. and I freaked as we FINALLY met!) It was SO funny. My +1 was a bit nervous about coming since he didn’t know what to expect, but he had a great time! (Especially when Simon C. asked him if he had kids) And I’m sure we’ve all discovered today that I am officially the ‘baby’ of Unilocal– youngest elite at the events… so far. It was a great ice breaker and I got to speak with so many people because of it. «Jennifer K! You review a lot, DO YOU EAT SUSHI ONCE A WEEK?» Hey, I ended up winning those free tickets… mainly because people got disqualified. but it still counts… right?
The food was amazing! I didn’t expect a full out meal. more like just appetizers and samplers! The honey fried chicken was very unique, crispy & sweet on the outside but juicy and tender inside. I also liked the mac and cheese, even though I’m not usually a fan. The brisket was done nicely as well. The table setting ensured that everyone got to know each other, and I enjoyed ranting to fellow Unilocalers about horrific places at other places!
The best part was the end when we discovered we had uncle tetsu’s cheesecake in the house, sponsored by Cherrie T, and there ended up being a brawl with some crashing into the glass and some screams. We ended up all splitting the cheese cakes. after we stabbed Cherrie with the forks due to over-​excitement. Even though I haven’t had much time to spend with these Unilocalers, you are all officially my Unilocal family! As for the restaurant, I’d DEFINITELY return! The smores dessert was AMAZING and the menu looked very good as well.