Getting Smoked

In order to understand the MidCity Smokehouse ethos, a person needs to have their senses at attention.

From the moment you park in the gravel parking lot, owner Ryan Pécot wants you to feel, smell, see and taste.

Why?

Because he intentionally created a barbecue joint in a town where the smoked meats science has not always been appreciated by the general populous.

“It comes down to the whole package. From parking, to entering through the back deck or front door. Then when you get in, you realize this is a house and you feel warm and comfortable. Soon, you smell the food. Then you see the bar, then you see the tables and chairs like at your grandmother’s house. Every part of this restaurant you have to touch. It is a total experience,” Pécot said.

By the way, after letting the sensory stimulation get your body tingling, it is essential to understand the main card — barbecue — is darn good, too.

It starts with bacon burnt ends.

“They are a cult favorite,” Pécot explained.

Pork, pork, pork and more pork. At Tchoup’s, the team has figured out how to prepare and serve bacon burnt ends. The result? Lafayette-area food lovers flock to the restaurant in order to relish succulent pork imbued with smoke flavor.

Most people who eat at the restaurant for the first time order the Whole Hog plate consisting of brisket (chopped and sliced), pulled pork, chicken, turkey, NuNu’s sausage, ribs and shrimp.

Pécot’s staff serves the Whole Hog on a pan with brown butcher paper.

“Optics, it plays into the optics,” Pécot said.

What is regarded as an unsung hero on the menu is the smoked turkey. Staff will suggest the meat on the quesadillas, wedge salad or even the sandwich.

Brussel sprouts, which Pécot was not a believer in, have also become a fan favorite.

“We did this special with the sprouts pan sautéed after being roasted. My chef thought it was a good idea. I didn’t. The dish just blew up, people love it,” he said.

Pécot, who opened the restaurant during the pandemic, is an experienced retail leasing and development advisor. A self-professed foodie and cocktail connoisseur, Pécot traveled with his family to many locales. Along the way, Pécot was inspired by restaurant concepts he found in out-of-the-way places.

“I love going off the beaten path and finding stuff not on the main drag,” he said.

Over a decade of reflecting on restaurant concepts he observed led Pécot to a barbecue restaurant.

The home MidCity operates out of was built in the mid 1940s near the Oil Center in Lafayette. When Pécot decided to develop it, he knew what the floor plan would look like, including a customized bar.

Customers who enjoy well prepared cocktails will be impressed by the MidCity bartenders.

At any time the restaurant has 33-plus whiskeys, and over a dozen specialty draft beers.

Three cocktails that stand out are the Smoke Fashioned (Tin Cup bourbon, bitters, smoked simple syrup and muddled orange), Tchoup 75 (Calamity gin, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, smoked simple syrup topped with prosecco) and Nanny’s Lemonade (Tin Cup bourbon, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, smoked simple syrup, rimmed sugar, salt and lemon zest).

MidCity is joint designed with a cause and vision.

“Again, it is the whole experience,” he said. “The food, the drink, the smell, the ambience. You gotta get it all!”

Tchoup’s MidCity SmokeHouse
117 S. College Road
Lafayette
eatmidcitybbq.com
337-345-5950

TRY THIS

1 | Smoke Margarita

Tequila, fresh lime juice, triple sec, and salted turbinado rim. What is smoked you ask? The agave syrup. You gotta try it!

2 | Smoked BBQ Burger

Old fashioned goodness prepared in this way… smoked patty, with a heaping pile of pulled pork that has been tossed in Carolina-style barbecue sauce. To add to the scrumptiousness, the team adds a pinch of coleslaw, and pepper jack cheese on a toasted potato bun.

3 | Quesadillas

Ok, most foodies understand the concept of veggies and melted cheese between a toasted tortilla. MidCity provides you the opportunity to add turkey, chicken, pulled pork, brisket, sausage or shrimp from the smoker. Wow!