Dan and Lana Wright’s newest restaurant venture, Pontiac, opened up last week.
David and I have been excited for Pontiac since the news first went public (especially when I learned that there would be tiki drinks on the menu).
The restaurant space is a little roomier than Senate, but fills up just as fast. David and I went between 3:00 and 4:30, but there was a only few minutes wait, and seats at the bar opened up very quickly.
We started with a few of the items on the “Snacks” side of the menu. I ordered the pulled pork nacho cheese poutine and David ordered the $4 iceberg wedge. I later tried the fried pickles, which are a great bar snack.
We also ordered the biggest tiki drink on the menu, the Rumspringa Punch. Definitely a drink for sharing, it has champagne, cucumber infused rum, hibiscus and pineapple. And 151. Which they light on fire. Order one of these and be prepared for some extra attention at the bar from curious onlookers. Worth the $30 price tag? I think so, especially when you consider what a bottle of wine costs in a restaurant.
Light my bottle of wine on fire and then we'll talk
Our food came out very quickly, and it amused me to no end that David’s lettuce wedge was placed squarely in front of me. Typically when we go out, David orders a salad while I order some sort of fried cheese cholesterol-laden monstrosity. Servers almost always try to give me the salad.
Perhaps not.
Me, at Pontiac
I did try David’s salad and I thought the green goddess dressing was a nice complement to the crunchy iceberg, shredded carrot and cheese.
The poutine was everything I hoped it would be. Smoked and shredded pulled pork placed throughout, melty salty cheese, crispy crinkle cut fries and lightly pickled jalapenos that had a little bite. Do not skip this snack.
I tried two other tiki drinks, the Hawaiian punch, and the Bahama-Lana. Of the two, the Hawaiian punch is my favorite. The Bahama-Lana, though pleasant, is a little on the sweeter side.
Hawaiian Punch
Bahama-Lana
We ordered the brisket, both the fatty and lean cuts, which were perfect. Anyone who’s attempted to make a good brisket knows how hard it is, and as far as menu items go, this is one of the shining stars on Pontiac’s.
I'm taking that home to momma
Oh no, my brother, you have got you get your own
The ribs were a little spicier than we expected—challengingly so—and in my opinion, needed a little longer in the smoker to reach their full potential. While people that know good barbecue know that Montgomery Inn’s “fall-off-the-bone” ribs are way overcooked and true barbecue ribs have a bit of pull to them, the ribs we got went a little too far in the firmness direction.
The potato salad balanced out the heat from the rib rub nicely. With big chunks of potato, creamy dressing and bacon, this is another thing not to skip at Pontiac. It was David's favorite side of the ones we tried.
The bacon fat grits were also a nice side—we could taste the bacon fat but it wasn’t overpowering. It’s nice when the side dishes can step out of the way and let the main dishes be the highlights.
The baked beans are similarly understated (in a good way), and not overly sweet. The beans themselves are firm, and some onion and pork add just a little extra flavor.
We also tried the brisket burrito (which we managed to get a shot of right before the camera gave up). David liked the unpretentious combo of iceberg lettuce and yellow cheese. I predict this being a favorite of the late night crowd.
On the weekends, Pontiac serves smoked prime rib at market price. We were fortunate enough to be able to sample some and it was our favorite cut we tried next to the brisket.
Overall, when it comes to Cincinnati barbecue, you’ve got your heavy hitters. There’s Eli’s, Velvet Smoke, SmoQ and now Pontiac. Happily there’s more than enough room in Cincinnati’s culinary sandbox for all of them. As for which is better? That’s hard to say. They each have their specialties and I’d be happy to visit any of them on any given day.
