By Jim Duncan CVFDude@aol.com

Barbecue is the fastest growing restaurant genre in the Metro and the most contentious of all art forms. If BBQ were painting, painters would fight about the thread count of canvass, over which animal's hair makes the best brush, whether acrylic paints should be banned and if a painting is still authentic if it's framed. In the suburbs, BBQ is also subjected to the judgment of soccer moms, far more interested in pairing meats with specific wines than with woods, and just as interested in side dishes as smokehouse specialties. So why would anyone want to open a real woo- burning barbecue in Waukee?

"I spent 22 years in the insurance business. I never had a restaurant before, so why not?" Dave Pahl says of Woodee's BBQ. Maybe it took someone from another business to think outside the smoke box, because Pahl's place smokes, in the literal and figurative senses. First things first, Woodee's motto is "It's All Wood," and sensibly, Pahl doesn't worry about what kind of wood. He buys it from an Adel dealer who delivers whatever aged hard wood he has on hand. Pahl said he doesn't care if oak gets mixed up with hickory. He focuses on keeping the temperature constant and low, while smoking everything in the same smokehouse.

We tried his chicken, pork shoulder, sausage, ribs and beef brisket. But we passed on the boneless turkey breasts, the part of the bird least suited to the rigors of the smokehouse. The chicken was superb, as moist and ringed with flavor as it gets. Ribs had the essential crisp crust and soft pink meat. Sausage is the easiest meat to smoke and ours was on the mark. Pulled pork was dryer than it should be, but we've had worse, frequently.

The first time I ordered brisket, our order for "fatty" was misunderstood. Sensing disappointment, a waitress asked if I wanted something else, or if I'd like to talk to the smoke master. Pahl then insisted on cutting a new sandwich from the deckle and explained that, during the rush hours, he has his line cooks pre-cut lean brisket, the preferred choice of suburbanites and sauce addicts. He said his kitchen is always prepared to hand slice an order on request.

Woodee's has a hook that grabbed my attention. The pork tenderloin is half a pound of smoked pig that is then hand breaded and fried. I loved it, but the unique factor had something to do with that. I am more certain about the excellence of creative side dishes. Two kinds of beans were offered and neither was phoned in (from cans), like in most Q's. The pintos were a revelation, with jalapeno and smoked-meat flavors. Woodee's macaroni and cheese compared well with the best around, a four-cheese recipe. The cole slaw stayed crisp in its homemade Maytag blue dressing - better on its own than with the pulled pork. Sweet potato fries, with cinnamon, were served with a melted marshmallow dip. I was sure I wouldn't like it, but I did.

Woodee's appetizers were also creative. Both quesadillas and nachos were dressed up with smoked meats. Chicken wings were smoked, of course. So was the salmon in the salmon dip. Chili was the biggest disappointment on the menu, too sweet to deserve its name.

Lemon cr�me brulee was finished when ordered. Other desserts played to new audiences - bread pudding was made from Krispy Kreme donuts, cheesecake from Oreo cookies. The wine list is bistro quality ($14 - $44) all available by the glass ($4 - $12). A reserve list prices up to $92.
Pahl says Woodee's is a work in progress, with local alliances pending. He has Millstream on tap and hopes to add the Iowa brewery's stout soon. He's looking for local producers of meat and vegetables. He features local musicians, and murals by Barb Shandri.

Woodee's
87 Carefree Lane, 883-0203
11-10 Sun. - Thurs.
11-11 Fri. - Sat.
No smoking

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