UPDATE – THIS RESTAURANT IN NOW CLOSED.

Wedge Salad

Down to the Bone Barbecue is located on scenic Lake Lackawanna in Stanhope, NJ. The restaurant is Owner/Chief Smoker Jeff Feldstein’s newest project born after years of barbecuing at street fairs and markets. Feldstein entered his life of barbecuing after working in Corporate America as the General Manager of a large New York-based court reporting company. After leaving his Wall Street career behind, Feldstein enrolled in recreational barbecue classes and more serious courses at the French Culinary Institute. With that experience and years of building a loyal following at various fairs, Feldstein recently opened Down to the Bone Barbecue & Co., a Texas-style barbecue restaurant with gorgeous lakeviews.

Unlike most barbecue restaurants, Down to the Bone uses applewood in its smoker. This guarantees the flavor of the meat isn’t masked with heavier mesquite or hickory. Brilliant!

Mini Feast

“Barbecue Fusion” cuisine is what Jeff is after at Down to the Bone. What that really means is that even the most unlikely menu items get a dose of barbecue. During our visit, we sat on the outdoor patio and enjoyed a wedge salad ($9). You might ask why I’d opt for a wedge salad at a BBQ restaurant, but this isn’t just any wedge – it’s crisp iceberg lettuce with sliced tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese, frizzled pulled pork and crispy onions. In case you haven’t had “frizzled pulled pork”, you’re missing out. The bits of pulled pork are fried to crunchy perfection. That salad is a must-try.

For our entrées, we picked the Mini Feast ($28) and the half rack of baby back ribs ($14). The menu says the “mini” feast serves one but I just can’t imagine who that one person could be. It’s huge! The plate offers four St. Louis-style ribs, a quarter chicken, pulled pork, beef brisket and smoked sausage. That mountain of meats is also served with sides of coleslaw and baked beans. Our waiter, who was delightful and personable, told us they’d need to replace the St. Louis ribs with baby back ribs as the former were unavailable that evening. The ribs are hand-rubbed with a dry rub and smoked for over 6 hours. We love baby back ribs so we didn’t miss the meatier St. Louis ribs. The chicken is rubbed with a blend of house spices and smoked for several hours. It might be the moistest, most flavorful smoked chicken we’ve had. The brisket is served in the manner of burned ends, the fattiest part of the brisket with a charred bark – they’re beefy deliciousness. I’m not usually drawn to barbecued sausage, but the version served at Down to the Bone is juicy, flavorful and was a favorite at our table.

On our next visit, we’ll order the Brisket-Wrapped Smoked Scallops ($24). Described as “Surf & Turf”, this dish showcases jumbo scallops smoked then wrapped in beef brisket and topped with tangy spicy aioli.

For those who come to Down to the Bone looking for a dare, there’s the “Down to the Bone Challenge”. There are two versions of the challenge and if a guest finishes all the food presented, he/she receives a complimentary Down to the Bone t-shirt and some significant bragging rights. The two “challenges” are:

THE BEAST ($20) – A two-foot hot dog served on a bun, topped with chili, Cheddar-Jack, Pepper-Jack cheeses, red onions, bacon, fried onion straws, jalapeno peppers and pickles and served with an oversized bowl of fries topped with brown gravy and mozzarella cheese.

THE BONE ($24) – Two one-pound burgers topped with five pieces of Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Swiss cheeses and five pieces of thick-cut bacon. The whole thing is topped with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and fried onion straws and served with an oversized bowl of chili cheese fries and coleslaw.

Down to the Bone Barbecue’s sauces, Mild Madness and Sweet Heat, are available for purchase throughout the tri-state area and at the restaurant. Both versions are quite good.

Down to the Bone Barbecue & Co. offers breathtaking lakeside views from its two patios and barbecue worthy of a trip to northwestern New Jersey’s Sussex County.

172 Lackawanna Drive, Stanhope, NJ

973-347-BONE