Papa’s Smokehouse and Cantina is smokin’ with versatility

The Cardona family’s ties to North Texas’ dining scene stretch back to the 1930s, when Benito Cardona opened a small bakery on Central Avenue on the city’s north side.

You may not have heard of the Cardonas. They’re not as well-known as some of Fort Worth’s other longtime restaurant families. But they’ve been here all along, quietly serving good Tex-Mex fare throughout the area, from the north side to Joshua.

Opened in April , Papa’s Smokehouse arrives in a space with its own storied history. This was once home to Sammy’s Restaurant, a long-running Tex-Mex joint that stayed open late, catering to clubgoers tumbling out of the Stockyards.

The menu is composed of the Tex-Mex standards for which the Cardonas are known, primarily tacos and enchiladas, made with corn tortillas from the family’s tortilla factory and cafe near Meacham Airport.

There’s also new territory for the Cardonas: burgers, a half-dozen of them, many made with imaginative touches, such as housemade salsas.

As we expected, this was a massive amount of food, two meals in one. In addition to lettuce, tomatoes and onions, the burger was topped with sliced avocados and melted American cheese. Shockingly, it stayed together until the last bite.

Good flavors emerged from this unusual hodgepodge — a thin patty offered lots of smoke; fresh avocados were rich and soft; the enchilada oozed a sharply flavored mix of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses. Weird burger toppings are everywhere now, but this seemed less of a gimmick and more of a smartly constructed burger whose ingredients were well thought-out.

We tried the enchiladas on their own, too, choosing a combo plate ($8.50) with one beef and one chicken, served with Mexican rice and refried beans. The ground beef ’chilada had more seasoning and personality than the one stuffed with shredded chicken, but the tortillas — soft, buttery and with a sturdy texture — stole the show anyway.

On top of the enchiladas came a fiery red sauce made from arbol and guajillo peppers. At first, we were put off by the heat, but after a few bites, we began to appreciate its earthy flavor.

The real surprise here was the barbecue. Martin’s love for it predates Papa’s. He started smoking meats at Tortilla Flats, a restaurant he briefly owned in Joshua. When he sold the restaurant, he took with him a custom wood-burning pit he’d built; it now sits outside Papa’s, blowing smoke down North Main.

A combo plate ($14.95) came with sausage, chopped into small, bite-size portions, a trio of pork spare ribs and a pile of sliced brisket.

The pork spare ribs were excellent. Each brandished toothsome, smoky meat outlined in crusts so caramelized, their edges were almost like candy.

Best of all was the moist and smoky “fatty” brisket, torn into pieces big and small, each with a flap of buttery fat and charred edges. A lot of barbecue places around here don’t do brisket this well.

Sides consisted of crinkle-cut fries (which also accompanied the burger), piping hot and nicely salted, and a chunky mustard-based potato salad, both good.

Desserts included fried ice cream, sopapillas and house-made peach cobbler ($4.25), which was, puzzlingly, served on a plate, making it difficult to eat — a small quibble during an otherwise excellent meal. No wonder this family has been in the business for nearly a century.

This story was originally published June 1, 2016 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Papa’s Smokehouse and Cantina is smokin’ with versatility."