Look Inside Smoking Kow BBQ’s New Alexandria Restaurant | Eater DC

"Converted from the neighborhood Italian eatery Cafe Monti, the new brick-and-mortar outpost of local food truck Smoking Kow BBQ is a 20-seat barbecue restaurant at 3250 Duke Street in Alexandria, Va., scheduled to open at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 14. First-time restaurateur Dylan Kough and his general manager, Paul Tecchio, handled much of the remodeling themselves, installing communal picnic tables—light and dark tables they refinished by blowtorching and staining—stained wood, brushed metal, and a gleaming white animal skull hanging above the main dining room that Kough says 'looks cool.' One original piece of art is a black-and-white chalkboard sketch of the D.C. area by Riley Sheehey that highlights the routes of Smoking Kow’s two roving vehicles (black truck; white truck) and the new flagship location. The space is practical and barbecue-focused, with neatly stacked hickory logs for a wood-fired smoker, a self-service station stocked with assorted barbecue sauces and plenty of paper towels, and figurines showing where the smoked brisket, shredded pork, pulled chicken, and sausage come from on each respective animal. The restaurant sits right around the corner from local barbecue chain Rocklands." - Warren Rojas