Southern cooking reigns supreme at The Shak

With old barn tin covering the interior walls, a jet-black meat smoker parked at the front of the building, an enormous meat smoker just out the back door, old tin cans perched on weathered wood shelves, an abundance of duct tape and hand-painted signs hanging at odd angles, the decor of a new Whitefish restaurant might strike some diners as unusual.

The owners call the design theme “shackified.” The name of the restaurant on Spokane Avenue: The Shak.

It’s supposed to resemble an old shack you might stumble upon in the Louisiana Bayou, Christopher and Sherry Mayeaux say, complete with Cajun music flooding from speakers.

If you don’t get the decor, you’ll probably get the food.

It’s southern, based on the kind of food Christopher’s mother cooked in Baton Rouge, La., his hometown.

Southern cooking places plenty of emphasis on the rue, which requires constant attention, Christopher said. As his mother attended to other dishes, he ended up on rue duty, and picked up all sorts of cooking tips from his mom while stirring the rue.

At the same time, his dad was a master of southern barbecue, which is not the same as western barbecue. Smoking meat overnight in smokers is barbecue in the south, as opposed to grilling a steak in the west. Christopher learned the art of slow cooking meat from his dad.

“We smoke everything here,” he said of The Shak, “even potatoes.”

They use “secret family recipes” for their menu items. And, as the sign in the restaurant says, “if we tell you what’s in it, then we’ll have to kill you.”

The menu features food common in the South, but less so in the Rocky Mountain West. Meat is king at The Shak — smoked pork spareribs, brisket, wings, chicken-fried (in the South, the word steak isn’t part of the food’s name), pulled pork, catfish and fried chicken. Sides include deep-fried corn on the cob, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, sweet potato fries, fried gizzards, okra, fried pickles and smoked potatoes.

They can make fried chicken and catfish with a gluten-free breading for customers who ask for that option.

A lot of customers have never heard of some of the menu items, so the Mayeauxs are ready to walk those folks through the menu, explaining what’s what and offering suggestions. They point out their food isn’t super hot or spicy, but they can make it so for customers who prefer that style.

With plenty of batter on much of the food, they suggest people forget about calories when eating at The Shak.

Likewise, Sherry says they have plenty of napkins on hand, because “you know it tastes good when you’re wearing it.”

Business has been steady in the four months since the restaurant opened.

“We’ve served 15,000 pieces of chicken in four months,” Christopher said.

They sell out of ribs nearly every day. And since the fresh meat is smoked overnight, once the ribs are gone on any given day, they’re gone. “We don’t take frozen ribs out and fix another batch,” Christopher said.

Serving sizes are big, another Southern tradition.

“If you leave here hungry, it’s your own fault,” Christopher said.

Christopher dotes on patrons, Sherry said, a trait she says he inherited from his mom.

But, he agrees.

“If you’re not eating, I want to know why,” he said.

The Mayeauxs have lived in Whitefish for about a year after moving from southern California. They had vacationed in the Flathead several times and loved the area. They wanted a different, better lifestyle for their seven-year old daughter.

“So we sold everything we had in California, loaded up our stuff, including our two dogs, and moved,” Sherry said.

As they entertained friends in Whitefish, people kept suggesting they take their cooking skills to a new level and open a restaurant. Christopher has a catering background, so they took the suggestions seriously. They decided to open a restaurant that caters to families, being somewhat casual, fun and not too expensive.

Take-out orders can be placed by calling The Shak at 730-1070.

The Shak is located at 669 Spokane Ave. It’s open seven days a week. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 12:30 to 7 p.m. Sundays.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or by e-mail at sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.