According to Urban Dictionary, heckle means “to harass a stand-up comedian during a performance. Usually heckling is done through the means of yelling, jeering [or] taunting, but it also includes physical and bodily harm.”

It’s the last sentence that concerned me as I walked through the doors of owner Matt Garrido’s new venture, Heckle Alehouse and Eatery. Fortunately, the name was just a sports term Matt heard during a bike race (bike racers and heckling?)—and it stuck. And although the staff T-shirt slogan reads “Great Beer, Great Food, Questionable Attitude,” Matt and his fellow Hecklers are downright jovial.

The establishment is actually a tap house featuring 18 rotating brews, and a restaurant serving house-smoked meats—turkey, brisket and pulled pork, which the menu features in sandwiches or “sammiches”—in addition to burgers, hot dogs, salads and an impressive array of appetizers and sides. 

Though I enjoyed the pulled pork tots—crispy, buttery spuds topped with tender pulled pork, house-made coleslaw, and a drizzle of Carolina-style mustard barbecue sauce on one half and a Memphis-style (vinegar-based) sauce on the other—as an appetizer, they’re actually a meal for two. 

Next up was the Brisket Sammich, which arrived piled high with house-smoked beef brisket covered thoroughly in the aforementioned Memphis sauce. I chose the slaw as my corresponding side—again reminiscent of a Memphis-style coleslaw with pineapple and vinegar. Paired alongside a blonde ale that Matt recommended made for quite the party on my palate. 

The Smoked Turkey Sammich was no joke either, but can you really go wrong with moist turkey breast, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and chipotle aioli? Served alongside sweet potato tots—which are vastly superior to their first cousin, the sweet potato fry—and lightly dusted with cornstarch to crisp them up in the hot oil spa, they're an obvious house favorite. 

And if you’ve come for vegetarian entrées? Fret not: The menu says, “We have a Gardenburger patty”—and a healthy dose of heckle too, I’m betting! 

Hours
11 a.m.-9 p.m. (Sunday), 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (Monday-Thursday), 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (Friday-Saturday)

Try This
Pulled Pork Tots, Brisket Sammich, Sweet Potato Tots, Southwestern Salad, Chili Burger, Street Tacos

Alcohol
Beer (18 rotating taps) and wine 

Tab
$$ 

Heads-Up
Can accommodate large groups; kids’ menu available; visit their Facebook page to stay up-to-date on tap takeovers and other special events; Happy Hour from 2-5 p.m. Monday-Friday ($1 off beer and wine and 50-percent off their “beer of the day”)

Heckle Alehouse and Eatery, 705 Gold Lake Drive, Suite 390, Folsom, 916-790-8883, www.hecklealehouse.com