Darryl Bell has known he wanted to be a chef since he was all of 8 years old, when he was already stirring up pots of lentil and hot water-corn bread at his family’s stove in Kansas City, MO.

He more than made good on that dream, cooking in such illustrious kitchens as Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Yountville, Alinea in Chicago, and Press in St. Helena.

This summer, he finally opened his own restaurant, Stateline Road Smokehouse in Napa, named for the major thoroughfare that divides Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS.

It was an endeavor that took a long two years to turn a former auto repair shop into a casual, welcoming restaurant, which I had a chance to finally visit a couple weeks ago.

Even at lunch time on a Friday, the place was packed with folks chowing down on trays heaped with smoky tender meats.

Indeed, word has been spreading — and spreading — about this place. “Instead of people coming in and saying, ‘I read about you…,’ now they say, ‘A friend told me I had to come here,’ ” said Bell with a proud smile.

Order at the counter, where a server will affix your name to an aluminum tray that you are told to watch and follow, cafeteria-line-style, as it gets filled and makes its way to the cashier at the end where you pay your tab.

Then, carry your tray to any available table in the dining room. There’s a stand where you can dispense three types of barbecue sauce to try: traditional, sweet, and spicy.

The Kansas City-Invented Burnt Ends ($12 for a small) are meaty chunks of double-smoked brisket in a tangy barbecue sauce. The pulled pork ($11 for a small) are saucy rich and tender shards of pork in a sweet-tangy sauce.

The brisket ($18 per half pound) is hickory smoked Black Angus with the characteristic smoke ring. You don’t need a knife with this meat that yields easily to the tines of a fork without being dry at all, which is no easy feat with this cut.

The half chicken ($18) that we took to-go was succulent as can be, and glazed in more of that delicious barbecue sauce.

For me, the real star was the baby back ribs ($24 for half a rack) full of smokiness and sweet porcine flavor. The meat pulls off the bone but still has enough chew to it to sink your teeth into satisfyingly.

You can’t go wrong with the sides. The mac & cheese ($8 for a small) isn’t gloppy, but maintains a nice saucy texture with an aged cheddar mornay sauce that gets crowned with a nutty tasting parsnip crumble and crisped bits of kale.

Rancho Gordo heirloom beans ($8 for a small) get cooked until super creamy with collard greens, and Nueske bacon for a homespun dish that’s as comforting as a warm hug.

The cherry wood-smoked maitake and greens ($17) is a great choice for those who want an alternative to all that meat but still want a smokehouse experience. A generous amount of smoky, meaty maitakes are tossed with lettuce, crisped heirloom rice, and black garbanzos in a light lemon vinaigrette.

Zingy, crunchy pickled onions, red peppers, and cucumbers that come on the side with your order offer a respite from all that heavy meat.

I can’t wait to return to try the desserts next time, as that caramelized banana pudding ($8) is surely calling my name.