The cover of the latest issue of Saveur -- a drool-inducing photo of ribs, in all of their charred, meaty glory -- really got me craving some barbecue. Oh, you want some too? Well lucky us, a brand-new barbecue joint is set to open by the end of this month.
Located in Cave Creek's Las Tiendas shopping center (6130 E. Cave Creek Rd.), the eatery is called Bryan's Black Mountain Barbecue, and it's owned by chef Bryan Dooley and his wife Donna. This is Dooley's first restaurant; for the last 13 years, he's worked as a chef at the Fairmont Scottsdale.
"It'll be a small menu, only barbecue," Dooley tells me. "I want to do one thing really well."
That means pulled pork, pork ribs, beef brisket, barbecue chicken, and a handful of sides, including baked potato salad, olive coleslaw, barbecue cowboy beans, fries, and chips. Interestingly, there'll be a vegetarian "pulled" squash sandwich as well. And for dessert, the options will be homemade ice cream sandwiches or a sarsaparilla float. The bar will serve beer and wine.
Dooley, who's originally from Chicago, describes his barbecue as "closer to a Southern style -- the sauce is thinner, and there's a little vinegar in it." But he's not trying to recreate any kind of regional barbecue, he says.
Bryan's Black Mountain Barbecue will be casual and family-friendly, with Western flair -- think brick walls, old Western flicks on a movie screen, and even a wagon wheel chandelier.
