Once there was a hoppin’ joint named the Wildcat House. The music was loud, the crowd was young, the dance floor big, and the smoke machine lent an air of cool mystery.
It fell into disrepair, the crowds thinned out, and finally, the doors closed in 2012.
But they flew back open in January and you’d never recognize the old place.
Brother John’s Beer, Bourbon & BBQ has transformed it. The dance floor is taken up by wooden tables with glossy red metal chairs pulled up to them. The funky neon beer signs that once hung over the bar have been replaced by a multi-compartment display behind the sleek bar. The display raises to the ceiling and is loaded with bottles filled with amber alcohol. Brother John’s serves about 300 different whiskeys — glowing courtesy of the backlighting.
And there’s still smoke but it is courtesy of two huge smokers attached to the kitchen and burning applewood and pecan almost constantly — most of the meats smoke at low temperatures for up to 18 hours. To walk by Brother John’s is to whet your appetite as the smoke wafts over and around the restaurant.
Our impressions:
The ribs
If you think a rib is a rib is a rib, think again.
The St. Louis Ribs ($13 for a half rack; $24 for full) are pulled from the belly side of the rib cage. While they have less pork meat than baby backs, they also have more fat, which makes them decadently tender.
Baby Backs ($14 half rack, $26 full) hail from the top of the pig’s ribcage and are loaded with meat.
At Brother John’s, which goes by the nickname BroJo’s, we had a hard time deciding on our favorite — both were fall-off-the-bone tender, pink from the smoking, and infused with a crusty rub that make the taste buds sing “hallelujah.” The staff is mum about what’s in the rub, but we detected plenty of pungent paprika, a dose of cumin, garlic powder and a hint of cayenne and black pepper. The staff would divulge this, however: there is no MSG used in the rub.
Chef Patrick Vezino clearly knows what he’s doing, but that’s not surprising: He worked under Mike Mills, considered the guru in the BBQ world.
The brisket
The beef comes from the breast of the cow and it’s not a very tender cut. But it is also slow cooked — smoked for 18 hours — making it cuttable with a spoon, and there was a fine smoky taste and a peppery bark covering each slice. Brother John’s wisely keeps a layer of fat on the brisket ($10), locking in some moisture.
The pulled pork
If ribs aren’t to your taste, the pulled pork ($8) here may be. Tender, plentiful, and with a slight bite thanks to the rub, which is similar to the rib rub, dubbed “Magic Dust.”
The short ribs
Sure, they are short. But they are also massive. And tender — the beef fell from the bones with just a slight touch of the fork. It’s a bit daunting to look at the short rib on a plate, but the meat is so tender, so delectable, that one quickly overlooks the imposing size.($22 a pound — which is about how much one rib weighs). The short rib has a traditional salt and pepper rub with a few extras thrown in (top secret, we’re told) and is smoked for 10 hours.
The sides
Our favorites: The potato salad ($3.50) had chunks of Yukon Gold potatoes, crispy celery and a mustardy tinge to the mayonnaise-based dressing; the green beans ($5) were buttery, fresh, and retained their snap; the mashed potatoes ($3.50) were creamy and made from real potatoes (don’t laugh; that doesn’t always happen), and the mac and cheese ($5) is made with American and Cheddar cheeses and topped with panko bread crumbs. Not so favorite: the coleslaw ($2.50), which had a vinegar-based dressing. There’s nothing wrong with that, just not our preference.
The sauces
At Brother John’s, you are encouraged to taste before you sauce. Wise advice — the meat is beautifully seasoned and really doesn’t need the sauces. But if you are so inclined, you’ve four to choose from — they are in bottles on the table and you can put on as much or as little as you please. They range from slightly sweet to slightly spicy. A favorite was the mustard-based sauce.
Dessert
There are beignets ($6). Once we saw that on the menu everything else went blurry. Four oversized beignets come to the table in a paper bag, still warm and tossed with powdered sugar. A caramel sauce spiked with bourbon is on the side, but we just wanted to revel in the glorious taste of the fried wonders.
Service
Good, fast and friendly.
