A new restaurant/local music venue is primed to open in midtown next month, courtesy of Paul Kukich, owner of the BurgerRito Food Truck, and Les Baxter, who runs the Hog Pit Smokehouse on East Tanque Verde Road.
Dubbed Les-Paul, the venture will launch in the lobby of the 4400 Broadway Building at 4400 E. Broadway, in the old home of Java Café.
At 3,200 square feet, Les-Paul will feature many of the same dishes offered by Baxter and Kukich’s respective restaurants.
Baxter, an accomplished jazz musician, took over the Hog Pit in November with his girlfriend Trina Smucker. Its menu boasts a range of barbecue options, including ribs, sandwiches, burgers and pulled pork platters.
Kukich rolled out his BurgerRito food truck nearly two years ago and serves an expansive selection of eats, including his signature burgerrito, a quarter-pound burger patty covered in pork green chile, cheddar cheese and refried beans, wrapped inside a 12-inch flour tortilla.
“I have one of the largest and most diverse menus as far as local food trucks are concerned and The Hog Pit menu is massive,” Kukich said. “This is a merging of all we have to offer.”
The ink is still fresh on the lease for the restaurant space, but Kukich said it is essentially a turnkey operation that will most likely be up and running in a limited capacity by mid-January.
Live music will be a big part of the restaurant’s draw, with plans for jazz, blues and country acts performing five nights a week.
Kukich said, while the new spot is a big commitment, there are no plans to close the Hog Pit or BurgerRito.
“The food truck is what put my food on the map,” he added. “My goal is to keep it running."
A Les-Paul Facebook page is still under construction. You can keep up with its progress in the meantime on the Hog Pit Facebook page and the BurgerRito Facebook page.
