Photo by Spencer Pernikoff
Chef Mike Randolph has created some of the region's most forward-thinking restaurant concepts: The Good Pie, Half & Half, Medianoche, Little Country Gentleman, Randolfi’s Italian Kitchen, Público, and Privado, among others. But he's never offered a barbecue joint—until now.
Today, the chef announced his latest venture, slated to open this fall at 7359 Forsyth Avenue just outside of the Clayton city limits, in University City. The space was formerly home to Imo’s Pizza and, more recently, a Fortel’s Pizza Den franchise.
Photo by George Mahe
According to a release, Original J's Tex-Mex Barbecue will feature Texas-style barbecue, cooked over Missouri oak, served as tacos, platters, and bowls along with other Mexican-style sides and starters.
Original J is the personification of the Randolphs' vision for an "inviting, casual, interesting, and comforting" barbecue restaurant. “J is the guy that you want to sit on a front porch with and listen to the countless stories of his travels and adventures," Mike Randolph says in the release. Likening him to Chevy Chase in the "Vacation" movies, Randolph says, "He’s a Renaissance man who puts his family first. That’s the vibe that we’re going for at Original J’s."
Randolph is doing barbecue "a bit differently," he says, referring to barbecue aficionado Myron Mixon's style of cooking meats low and slow (16 hours for brisket) in a patented smoker that adds moisture throughout the smoking process. Randolph says Texas-style barbecue "also allows the meat shine with just simple seasoning of salt and pepper.”
For those who think the metro area has been inundated with barbecue restaurants, consider that Clayton hasn’t seen a barbecue joint since Lampert's Plush Pig BBQ—and it moved out of the neighborhood a decade ago. It's also worth noting that the new Salt+ Smoke in St. Charles has been going gangbusters since it opened in April. The same can be said for Hogtown Smokehouse, which opened last month in barbecue-starved Dogtown.
While many of Randolph's endeavors have received critical acclaim—earning him several James Beard Award nominations in the process—the general public has not always been as receptive to some of the concepts. The progressive Mexican food at Medianoche was perhaps a bit before its time. The same might be said for the multiple–tasting menu format at Little Country Gentleman. The chef's three restaurants along the Delmar Loop (Randolfi’s Italian Kitchen, Público, and Privado) were all exemplary but ill-fated.
So the Randolphs thought long and hard about what their next venture should be. Combining inspiration from their travels to Texas with influences from the Latin-inspired Público, they came up with a new take on the barbecue niche.
The vibe, however, will seem familiar. The Randolphs are combining old-look wood paneled walls with vintage booths, photographs, sound panels, and a scatter of video games. "We all remember a place that looks like this," he explains. "Everybody had one somewhere in their home town. The place might look curious...until you walk in."
Photo by Spencer Pernikoff
Photo by Spencer Pernikoff
Meat selections will include Spicy Spare Ribs with a rib rub and habañero sauce, the aformentioned brisket, smoked sausage links, chicken with a guajillo marinade, and Mexican-style barbacoa, among others. Sides will include dressed kale with cojita cheese; cucumber and avocado with chili ranch, tomato and smoked mozzarella salad; pickled beets with jalapeño queso fresco; fried plantains; and boracho beans with brisket.
Original J’s will be open every day from 10 a.m.–10 p.m.
