One warm summer evening this past July, a small group of friends were engaged in a conversation fueled by grapes, hops, and rye and resulted in an idea that Des Moines was in serious need of a good barbeque joint, never mind that this bbq joint would be number 11 or 12 to open this year. Forget that the economy was in shambles having just bottomed out of the worst recession since the 30's. And, totally ignore the fact that banks were going belly-up, home foreclosures were at unprecedented levels, Wall Street was clamoring for bail-out monies while their executives continued to plunder the corporate coffers with obscene bonuses. Barbeque, good barbeque, would be a culinary revolution for the good citizens of Des Moines. We were convinced.

Understandably, our friends thought we were nuts. In a good economy, the restaurant business is a roll of the dice. In challenging economic times the odds of success are somewhat less than winning the jackpot at Prairie Meadows. It is well understood that alcohol often fuels the bravado of otherwise reserved persons. It is also well understood that alcohol impairs judgment.....something we will choose to ignore since it's too late, now. At any rate, we were convinced that our barbeque venture would not only succeed, it would thrive as long as we concentrated on one premise, an abbreviated business plan, if you will. The whole key to our success would be doing barbeque better than anyone else.

THE BIRTH OF A RESTAURANT

What constitutes good barbeque is open to wide interpretation and is often influenced by the region of the country in which one resides. However, we believe that, in order to have the best barbeque, you have to start with the best products. Our resident meat head was tasked with scoping out the finest raw materials to make our barbeque. Guess what? There is no better place than right here in the Midwest to get the finest beef, pork, and chicken to produce the best barbeque. Our ribs are meatier than our competition's ribs. Our chickens are plumper and more juicy than our competition's chickens. Our beef is Midwest raised, corn-fed beef, not the grass fed cattle from the Texas Hill Country.

Buying the best products doesn't guarantee you'll end up with good barbeque. You must know how to prepare the product. Enter the human factor. Arguably, Kansas City has been known as the barbeque capital of the world. Home to many of the nation's most famous Q houses, Kansas City has been the training ground for many of the great smokemasters of the world. Aaron "A Train" Byrd was recruited from KC to help us build the best Q for you. While our barbeque is served "naked", (no sauce), A Train developed his signature rubs that gives our meats just the right amount of spices to bring out their natural flavors and complement the hickory smoke nuances of good Q. For those that like a bit of sauce with their Q, Aaron crafted a quartet of original sauces that reflect the regional tastes of Q connoisseurs, including Spicy Q, Original Q, Mustard Q, and Carolina Q. Bottom line, we've crafted the best barbeque available in the metro, if not anywhere.

Good barbeque almost always is accompanied by good sides. The best barbeque is only worthy of the best sides and we go to great lengths to make sure our sides are the highest quality. Other than the cottage cheese, all of our sides are "homemade", and we're sure you'll agree, that our side dishes are the best around. Try our bourbon sauced bread pudding, it's heavenly.

There's something about barbeque that prompts good conversation, congeniality, friendship, warmth, and contentment. Come sit by our fire in the winter or relax on our patio in the summer. Enjoy some good Q. In the spirit of southern hospitality, we'd be honored to have you, get to know you as our friends, and welcome your view of our quest to put out some good barbeque.

We think we're there, you tell us!