Last week, checking out the scene on the west side of the big fancy new bridge, I noticed a sign on a yellow building one block south of Singelton (400 Bedford) that reads "Coming Soon: Babb Brothers Barbeque & Blues." The first sign of life in the Trinity Grove development.
This area just west of the Margaret Hill Bridge is in the early stages of a culturally diverse-inspired development. It's being funded by West Dallas Investments, which includes Phil Romano (Eatzi's, Fuddrucker's, Nick & Sam's, and more), Stuart Fitts and Butch McGregor. The vision for the 15 acres of land is to bring together unique artists, boutiques and restaurateurs. Babb Brothers Barbeque is first up.
I actually met the Babb brothers tailgating at a Cowboys game a couple of years ago. The sweet succulence of ribs wafting from Mike Babb's smoker drew me in.
Babb is originally from Kansas, where he did some cooking and runs a catering business now. He told me the basics for his ribs is a dry rub (less is more), cooking the meat slow and low, and a sauce that enhances the meat's flavor but doesn't overwhelm it.
Babb also told me a story about cooking at an event one day where Nate Newton was signing autographs. Now, this was back in Nate's big boy day, before he lost a few hundred pounds. On his way out, Newton grabbed a plate of ribs from Babb and took them out to his truck to eat them. Then, Newton started honking his horn in the parking lot and waved Babb over. Newton had him take down his number to call him the next time he was cooking anywhere. (Babb kept the number but never called him.)
I spoke with Butch McGregor at Trinity Groves, and they expect Babb Brothers BBQ to be open early this summer. There will also be live blues music at the indoor/outdoor venue.
