At this moment in time, you have to have an imagination to picture what Pride and Joy, the new barbecue restaurant/honky tonk/draft house opening in Wynwood, is going to look like when completed.
But by the time Pride and Joy co-owner Mike Saladino walked me through the space on 28th Street and North Miami Avenue, I had a complete vision in my mind's eye.
Saladino, along with partners Chris Mayer, Paul Thielecke, Jose Santa, Pablo Cardenas, and chef-partner Myron Mixon, see a need for good barbeque with a laid back, rock 'n' roll vibe.
The restaurant's decor can best be described as industrial chic-meets-vintage-meets-old roadhouse.
A large three-sided bar in the center of the dining room will be flanked by banquettes covered in distressed luggage-colored pleather. Communal tables custom made from vintage wood will allow for people to mingle and eat under chandeliers made form old beer cans. Water will be served in old Bulleit bourbon bottles, and seats will be fashioned after old Singer sewing chairs.
The heart of the restaurant will be an open kitchen and smoker where celebrity barbeque chef Myron Mixon will cook and interact with diners. "The whole idea is form Myron to talk with guests. He'll literally just take a piece of meat and slice it right onto the wax paper on your plate. You've got to know you're eating some good barbecue," Saladino explained.
A large tin Pride and Joy sign, riddled in bullet holes, will grace the front of the building.
Saladino has always wanted to do a barbecue concept restaurant. After
bringing Automatic Slims and El Vato to Miami, he knew it was time.
Saladino hails from Texas, where barbeque is king. "I remember going
with my dad to have Texas barbecue. I think down home comfort food is
hot right now. True, there are some good barbeque places, but that Myron
does is special. I'm looking forward to Miami experiencing his food."
Mixon, a judge on TLC's BBQ Pitmasters,also heads a competitive barbecue team and runs a barbecue school
out of his home in Unadilla, Georgia (about two hours north of
Atlanta). He's won nearly 200 awards for his grilling skills and plans
to spend about half his time in Miami, where he will teach barbequing
techniques in an outdoor school set up in the restaurant's backyard
patio.
Now that we've given readers a preview of the decor and concept, Short Order will speak with chef-owner Mixon himself, who will discuss Pride and Joy's menu and concept. Keep reading for details on Mixon's barbecue roots, his passion, and what he has in store for Miami.
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