Juicy Lucy BBQ Expanding with Di Fara Pizza Partnership
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Juicy Lucy BBQ has established itself as the preeminent barbecue destination on Staten Island and a top choice for barbecue lovers in the NYC metro area during the past three years. Next month, the team behind Juicy Lucy will be expanding its operation by venturing into Italian food and pizza with a famous partner — Di Fara Pizza.
This new operation will go under the name Juicy Lucia and Di Fara Pizzeria and be located in the restaurant that formerly housed The Corner House BBQ (100 and 102 Lincoln Ave on Staten Island). The Juicy Lucia name is a riff on the Juicy Lucy brand but focuses on Italian specialties instead of pure barbecue. But it will incorporate barbecue into select menu items as well.
“[A lot of people in the Northeast] are just developing a palette for barbecue,” Juicy Lucy BBQ owner Richie Holmes told NYC BBQ. “So I would get a family of four that would come in, and you know, the mom wasn’t all that into it. The kids liked it, and the dad really enjoyed it, but it wasn’t for everyone. So now, with this concept, we’re going to be doing pizza and barbecue, as well as some Di Fara specialties like pizza.”
Juicy Lucia is a new brand from the team at Juicy Lucy BBQ that will focus on pizza and Italian specialties.
Di Fara — one of the best-known and most-acclaimed pizza joints in NYC — has been operating in NYC since 1965 and was named on the James Beard Award “Outstanding Restaurant” semifinalists list in 2022. The partnership with the Juicy Lucy team stemmed from co-owner Margaret DeMarco-Mieles (one of the children of fabled pizza maker Domenico DeMarco) wanting to expand her operation to Staten Island.
“It has always been a goal and dream of mine to open up in Staten Island, and we just hadn’t found the right fit,” DeMarco-Mieles said. “We are running my father’s location that’s in business 56 years. And we do nationwide shipping out of one location and operate a ghost kitchen. And so, being introduced [to Juicy Lucy was] a dream come true. … And it was really challenging to find a location in Staten Island, and to be honest, I got to know [Richie Holmes] from mutual business owners.”
Di Fara Pizza in Midwood has been ranked as one of the best pizza operations in the country. (Photo by Nick Sherman / Flickr)
The menu at Juicy Lucia and Di Fara Pizzeria is still being finalized by Holmes and DeMarco-Mieles, but the two of them are working through concepts to include many Italian staples. Items in contention for the final menu include fried mozzarella, Milanese fried ravioli, Milian Style Meatballs, Tuscan Style Baked Rigatoni with sweet sausage, Chicken Parmigiana, Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese. Barbecue items will include pork belly bites, brisket, ribs, and more. They’ve also discussed bringing Juicy Lucy’s smoked meats (like brisket, pulled pork, and chicken) and making those a topping for Di Fara pizza. It will also serve individual slices.
“Di Fara’s got the best pizza in the country, maybe even the world, and [we’re] a two-time Brisket King champion. I mean, what more would you want?” Holmes said. “Other than Billy Durney locally, I don’t think anybody can do brisket better than we can. I don’t mean to sound like a big-headed guy. And Di Fara stands alone. I can’t wait to do combinations with them.”
DeMarco-Mieles agreed with that assessment and said she looked forward to hosting taste-testing parties to try out combinations.
“Not everyone is in the mood for the same thing,” DeMarco-Mieles said. “So imagine one person is in the mood for barbecue and their companion isn’t. So taking two of the best [options] and combining them together, I feel very confident in the project, and I look forward to combining these flavors.”
The new Juicy Lucia and Di Fara Pizzeria location just installed a new pizza oven.
Being located in the former home of the Corner House BBQ restaurant also means the team will have room for smoking meats in a smoker and room for a new pizza oven. Holmes notes that 80% of the workers from the Corner House have committed to coming back to work at the new location.
“The owners of the Corner House are friends of ours, and when they realized that they weren’t going to be able to continue, they called us first,” Holmes said. “And it was important for us to assure them that we would be offering everyone jobs because they’re familiar with the place and familiar with the neighborhood. I told them I was going to do pizza and some Italian in here, but I would not be taking away my barbecue. My barbecue was my staple.”
Juicy Lucy and Juicy Lucia owner Richie Holmes (center) has won both the Brisket King NYC and Rib King NYC barbecue competitions.
At present, Holmes said he does not intend to bring the new Italian specialties to the two existing Juicy Lucy BBQ locations. So you’ll be able to get these items at Juicy Lucia and Di Fara, which could potentially expand to other areas if this first one does well.
“We’re looking at other locations, maybe some in Jersey and Manhattan. We don’t know yet,” Holmes said. “But we’re looking to make sure that this first one runs smoothly and efficiently. And we’re pretty sure the response from the public is going to be over the top.”
Holmes and DeMarco-Mieles said the exact open date for the first location is not set, but they are working toward the goal of opening before St. Patrick’s Day on Thursday, March 17. You can keep up with the news and the opening by following Juicy Lucy BBQ on social media.
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT (NEWS)
Queens gets an additional BBQ joint this weekend with a new Might Quinn’s BBQ in Forest Hills. (Photo via Mighty Quinn’s BBQ / Facebook)
Here are the top BBQ and related food news stories you need to know about this week:
Queens doesn’t have a ton of barbecue joints (despite being huge), but it will add another one this weekend. Mighty Quinn’s BBQ will open a new location of its dominant BBQ chain in Forest Hills at 108-22 Queens Blvd. QNS reports this location “features two smokers, indoor and outdoor seating, and a full bar serving up craft beer and unique cocktails.” READ HERE.
Sruli “Izzy” Eidelman of Izzy’s Brooklyn Smokehouse was featured in a great article in the Wall Street Journal about “Jewish cooks across America are reimagining the cuisine they grew up with.” Eidelman has opened Izzy’s locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Miami. READ HERE.
A new roundup of “the absolute best ribs in the U.S.” from Mashed mentions Hill Country Barbecue Market in Manhattan and D.C. as a fantastic option for ribs. READ HERE.
New Jersey Digest has published an informative list of “the beginner’s guide to Korean BBQ in North Jersey.” READ HERE.
Long Island is about to have another promising BBQ option with the opening of Smoke Shack BBQ this spring in Mastic Beach, NY. Smoke Shack BBQ has been a food truck for some time but is finally ready to open a permanent location. READ HERE.
Connecticut Magazine revealed its list of C.T.’s best barbecue joints (picked by readers and experts). The list features Hoodoo Brown Barbecue, Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ, Hindsight BBQ, Taino Smokehouse, and more. READ HERE.
IRL BBQ EVENTS
If you love brisket, you do not want to miss Brisket King NYC on April 20 at Pig Beach in Brooklyn.
Here are the top BBQ and related food events coming soon to the New York metro area:
March 8 - June 8, 2022: The Long Island Wing Hunt, a self-guided wing tour of the best chicken wings, is back this spring. You can buy a ticket and then go to many of the best LI wing spots and get free wings with your “wing pass” all season! BUY TICKETS HERE.
April 20, 2022: The 11th edition of Brisket King NYC will be held at Pig Beach in Gowanus, Brooklyn on Wednesday, April 20. This all-inclusive event will feature 15+ chefs and pitmasters cooking up the juiciest brisket you can find, plus craft beer, hard cider, and spirits. BUY TICKETS HERE.
April 30, 2022: The 2nd Annual Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit will be held at the new Pig Beach location in Queens. It features a lineup of some of the best pitmasters in the country, including Billy Durney, Chris Lilly, Sam Jones, Carey Bringle, Amy Mills, Brad Orrison, and many more. Don’t miss this if you keep up with the national barbecue scene. BUY TICKETS HERE.
May 21, 2022: Love wings and beer? Then this is the event for you! Held at the beautiful South Shore Craft Brewery, the NY Best Wings Fest will be a finger-licking tasting tour of the best restaurants on Long Island. On top of being able to sample lots of great wings, there will also be a hot-wing eating contest, live music, and giveaways. BUY TICKETS HERE.
May 28, 2022: This Memorial Day weekend is going to have a forecast for delicious pork and beef at Rib King NYC 2022. The event will be held at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden on Staten Island and is great for families and groups. BUY TICKETS HERE.
If you would like your food event listed here, please get in touch.
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