Best BBQ Winners Expand Menu

is enhancing its menu with additional items and greater variety based on customer feedback.

The Santa Cruz County loves eight-week-old Sid’s, as was demonstrated at the Hop N’ Barley Festival in Scotts Valley. In a race against Bruno’s and Cowboy Bar & Grill, Sid’s won “Best BBQ” with its 12-hour smoked beef brisket.

Even so, co-owner Dave Paradise said that the restaurant is growing and making changes based on what his customers want, including some price reductions and new menu items.

Instead of Matt’s famous chili, Sid’s will offer two different chilies to provide an alternate chili with a milder kick. The flavor and what’s in it is staying the same, but “the kick is one change we are making,” said Paradise.

Sid’s Smokin’ Hot Chili will be the old recipe of chili. The other chili, which will be less hot, can be eaten on its own or used with other dishes including chili burgers, chili dogs and chili mac 'n' cheese.

The popular mac 'n' cheese dishes baked in the pizza oven will be taken to another level. In addition to the lowered prices (from $7.99 to $5.99), new variations of pesto mac and chili 'n' cheese are sure to get customers hooked, said Paradise.

Inspired from the chicken pesto pizza, the pesto mac will be a combination of pesto with the cheese and macaroni, said Paradise. The chili 'n' cheese will feature the new chili loaded on top of the mac n’ cheese. For any of the mac dishes, customers can add pulled pork, brisket or chicken to make it an even heartier meal.

Other new items include a Reuben sandwich with house-cured pastrami and a BBQ chicken salad that started out as a special and will be a regular item.

Soups of the day will be featured, including corn chowder, BBQ bean soup and split pea soup with smoked ham. Paradise said his friend Patrick Saylor will make his famous split pea soup as a guest chef after the California Beer Festival July 28.

The head chef changed from the former head chef of SmoQe BBQ, Matt Perez, to Anthony Hughes, who was previously part of the management team at Sid’s.

“We had hired the head chef from SmoQe because we wanted to do the same kind of foods,” said Paradise.

Sid’s serves the same kind of food as with a focus on smokehouse meat and sandwiches. Specialty mac 'n' cheese, salads and burgers are customer favorites as well.

Open Sunday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The address is 10110 Soquel Dr., Aptos. Call 831-662-2227 for information or take-out. Visit the website to view the menu.