New Montclair BBQ Restaurant Will Feature Memphis-Style 'Cue

MONTCLAIR, NJ — If you’ve been seeking “Memphis-style 'cue” in North Jersey, Montclair’s soon-to-come BBQ restaurant may be right up your alley.

Bluff City BBQ, slated to open in October on Midland Avenue in Montclair, is headed by Owner/Culinary Director Scott Hermo, a Nutley native who grew up with a passion for food and cooking, eventually training at the International Culinary Center in NYC and completing its Culinary Entrepreneurship Program.

According to a company news release, Hermo is hoping to breathe new life into the space formerly occupied by Osteria Giotto.

• See related article: Montclair’s Osteria Giotto Will Serve Its Final Meal

Hermo earned his barbecue chops by catering his own client events and business tailgate parties, eventually working with some of the genre's stars. In November of 2015, he traveled to southern Illinois to train with Mike Mills (17th Street Bar & Grill) and more recently helped Champion Pit Master and author Andy Husbands open The Smoke Shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“This project is the culmination of years of research and planning,” Hermo said. “My Ole Hickory Pits are almost ready to start kicking out classic-style Memphis ribs and pulled pork, as well as other BBQ standards such as beef brisket, pulled chicken ... plus a few other surprises."

Vegetarians will also find “plant-based, soul-inflected options” on the menu, Hermo said.

The food won’t the only handcrafted element at Bluff City BBQ, according to a news release. Hermo sourced and built most of the furniture and decor himself, salvaging antique wooden doors and lumber from in and around Montclair, refashioning them into tables and benches and reclaiming tin ceiling panels, molding and porch posts that appear throughout the 90-seat space.

Photo: Courtesy of diaz * schloss communications

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