The move wasn’t much, at least if you don’t trouble yourself with the details. Frank Stephenson merely shut down one restaurant in Middletown and opened another in Clearlake — a straight shot, less than half an hour down the road.
In closing one of the county’s signature venues, however, the Boar’s Breath owner also packed up 21 years of memories. The Valley Fire disrupted routine for almost a year. It also took that year for Stephenson and his family to remodel the confines of an old drive through coffee shop into a sit down place with a modern kitchen and full bar.
Oh — and he had to haul a custom built smoker all the way from Houston.
When Boar’s Breath Smokin’ BBQ & Burgers opened quietly along Lakeshore Dr. in Clearlake at the end of July, it completed a remarkable journey.
“I just got tired of doing fine dining,” Stephenson explained. “Twenty-one years was enough. I wanted to simplify.”
He switched from seafood and steak to burgers, sandwiches and slowly smoked meats. The offerings include a Cajun influenced blackened burger, a spiked up version of the jucy lucy, a sandwich involving smoked Gouda, mac and cheese and pulled pork on grilled Texas toast, chili cheese fries and other casual fare.
From the smoker he serves St. Louis style ribs — thick, tender and ruddy, the sweet note of wood reverberating through the meat — brisket, free range chicken, pork shoulder and hot links.
“We call ours California style — I’m not following any particular rules,” Stephenson said, explaining that he prefers not to be bound by the rigid regional styles that define places like Memphis, Kansas City and Carolina. “Our brisket, though, is pretty much Texas style.”
Learning the nuances of a pit smoker required plenty of time, and patience. Although hulking in appearance, the heavy metal smoker cowers at the slightest touch. A sudden breeze, a change in temperature or humidity, a flawed piece in a cord of wood — any bump can nudge the temperature off balance.
And a low, unyielding heat is critical.
“The secret is not to cook with smoke,” Stephenson pointed out. “We cook the wood. You won’t see smoke coming from the smoker.”
He stokes white oak, cut into small pieces, for about 90 minutes before the temperature settles. Hot coals do the rest. The result is a naturally sweet wood and dry cure savor that permeates the meat.
It’s beautiful to behold. No wonder the place began overflowing shortly after he quietly opened the doors.
“I’m surprised the barbecue took off like it did,” Stephenson said, admitting he expected burgers to be the draw. “I can’t keep up.”
Tending the smoker around the clock, putting in long hours, working the line and training new staff reminded the veteran restaurateur that one must be a little, well, crazy to willingly join the service industry.
“A little?” he said with a laugh. “That’s an understatement.”
Still, he has plans to expand storage space and add a walk in freezer to the handsome little restaurant in the near future. After all, the new Boar’s Breath is already a destination.
It is well worth the trip, from any point on the map.
“We’ve had a great reception in Clearlake,” Stephenson said.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
