For years, Joan Gallo would drive by the restored railroad car diner on E. 2nd Street on her way to the Mineola . Usually it was too early or too late to visit the establishment, but there was something about the place that appealed to her. “I really liked it,” the Mineola resident said.
So when the former went last fall, Gallo and business partner Tom Sullivan inquired about the property. They have owned and operated the Delta Grill, a Louisiana-style restaurant in the Hell’s Kitchen section of Manhattan for the past 14 years.
Now they have their first local venture – Biscuits & Barbeque, located at 106 E. 2nd St. (the name was Sullivan’s choice).
Biscuits & Barbeque will have a distinct Texas barbeque and Southern-style cooking flair to the menu. Among the interesting items served are Delta Jambalaya (spicy chicken and smoked Andouille sausage), Mustard Battered Catfish, Grilled Gator Sausage, and BBQ Gator Burger with onion rings.
“You’d be surprised how many people like alligator,” Gallo said. “We sell them like crazy.”
Dixie Chicken and Waffles with honey butter and candied pecans, a dish made famous in the south as well as in Harlem, is another favorite.
Breakfasts are more traditional (eggs, omelettes, pancakes and French toast), with the exception of the Bayou Jambalaya Omelet. Breakfast is
available anytime, and for patrons who love biscuits, they’re big and tasty.
The restaurant will soon have a barbeque smoker to allow Gallo to serve signature dishes Barbeque Chicken and Barbeque Pulled Pork.
Biscuits & Barbeque is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (except Sundays), and will soon open for dinner as well, Gallo said.
She intends to add four to six picnic tables with umbrellas for outside dining. “We’re really going to be a full-service restaurant – Southern barbeque,” she said. “It will be more than just a breakfast place.”
There are also plans for a beer and wine license. “Nothing crazy, just so that someone can have a beer with their barbeque pork or a glass of wine,” she said. “We want to make it family friendly.“
As such, Gallo is hoping to attract summer guests from Wilson Park and the Mineola pool who may be compelled to stop by for takeout, or a quick bite, before heading home. “I have to get the word out,” she said. “Once
I get the smoker, I’ll start advertising. We have a lot of people who live
around here. We want to make this a destination restaurant.”
