Backyard Bistro joined the league of Triangle area sports pubs in April when the restaurant opened near the RBC Center. Now that I've had a chance to observe the team in action, here's my scouting report.
Home field advantage: Backyard Bistro's location, just a slapshot away from the Carolina Hurricanes' home ice, is a big plus. It doesn't hurt, either, that the Wolfpack men's basketball team plays home games at the RBC Center.
Game preparation and facilities: A powerful lineup of five giant-screen TVs spans one wall and is backed up by a plethora of smaller screens strategically positioned around the dining room and bar. Individually controllable speakers at each table allow fans to tune in to the game of their choice.
Draft picks: Sixteen taps dispense a crowd-pleasing variety of brews, from Bud Light to Fat Tire. Backyard Brew, the locally brewed house draft, is a crisp Belgian-style wheat ale.
Coaching staff: Owner/head coach Joe Lumbrazo worked for several years in the country club and catering leagues before teaming up with partner Lance Wheeler to open Backyard Bistro. Lumbrazo has assisted in numerous charitable fundraisers for the Angus Barn over the years and considers owner Van Eure to be a mentor. Lumbrazo's relationship with Eure, the Vince Lombardi of area steakhouses, has yielded a potent competitive edge for his team: Steaks and burgers on Backyard Bistro's menu are aged and cut by the master butchers at the Angus Barn.
Backfield: To implement a game plan built around this beefy lineup, Lumbrazo installed chef Mike Canale, formerly executive chef at Vinnie's Steakhouse, in the quarterback position. Canale is up to the challenge, delivering flame-grilled steaks that reliably come close to the degree of specified doneness, even if they're not always precisely on target. Purists might argue that calling a boneless rib-eye a "cowboy cut" warrants a personal foul, but they won't dispute the tenderness of the steak.
Key plays to watch for: Steaks are by no means the only plays in Canale's playbook. Mini tacos and house-battered Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds are winning starters and demonstrate the chef's versatility. When the situation calls for a more conservative game plan, jumbo chicken wings are a reliable option. Greasy fries can sometimes lead to a fumble.
Burgers, made with Angus Barn beef, weigh in at a hefty 8 ounces and are available with a wide variety of topping options, from bacon to beer-battered onion rings. Just trying to get your jaws around the Big Poppie (two 8-ounce burgers on one bun with cheddar and jalapeños) is liable to put you on the injured reserve list.
Falling-off-the-bone St. Louis-style ribs are made from a recipe so involved it borders on a trick play: dry rub followed by three hours of hickory smoke, then each rack individually wrapped in foil with a little apple juice and smoked for another four hours, then finished on the grill with a light glaze of barbecue sauce.
Exceptionally juicy house-smoked beef brisket, whether you order it as an entree or go for the sandwich option, is an even bigger scoring threat. The sandwich version, which serves up brisket, barbecue sauce, fries and slaw all between two thick slices of white bread, lives up to its menu billing as The Critical Violation. The entree scores bonus points in the form of your choice of two sides, with winning plays including hushpuppies, peppery green beans, potato salad and smoky barbecue baked beans.
Then, just when you're lulled into expecting beef on every play, Canale and his kitchen crew surprise you with moist, sweet, delicately breaded fried catfish. Then he finishes you off with homemade banana pudding or streusel-topped fruit cobbler.
Front line: The wait staff, though friendly enough, is prone to delay-of-game penalties resulting from an empty water glass or too-long wait for a check.
Summary assessment: It may be too early to talk dynasty, but midway through its rookie year, Backyard Bistro already has the makings of a winning team .
