Cinder BBQ opened this weekend in Upshur Street’s former Ruta del Vino space, giving longtime local pitmaster Bill Coleman’s smoked meats a more permanent setup.
Coleman has catered around D.C. as Bill’s Backyard Barbeque for more than a decade, including for presidents and Olympians. As a frequent patron of Civil Cigar Lounge, he struck up a friendship with owners Matt Krimm and John Anderson, who asked him to host monthly food events. The group would banter around the idea of opening a restaurant together. But the timing was never quite right.
But when Krimm, who now lives in Petworth, heard the 800 block of Upshur Street was up for grabs, he figured this was their chance to open a BBQ- and whiskey-focused restaurant.
“It all happened very organically,” says Anderson. “Matt loves the block. The space had all the great bones of a neighborhood BBQ spot. We want it to be a place where you can bring your family for dinner or stop in late on your way home for some whiskey.”
Coleman’s meats don’t fit into one regional style. The brisket gets a Texan salt-and-pepper dry rub before going into a Southern Pride smoker overnight. Servings come out unsauced and ready for several bottles on the table: a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce made from Redemption bourbon that goes well with the beef; a sweeter apple cider vinegar that’s “about as good as it gets” on chicken, according to Anderson; and a Carolina vinegar for pulled pork. But Anderson eats the brisket without any sauce “99 percent of the time” because they leave the fat on to give the meat a “beautiful moisture content.”
Cinder will cook up a limited amount of brisket each day, but the menu has no shortage of sandwiches, sides, and other meats. The smoker will do full and half racks of ribs and chicken wings, which get two coats of dry rub and crisp up in the oven upon order. Baked beans in bourbon-soaked peaches, collard greens and mac ‘n cheese, a half-smoke served under brisket chili—made without beans based on Coleman’s preference—and smoked veggies or onion rings with mayonnaise-based “comeback” sauce are also on the table. Sides run $4-$8, sandwiches $9-$15, and meat orders up to $18.
The team kept much of the wine bar’s décor, adding a mural of colored rowhouses by artist Emily Halk to the back wall but leaving up string lights and making use of the bar in the restaurant’s center to show off their whiskey collection.
In keeping with the tradition of Civil Cigar Lounge, which has more than 450 whiskeys, Cinder has a well-curated spirits list, including rare small-batch offerings and three Willett Distillery whiskeys. They’ll serve all whiskeys as two-ounce pours in Gorham crystal glasses, but always keep prices affordable, says Krimm.
“Some of the most sought-after bottles of Willett go on the market for $1,000,” says Krimm. “It’s important to us to make sure that you can come and eat and have a drink and be out for $20. But we take pride in our whiskey. We want to give a real proper drink in the right glass.”
Happy hour will run 5 p.m.-7 p.m. daily with deals on wine and beer. Cinder is also planning to have whiskey and BBQ dinners down the road. For one of the first, the team will use chips from Knob Creek barrels to smoke brisket and do a ticketed dinner with pairings. Hours will ultimately depend on what the neighborhood wants, Krimm says. “But you’ll be hard-pressed to find something you don’t like.”
After a string of closures on Upshur Street, Cinder BBQ is the first of several new appearances slated for the coming year. A ramen shop from Eric Yoo and Dos Mamis, a wine bar from Himitsu’s Carlie Steiner and Taqueria del Barrio’s Anna Bran-Leis, are also in the works.
Cinder BBQ is located at 800 Upshur Street NW. Hours (for now) are Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays 5 p.m.-12 a.m. and Fridays and Saturdays 5 p.m.- 2 a.m.
