BARBECUE MEETS BASMATI

from Boulder Weekly 08.10.2023

SAVAGE LOVE

DJ’s Watering Hole pleases with paneer-stuffed po’boys and tikka burgers in globe-spanning flavor mashups

STORY AND PHOTOS

BY JOHN LEHNDORFF

DJ’s Watering Hole has flown under the radar since opening in November, its location at 988 Dillon Road near U.S. 36 almost invisible from McCaslin Boulevard.

If you can find the restaurant, you’re greeted by wafts of meatyspicy-wood aroma. The renovated former Outback Steakhouse, with its big bar and large screens, makes DJ’s Watering Hole feel like a classic beer-focused sports bar that serves barbecue.

But as they dig into the large menu, diners learn there’s more to this establishment than meets the eye. Awardwinning Southern barbecue and sides are served alongside well-crafted tandoori-oven cooked Indian classics. Both cuisines are prepared traditionally, but the real magic happens in dishes that bring them together.

On the masala combo plate, deeply smoked brisket and pulled pork rise to new heights topped with a complexly spiced Indian sauce and served over fluffy, floral basmati rice. Hot from the tandoor, naan is perfect for grabbing bites of collard greens and baked beans.

We’ve encountered plenty of good (and bad) attempts at fusion food. This barbecue-meets-basmati mashup may seem worlds apart, but one taste and you realize these flavors are absolutely made for each other.

SCRATCH-MADE EVERYTHING

DJ’s Watering Hole resulted from a longstanding friendship between two local families. The name represents the first initials of the three owners: Darryl Johnson and cousins Jatin and Shivang Patel.

Jatin Patel opened Boulder’s Tiffins India Cafe in 2011, specializing in dosas and other South Indian dishes. He sold the restaurant in 2018.

“I wanted to have another restaurant, but not the same menu as before,” Patel says. “Darryl wanted to serve his family’s barbecue. We both love playing with flavors and spices so we brought barbecue and Indian together,” which works, he says, because the cooking methods — charcoal in the tandoor and hardwood in a smoker — yield similar flavors.

Indian cuisine wasn’t “a huge thing” in the African American community Johnson grew up in. Johnson and his son, Hank, co-own Longmont-based Rat’s WoodShack BBQ, serving awardwinning meats as a catering business and food truck.

You’ll see WoodShack barbecue sauces on the tables at DJ’s.

“My family is oldschool,” Johnson says, “but I wanted to do something new. People have never tasted barbecue flavors with Indian flavors.”

As a result, the menu at DJ’s Watering Hole offers fried chicken and pani puri chicken kabobs as well as chicken wings smothered in spicy barbecue sauce or mango chutney. Among the bestsellers are tandoori lamb kabobs with peppers, served with fiery vindaloo sauce and cool yogurt raita. The kitchen focuses on scratchmade everything, from masala to cornbread to Mama Nina Johnson’s pies, Patel says.

As co-proprietor of a place that dishes big platters of tender barbecue spare ribs, Patel says he’s especially focused on offering vegetarian and vegan options, including fried cauliflower wings, a paneer cheese-stuffed po’boy and a paneer tikka burger.

A Matter Of Time

If you’re not paying attention, you might miss a series of small-but-lush garden spaces surrounding the restaurant’s sprawling outdoor dining area. “I grew up on a farm in India,” Patel says. “Everything we ate was grown or foraged, so I learned a lot.”

He happily takes diners on a tour, pointing out okra, purslane (little hogweed), coriander, mint, lamb’s quarters, peppers, nasturtium and mustard greens, plus herbs and flowers typically found in India. Patel is knowledgeable about the nutritional and Ayurvedic qualities of everything he grows.

“My dream is to eventually add a greenhouse to grow more food for the restaurant,” he says.

As his garden grows, Patel expects to use his crops in dishes of both fares on DJ’s menu. Okra, for instance, holds a special place in both Indian and African American kitchens.

Johnson has plans to introduce naan flatbreads stuffed with beef brisket, and combo platters to feed big parties. “We’re planning on offering Indian ribs and fried chicken spiced with cumin, coriander and chilies,” Patel adds.

Both owners agree it’s just a matter of time before their inspired mash-up goes viral.

LOCAL FOOD NEWS: IMMERSIVE MINT

● The aromatic Mint Room is back! On Aug. 12, after a three-years hiatus, Boulder’s Celestial Seasonings tours will begin again with a stop at the tea shop, some sam pling sips and a nose-tingling visit to the mint storage room. Tickets to the formerly-free

● The only non-pink Voodoo Doughnuts in the Oregon-based chain is open at 3210 Arapahoe Road, Boulder.

● Masas & Agave is open and dishing up Oaxacan cuisine at 909 Walnut St., Boulder, former site of Supermoon and Arcana restaurants.

● New brewery news: Rocks & Hops Brewing is open at 2516 49th St., Boulder, and Bearded Brewer Artisan Ales is pouring at 1425 S. Airport Road in Longmont.

● Cheba Hut and SkinnyFats will fill the former Lazy Dog Bar & Grill location at 1346 Pearl St.

● Spirit Hound Distillers will add a Denver tasting room at 3622 Tejon St. Production of the award-winning spirits will remain in Lyons.

● Coming soon to Boulder: Boxcar Coffee Roasters at Table Mesa Shopping Center and L&L Hawaiian Barbecue at 2323 30th St.

CULINARY CALENDAR: ZOLO REDUX

● The Boulder Blind Cafe Experience, Aug.18-20 at the Dairy Arts Center, features a meal, discussions and performances in darkness (no blindfolds).

● Enjoy the famous chicken enchiladas and duck tacos from Boulder’s late, beloved Zolo Southwestern Grill one more time at a benefit event Aug. 18 at the Velvet Elk Lounge Tickets are $78: bit.ly/ZoloLove

WORDS TO CHEW ON: SUMMER DINING

“Newspapers draped over picnic tables; boiled crawfish, corn, and potatoes piled in the center. We are community eaters. We talk with our hands, we eat with our hands, we talk while we eat.”