Douglas barbecue and steak restaurant has opened in Snider Plaza, in the neighborhood where owner Doug Pickering has lived much of his life.
The lunch and dinner spot serves smoked meat during the day — Wagyu brisket, ribs, and St. Louis-style sandwiches — and steaks, smoked salmon, and Southern appetizers during dinner hours.
“We’re trying to fill the void of no BBQ nearby now that Sonny Bryan’s has closed [on Lovers Lane in Dallas]. And of course there was Peggy Sue, but that’s gone,” Pickering says.
“We’re trying to create a fun, family-friendly environment, or a nighttime hangout.”
The restaurant will be casual during the day, and sandwiches like sourdough beef brisket grilled cheese and a Wagyu smashburger are bound to be popular. The restaurant also sells barbecues by the pound. Pickering made sure to add four lunch-sized salads to the menu for those who want to eat healthier or are vegetarians.
At dinnertime, the restaurant will remain kid-friendly but will turn to four cuts of Allen Brothers steak or the option of smoked and grilled pork chop or Pickering salmon with honey glaze.
Pickering says chili cheese served with fried Saltines was once a popular way to start dinner. He also hopes his Little Leaguers — mini Wagyu burgers with cheddar and chopped onion on Hawaiian rolls — will catch the attention of neighbors.
The Little Leaguers are inspired by the little burgers from Balls Hamburgers. “All the kids would have them,” he says, recalling frequent family trips there growing up. The balls are no longer open and Pickering wants to retain some of his memory, especially since he now has two children.
At the helm of Douglas’s kitchen – in addition to Pickering himself – is Mike Sharp, who was formerly at Hurtado Barbecue in Arlington and Smoky Rose in East Dallas; and Zach Warner, formerly at Sloane’s Corner, Up on Knox and XOXO Dining Room, all in Dallas.
Douglas moves into an upscale mall that’s a mix of old and new. You have oldies like Burger House, open for 70 years, and Kuby’s Sausage House and European Market, open for 61 years, sharing a corner of UP with newer spots like Foxtrot and DL Mack’s. Snider Plaza hasn’t had any barbecue shops since Peggy Sue was bulldozed.
Pickering has been offering barbecues in Dallas under the name DWP BBQ for about a decade. He also worked at Ferris Wheeler’s Backyard & BBQ. His new restaurant signals a homecoming of sorts, as he opens a restaurant in his neighborhood, with his last name on the outside.
Douglas is at 6818 Snider Plaza, Dallas. It opened on May 24, 2022.
