By Nicole Bayne
“Imagine an office cafe that’s really good and combine that with a real barbecue restaurant,” says Sloppy Mama’s owner Joe Neuman. The popular barbecue food truck has navigated its way into a 900-square-foot brick-and-mortar location in Chantilly, set to open in June.
Sloppy Mama’s started its mobile venture last August after a slew of successful catering ventures.
Joe and his wife and co-owner, Mandy Neuman, stay true to regional American barbecue styles, use oak for heat and flavor rather than propane or electricity and gather inspiration from traditionally made sauces.
The 40-seat shop will offer more than barbecue. “We need to appeal to a variety of tastes,” Neuman says. “People won’t want to have barbecue every day. Dishes will be based on crossover ingredients, customer feedback and food trends.” New items will include burgers and tacos, a range of sandwiches ($8-$10) like The Cuban, seasonal salads ($8-$12) like smoked beet and goat cheese, meat-and-two plates ($15-$20) and prepackaged carryout.
Beef brisket, chicken, pulled pork and smoked sausages will continue as barbecue standbys, as will sides of collard greens, baked beans, coleslaw, mac and cheese and grits. The signature sauces, Kansas City, a tomato-based sauce for beef and chicken; Georgia Gold, a mustard-based sauce for pulled pork and chicken; and Carolina, which Neuman recommends almost exclusively with pork, will be accompanied by the addition of a Northern Alabama white barbecue sauce (mayonnaise, cider, vinegar, brown sugar) and spicy sauces, Trinidad and El Diablo, the latter of which is used in the sandwich of the same name: chopped brisket, jalapenos and pepper jack cheese.
Neuman will also be implementing a beer and wine program focusing on beers strictly from local breweries. / Opening in June: Sloppy Mama’s; 14566 Lee Road, Chantilly
