Joe Reese has been in the business of what he calls “horrifying vegetarians” for nearly 30 years.
When Tom Davis opened the first Green Mesquite BBQ & More on Barton Springs Road in 1988, Reese was his go-to barbecue guy. Today, Reese and his brother Fred are the co-owners of the Southwest Austin and Round Rock locations.
Reese said he and Fred decided to relocate from the Oak Hill shopping center in 2010 after being approached by Endeavor Real Estate Group, the firm behind the original development of the Southpark Meadows shopping center.
“We were looking to close the Oak Hill location anyway, so the timing was perfect,” he said.
Joe Reese opened the Green Mesquite Southpark Meadows location with his brother Fred in 2010.[/caption]Determined to counteract the generic atmosphere of a shopping center, the Reese Brothers designed the Southpark Meadows space to be reminiscent of the original location. The asymmetrical layout gave way to cozy dining nooks furnished with handmade wooden tables and benches.
“We were looking for the Austin kind of feel,” Reese said.
The original menu was also tweaked to include dishes the brothers had grown up with, such as their mother’s potato salad and Golden Velvet Corn, and a peach cobbler Reese and Fred used to make as Boy Scouts.
“We wanted to use some of our family’s recipes,” Reese said.
Green Mesquite BBQ & More will celebrate its 30-year anniversary in 2018.[/caption]The menu at Green Mesquite features more than barbecue, though. Chicken-fried steak and a Texas-style cheesesteak po’boy are a couple of the Southern-style menu items customers can order.
Still, Reese says the most popular item on the menu is the 2 meat BBQ plate. Patrons can choose from brisket, pulled pork, pork ribs, turkey, chicken, chicken wings, sausage or ham, along with two sides.
“We want people to feel like they are eating in their own kitchen,” Reese said.
The next step in Green Mesquite’s evolution is to transition to using hormone- and antibiotic-free organic meats. After sampling free-range pork ribs, Reese said he could not resist adding them to the menu.
Green Mesquite BBQ & More
9900 S. I-35, Ste. M-700, Austin
512-282-7100 • www.greenmesquite.net
Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
