Update: Carl Quagliata’s BBQ Venture at Fisher’s Tavern in Mayfield

Back in December we shared the news that Fisher's Tavern (718 S.O.M. Center Rd), the “oldest restaurant in Mayfield,” was closing after 82 years in business. The owners had decided that the time was right to sell, which they did to restaurateur Carl Quagliata. Fisher's closed on March 19th of this year.

Quagliata, the man behind such Cleveland classics as Piccolo Mondo and the long-running Giovanni's Ristorante (25550 Chagrin Blvd., 216-831-8625), told Scene that he was opening a barbecue restaurant in the Mayfield space with his chef of six years, Zachary Ladner. That restaurant was slated to open this past spring, they estimated. As is typically the case with new restaurants, opening dates are aspirational.

“Yes, it took longer than expected to get all of the required permits from the city, but right now we are looking at a November opening,” says Ladner, executive chef of Giovanni’s.

Now called Smokin Q's, the restaurant will offer smoked meats and sides as well as lighter fare, lunch-appropriate salads and sandwiches.

“Given our background [at Giovanni’s] we’ll also try and introduce some nice composed salads and such so that they might appeal to a wider range of people during lunch,” he adds. “You want to make your customers happy.”

In addition to growing up in Texas and eating barbecue, Ladner says that he worked in a restaurant that focused heavily on smoked meats. It’s a food he not only loves to eat but also loves to cook. Given his roots, the chef will certainly smoke beef, but he also recognizes our local fondness for pork, so that will find a place on the menu as well. Both, he hopes, will come from local farms. All will be smoked using real wood, he promises.