Sugarbacon Gets a Buddy
McKinney's Sugarbacon renders a small spinoff restaurant where sandwiches rule
McKinney's Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen is sprouting a little buddy. Called Butcher Board, it will occupy a space adjoining its big sibling, where it will serve sandwiches and to-go foods. It also will have a fun sidewalk patio.
The team is the same, with the management executed by Johnny Carros and the kitchen overseen by chef Jon Thompson, who describes the menu as "simple, chef-driven sandwiches."
"It's all about hand-carved large roasts," Thompson says. "We'll have roasts like porchetta on display on a butcher board, and you can see the show of the guy carving it for your sandwich."
Although the model will be quick-serve, a la Chipotle, the sandwiches will be minimally garnished, Thompson says.
"It's not the assembly line of toppings, but instead chef-driven fully created sandwiches that you can watch be hand-carved," he says.
There'll also be a signature side that utilizes an ingredient from Sugarbacon.
"At Sugarbacon, we do a lot of smoked pork belly where we render out the pork lard, and we've been using that to make potato chips," he says. "So these are smoky lard-fried potato chips."
Butcher Board will sell beer and wine, and maybe some breakfast tacos. Design-wise, the space will have a minimalist feel, but the patio out front will feature vintage 60-year-old Texaco pumps; there used to be a gas station there at one time.
Thompson says they're building on the success of something they've witnessed at Sugarbacon. "Every time we do a sandwich as a special, it kills it," he says.
