An over-the-top new barbecue restaurant will open in Dallas' Design District with a functional Ferris wheel on site. Called Ferris Wheelers, it will combine barbecue from a credentialed chef with craft beer, live music, and a 50-foot running Ferris wheel.

Located at 1950 Market Center Blvd. and easily visible from I-35, Ferris Wheelers will host local and national country-music artists outside on a 7,000-square-foot patio, set on a complex that includes not only the Ferris wheel but also myriad games such as Jenga, bags, washers, hook & ring, oversized Kerplunk, checkers, and chess.

The restaurant comes from This & That Concepts, the group that also owns Parlay, High Fives, Tiny Victories, and Whipper Snapper. Pitmaster is Doug Pickering, who previously worked with NL Group (Dish, Dakota’s Steakhouse, Front Room Tavern), and before that, opened his own restaurant Work Bar & Grill in Deep Ellum.

The menu features brisket, ribs, house-made sausage, honey-brined smoked turkey breast, and Carolina-style pork shoulder. Sides are Southern-influenced and include smoked BBQ beans, smoked green beans, BBQ mac & cheese, jalapeño bacon cole slaw, and Southwestern potato salad.

A native of Dallas and a graduate of Southern Methodist University, Pickering left a career on Wall Street to pursue barbecue. His approach defies categorization, drawing on influences from Kansas City to Memphis to Texas and beyond. He uses post oak wood and an offset wood-fired rotisserie smoker, which is surely meaningful information to people who are into barbecue gear. But he's coming on with a big guarantee.

"I can guarantee that you’ll be served the highest quality, best-tasting meats possible,” he boasts in a release. "I can't think of a more amazing platform for showcasing my own particular style of BBQ than Ferris Wheelers."

Opening is slated for late September, just in time for the State Fair of Texas, whose opening it will surely challenge with its mesmerizing combination of barbecue and games. Look out State Fair! The gauntlet has been thrown down.