New Fan BBQ joint opening in former F.W. Sullivan’s space

The space was formerly home to F.W. Sullivan’s, Cure and Aura Bar and Grill. (Mike Platania photo)

The upcoming opening of Brickwood Barbecue at 2401 W. Main St. is more than just a new business venture for co-owner Hayden Fisher. It’s also a homecoming for him.

Fisher was previously a co-owner of F.W. Sullivan’s, which operated in the Fan building for around a decade before it closed during the pandemic.

While Sullivan’s became known for its nightlife scene, Fisher, who is opening Brickwood with co-owner John Sachs, said the plan is for it to be more food-focused. 

“Hopefully we’ll have a lively bar scene, but we’re not going to be focusing on nightlife,” Fisher said. “With Sullivan’s, let’s be honest, it became more of a party bar. We want (Brickwood) to be more family-friendly.”

Hayden Fisher

Brickwood will be a table-service restaurant with a full bar and cocktail menu. Fisher said they’re bringing in a custom-built smoker from Maine and that Brickwood will smoke all sorts of meats, including ribs and chicken legs. 

Fisher said they’re not planning to lean on one specific regional style of barbecue, but instead they’ll have a variety of sauces with which to top the smoked meats. Sides will include coleslaw made with bleu cheese and cowboy beans, an alternative to traditional baked beans typically made with ground beef and bacon. 

“That’s something that’ll be on the menu that people might not be exposed to,” he said. “For me, when you go out to eat at a restaurant, you ought to be getting something you can’t really do at home.”

Fisher and Sachs, whose family used to own a market where pizzeria Benny Ventano’s now operates up the block, are leasing the building at the corner of Main Street and Stafford Avenue. After Sullivan’s closed, the space housed two different concepts, Cure and Aura Bar and Grill, but has sat vacant in recent months. 

The building and its outdoor patio are currently being renovated, and Fisher said they’re aiming to open sometime in July. Brickwood is planning to be open from 4 p.m. to midnight or 1 a.m.

Across the street from Brickwood is Smoke & Barrel, which opened this spring in a space that was formerly home to Lady N’Awlins and had been owned by Fisher’s former F.W. Sullivan’s partner Jake Crocker. 

Fisher said it’s a surreal feeling to be back in the same building where he helped open Sullivan’s 15 years ago. 

“I thought that my days in that corner as a restaurant owner were done. But this opportunity came along and it was just interesting,” he said. “The Fan used to be a party area, now it’s more of a casual restaurant area. I think (Brickwood) will complement the new stuff around it.”