Chef Brandon Lassiter knows that delicious food doesn’t have to be fancy. Don’t get it wrong: He certainly knows how to cook fancy food. After all, his background in classic French culinary techniques started with stints at high-end restaurants. For the last three years, though, Lassiter has focused on one thing and one thing only: making damn good BBQ.
“I’ve figured out what works, in terms of style and seasonings and how much salt and pepper,” says the 34-year-old chef. “Now I can just look at a brisket and know, based on how thick or thin it is, how much I need to vary the temperature of the smoker. It’s all based on experience.”
In 2021, Lassiter took on the role of head chef at Proof Barbeque, where he was tasked with revamping the menu after a rocky COVID-19 run. The restaurant, then located on Professor Avenue in Tremont, had the unlucky distinction of having first opened its doors in March 2020 — mere days before the pandemic descended upon the world.
Despite receiving consistently positive reviews from locals, it never quite found its footing, which general manager Jay Casey surmises was partially due to the setup of the old spot. It was tiny, dark and hard to find, located on the semi-subterranean floor of the building that houses Visible Voice Books and Crust.
In December 2023, owner Dave Ferrante announced that Proof would temporarily close to relocate to a space in Ohio City once occupied by Nick’s Diner.
Over a year and a half, the new Proof was extensively renovated and fully redesigned by Lakewood’s AoDK Architecture. It now boasts indoor seating for 52 diners, plus another 40 on the outdoor patio. With minimalist wood and brick walls, neon recessed lighting and a hand-painted mural on the back wall, it bears no resemblance to the decades-old, retro-style diner that inhabited the space before it.
The pause gave Lassiter the time to craft a more unified menu. Since the brand-new Proof opened its doors in March, he’s finally getting to see his hard work pay off in the form of a packed house and sold-out rib nights.
“I don’t necessarily like to ‘play restaurant,’ but I love cooking, and that’s what makes it worth it for me,” Lassiter says. “I love being able to see the guests out there in the dining room as they take a bite of a rib and close their eyes and just shake their head. They’re having an experience.”
Proof’s ribs are an experience you may not get to have, depending on when you make it in for dinner. Only available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, the kitchen staff makes only a few racks of ribs per night ($18 for a half rack, $30 for a full rack), and they’re first-come, first-served. If you are lucky enough to get them, you’ll find peppery, juicy and thick spare ribs, cooked in the smoker for about three and a half hours, over the more common baby backs.
“I’d rather these be a specialty menu item,” Lassiter says. “I want to make sure I don’t lower the quality.”
To meat-loving diehards, that might seem shocking: A barbecue spot that doesn’t always have ribs on the menu? But that’s the thing about Proof: It’s not just a barbecue spot.
Sure, you can order a half-pound of brisket ($17) or Carolina pulled pork ($15), served with your choice of five homemade sauces, plus a fluffy corn muffin and pickles. But if you don’t want a tray of meat, Lassiter highlights barbecue flavors in other ways.
“The cool thing about our menu is that it may look small, but it can be made big,” he says. “These a la carte tacos and apps and sides to pick from that you can mix and match.”
Smoked wings ($13), for example, work just as well as a side as they do an entree. The popular pork nachos, piled high with fixings like salsa roja, house-pickled jalapenos and chipotle queso, now come in two sizes ($9/$15) for the same reason.
If a barbecue restaurant is only as good as its mac and cheese, Lassiter’s version ($6) speaks volumes about Proof’s legitimacy: It’s somehow thick and creamy and ooey-gooey and stringy, like a cross between from-the-box Velveeta and the kind of baked, soul food-inspired version so popular down South. Technically, it’s listed on the menu as a side, but if you want to make it the focal point of your meal, that’s exactly the sort of DIY spirit the menu aims to encourage.
For Lassiter, Proof’s style of cuisine offers an opportunity to incorporate all aspects of his background. Barbecue and comfort food speak to his Southern roots, growing up in Roanoke, Virginia, and the quality of ingredients and caliber of the dishes reflect his time at luxury hotel restaurants in West Virginia, Florida and Cleveland.
So far, the mix of influences have paid off. General manager Jay Casey, a hospitality industry veteran who has tended bar at spots like Salmon Dave’s, Stone Mad Pub and Music Box Supper Club, can be found in the restaurant most nights. He enthusiastically greets patrons, shares Proof’s origin story and sings Lassiter’s praises.
“I get to walk up to people and smile and wave and clear their plates, which are almost always completely clean,” Casey says. “It really makes my job so easy.”
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