Food for thought isn't the only thing served at the Menlo Park Pace Gallery these days: Starting this week, its parking lot is also home to a Texas-style barbecue truck.
The Meat Locker truck debuted this Tuesday, March 7, at 350 El Camino Real. Owner Brad Lyons, whose two favorite culinary categories are barbecue and Italian, moved to the Bay Area several months ago after spending time researching barbecue, he said Thursday. He recently approached the Pace Gallery to use their parking lot to launch his truck.
Above: A Meat Locker Instagram post announcing its opening in Menlo Park.
At Meat Locker, you'll find oak wood-smoked, dry-rubbed meats with barbecue sauce on the side. The menu includes brisket, pulled pork, spare ribs, chicken and at times beef ribs and tri tip. Sides include cole slaw, potato salad and macaroni and cheese named after Lyons' aunt Lulu, who taught him the recipe, he said.
Lyons, a Los Angeles native, got his start in the restaurant industry about eight years ago when he opened the first of what would become a small chain of casual burger restaurants in Southern California. He said he left after deciding "it was time to do something on my own."
Meat Locker will serve barbecue during Pace Gallery hours, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. (The gallery is closed Mondays.)
Lyons' presence there, however, is temporary. Courtney Kass, director of communications for Pace, said Meat Locker will be using the gallery's parking lot until March 31, when its current exhibit ends.
Pace's own existence at the former Tesla dealership on El Camino Real is impermanent. Stanford University owns the land and plans to use the site to build apartments, retail and office space. Kass said demolition is still "T.B.D." and Pace plans to host exhibits there "as long as they'll let us."
Lyons said he also plans to bring his barbecue to the Stanford campus, where his sister works, including football games and other events.
To find the Meat Locker truck, follow Lyons on his social media pages or check his website.
