Sole Food BBQ

Duff Goldman and Dave Grohl play a role in Bruce Kalman’s Soulbelly BBQ | Eater Vegas

"In the Gateway District downtown, I found a barbecue spot where jiggly meat and rocking beats are literally the special sauce: diners dig into Flintstone-sized pastrami beef ribs while a 16- by 8-foot stage—with subwoofers under the stage and a fancy light kit Sonic Radio helped set up—plays the soundtrack of chef Bruce Kalman’s life. Kalman, a Paramus, New Jersey transplant and former Top Chef contestant who once helmed Union in Pasadena, blends his musician’s sensibility (guitar at 7, cello at 8, garage bands and even a chef-led cover band with Duff Goldman called Foie Grock) with barbecue technique; he often gets up on stage to play and expects a party atmosphere even if the food or band “suck.” Jiggly meat, he explains, refers to a perfectly cooked brisket that flops when picked up, and the menu reflects a former fine-dining chef’s take on tender smoked meat while still paying respectful homage to classic barbecue traditions. Kalman credits time cooking with Dave Grohl’s Backbeat BBQ for sparking his obsession with smoked-meat culture and shares amused, character-revealing stories from that chapter. Personal touches—the larger-than-life mural of his son Jude eating brisket just below the ceiling and Kalman’s obvious pride and humility—make the place feel embraced by the local restaurant community, and he insists that, despite still learning, what they’re serving is exceptional." - Lorraine Moss