Will You Go to Fort Reno This Weekend?

The owner of , the Union Street Pan-Latin restaurant, opened a new barbeque and cocktail joint, Fort Reno, across the street this week.

The idea for Fort Reno, the owner and chef Jacques Gautier said, “could only be hatched after five beers.”

He told Patch that the restaurant, which is between Fourth and Fifth avenues, “will make a huge effort to use sustainable products…from the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket.”

He also said that his meats are from Heritage Foods U.S.A. and the vegetables come from local farms.

All of the meats are smoked on site. The hot sauce, tomatillo/scotch bonnet, is made and bottled in house from ingredients grown on the Palo Santo rooftop garden.

The 25-seat restaurant and bar is named after Washington D.C.’s “least visited historical site,” the owner explained. 

The wood interior is composed from treasures Gautier found while dumpster diving and the stereo equipment was bought on eBay. 

Most of the menu is based on whole-hog pulled pork, pork and beef ribs and beef brisket. And you can thank Lia Forman, of Colicchio and Sons, for the flavor, since she is in charge of smoking and braising the meats.

The menu will change seasonally and have specials such as duck, gamey meats and be composed of organic, grass-fed animals.

And you can’t forget about the drinks. The alcohol selection features American craft distillers like Brooklyn Gin and Bitters and Old Men.

However, Gautier suggests the signature cocktail: the Bobbito Burns. You’ll just have to stop by to find out what’s in it and how good it really is. 

Tell us if you'll go to Fort Reno this week in the comments!