Much has been made recently about the struggles of the downtown Sisters business community. Last year, the town was classified a "severely distressed community" by the Oregon Economic & Community Development Department, which arrived at the designation after analyzing data in four areas: percentage of the population with a bachelor's degree age 25 or higher; unemployment rate (any community above 8 percent is considered "distressed); percentage of the population below poverty; and per-capita income. Sisters qualified for the moniker in all four areas, making it "severely" distressed, as opposed to simply "distressed."
This year, the rest of Deschutes County joined Sisters in receiving the "distressed" classification, after countywide unemployment more than doubled, from 6.7 to 14.7 percent. (Check out how the rest of the state fared this year here.)
The New Guy in Town
So, having said all that, it's nice to be able report some good news involving a downtown business: Yesterday marked the grand opening of Slick's Que Co., a new family-friendly restaurant on Main Street (well, Cascade Avenue). The official ribbon-cutting was at 10 a.m.; I stopped by on my way to an appointment to check it out at about 11:30, and was pleased to see that the place was already doing a pretty brisk business.
The downhome-style barbecue joint is the brainchild of barbecue aficionado Roy Slicker, who's no newcomer to the ultra-competitive barbecue world (he's vice president-Northwest Region of the National Barbecue Association); he owns Slick's with his wife, Kim, along with Vicki Zahler. Thursday, I spotted Roy mingling tableside with the patrons (that's him in the cowboy hat in the photo below).
Today, I went back to pick up a pulled-pork sandwich and found Roy slicing brisket behind the counter (see photo below). I was pleasantly surprised with my sandwich. I'm from the South -- Texas, Arkansas and Tennessee by way of Mississippi, to be exact -- so I'm no ‘cue rookie myself. I would, however, like to see a little more pork and a little less bun; and down the road, it would be nice if there was more than one sauce to choose from. All in all, though, Slick's is a very welcome addition to the scene. Great vibes here.
The restaurant's casual ambiance combines the practical (self-serve line service, picnic-table seating) with the quirky (eclectic cowboy memorabilia, corrugated-metal siding, license-plate-covered columns).There are both eat-in and takeout BBQ options (sandwiches, plates, lunch and dinner kits). All the rubs, salts and sauces are made by Slick's, and its meats (pork, brisket, sausage and turkey) are slow-smoked up to 18 hours in an authentic BBQ pit smoker. Sides (baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad) are prepared fresh daily.
Slick's is open Thursday-Sunday from 11 a.m. until they run out (Roy prepares just enough smoked meats for the next day). 240 E Cascade; (541) 719-0580. Only cash or checks are accepted (but there's an ATM located inside the restaurant).
Good luck, guys!
About the Author:
Lisa Broadwater is a Central Oregon-based real estate professional who specializes in listing and selling homes, especially in Sisters, Tumalo, Redmond and Bend. If you'd like to learn more about Central Oregon, please visit www.CentralOregonHome4You.com.
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