Hometown hangout barbecue joint with a killer patio in summer
This article was published in the Winter 2023 edition of EAT magazine.
Kirby Cosmo’s BBQ Bar is a Minturn staple, a second home where locals gather to unwind from the day, watching a game on a half-dozen TV screens while snacking on hand- breaded fried green tomatoes and sipping craft beer from personalized mugs. And everyone is welcome.
Owner Mark Tamberino and his family have built a space where lifelong friendships are forged, children grow up, and memories are made over plates piled high with Kirby’s mouthwatering barbecue. The restaurant is dominated by a massive wooden bar that runs from end to end, lined with high-backed, comfy stools, and accompanied by a handful of tables under the watchful eye of a large canvas portrait of its namesake Kirby Cosmo, the Tamberinos’ beloved German Shorthaired Pointer.
To start, tuck into a basket of Millwood’s Dirty Fries: hand-cut fries topped with pulled pork, KC’s famous mac and cheese sauce, sliced fresh jalapenos and chunks of optional-but- necessary crispy bacon, topped with a drizzle of barbecue sauce. It’s hard to choose just one of Kirby’s Heapin’ Helpin’s, but you can’t go wrong with the Carolina pulled-pork barbecue sandwich smothered in slaw with jalapeno hush puppies and potato salad. Or perhaps a Cowboy Cup with layers of baked beans, pulled pork and mac and cheese topped with coleslaw and barbecue sauce.
Side dishes are mix-and-match and portions will satisfy the most voracious appetite, or share a plate to save room for banana pudding with sliced fresh bananas and vanilla wafers. •
Krista M. Driscoll 