BBQ Restaurant
“Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start.”
A good Bar-B-Que restaurant is a sacred place. BBQ has a rich history of being rooted in place. The origins of BBQ are from Caribbean and African cultures and refined in America in the Carolinas, Texas, and Kansas City. But for Adrian Miller, award winning author of “Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue” there is a Bar-B-Que restaurant in Denver that is uniquely Coloradoan.
Roaming Buffalo Bar-B-Que is unique as they feature traditional Colorado proteins including bison, venison, and lamb. Many favorite Bar-B-Que restaurants in Denver are outposts loyally representing either Texas or Kanas City-style BBQ. Most restaurants are a mix. It is not only the locality of the cuisine that sets Roaming Buffalo apart; in an industry often considered “dude food” and majority men, Roaming Buffalo is woman-owned and operated by Rachael Webb.
Rachael was born in Colorado and has worked in the hospitality industry since she was 15. Her first restaurant job was the legendary White Fence Farm in Lakewood. She holds on to the wisdom she heard there every day, “We are only good as our last plate.”
In 2014, Rachel bought a small neighborhood burger stand on south Downing Street and transformed it into Roaming Buffalo serving “Colorado Craft BBQ”. She has catered BBQ to celebrate and commemorate significant life events including weddings, baptisms, graduations, and funerals. Her love of BBQ is how it brings people together from every walk of life. Her aim was for Roaming Buffalo to provide good food at a reasonable price. In a zero-waste effort, they save the extras from cutting meat all week and provide a “Weekend Sammie” special for only $3 on Saturdays and Sundays.
Roaming Buffalo begins serving meat at 11am until it’s sold out, usually around 2pm. Where some larger kitchens may have an inventory of pre-cooked meat they only need to reheat, Roaming Buffalo prepares a specific amount of meat each day. The team at Roaming Buffalo is dedicated to caring about the food and the customers. Their sausage is made by hand in-house. For the non-meat eaters there are craft side dishes including Smoked Poblano Cheddar Mac, Cilantro Lime Cole Slaw, and Smoked Sweet Potato with Pecan Butter.
Adrian points out Roaming Buffalo is like many Bar-B-Que restaurants that have limited seating space. Although small, it is conducive to beginning conversations with nearby tables of regulars, out-of-towners, home-sick Texans, and those enjoying “Colorado Craft BBQ” for the first time. Roaming Buffalo is a place serving food rich in flavor and rooted in history. It is food that connects you to both people and place. A Bar-B-Que restaurant is a sacred place.
Thank you to Adrian Miller and Rachael Webb for their contribution to this article.
