Bryan Caswell and Bill Floyd to Open Downtown Barbecue Spot with Gatlin’s BBQ

Earlier this month, Mohammed Al-Ahmed, owner of Polovina Italian Cafe, stated he would be moving his Washington Avenue restaurant to Congress Street in Downtown. It was speculated Houston Live, the former sports lounge on the corner of Jackson and Congress could be a possible location since it was still on the market. As of today, that's no longer an option.

The mystery of who will lease or purchase Houston Live has been solved by Houston Chronicle's Greg Morago. Taking over the property are restauranteurs Bryan Caswell and Bill Floyd of Reef, Little Bigs and El Real. The pair are partnering with Greg Gatlin of Gatlin’s BBQ on — what else — a barbecue restaurant.

The restaurant's tentative name is Jackson Street BBQ and will specialize in East Texas-style barbecue. Morago also notes, "in addition to barbecue the restaurant will serve burgers, barbecue crabs, and Vietnamese barbecue shrimp."

This isn't Caswell's first foray onto the barbecue scene. The 2009 Food & Wine Best New Chef recipient collaborated with local pitmaster, Ronnie Killen of Killen's Steakhouse and Killen's Barbecue earlier this year on Texas Smoke — a smokehouse stand inside Minute Maid Park. The stand was short-lived, closing due to the inability to control the quality of barbecue Killen was accustomed to. The duo were expected to open a joint barbecue restaurant, but it appears that's up in smoke. 

Caswell has pushed forward with his own barbecue plans and is expected to open Jackson Street BBQ  by February or March of 2015.