Liquor license? Up in smoke. But Boise restaurant’s new owner to keep food smokin’ too.

When Saint Lawrence Gridiron temporarily lost its leased liquor license three years ago, the downtown Boise restaurant secured another one — but only after a months-long search.

“It’s been tough,” owner Brian Garrett told the Statesman. Still, he considered it important. Opened in 2014, the new-school barbecue haven at 705 W. Bannock St. enjoys a reputation for pairing smoked meats with handcrafted cocktails — particularly old fashioneds.

“The brisket looks at the old fashioned and says, ‘You complete me,’ ” Garrett explained.

Next week, St. Lawrence Gridiron will confront life without bourbon — again. For the second time, its liquor license has been sold. The bar plans to stop serving the hard stuff after Valentine’s Day, according to Dan Watts.

Wait, who’s Dan Watts?

Like scents wafting from the smoker out front, change is in the air. But not too much change, Watts promises.

St. Lawrence Gridiron is being sold. Watts is taking over as the new owner this month. A Boise newcomer, he has no immediate plans to tweak the staff or menu. “I think we’ve got a really good customer base, and I want to continue that,” Watts says. “The star is the brisket. Everybody knows that.”

Watts will not spend the coming months hunting for another liquor license. “We scoured everywhere,” he says. Scarcity, cost and the restaurant’s size don’t make it feasible, he says.

“I’m a food guy,” he adds. “Food is my main focus.”

Even without a liquor license, St. Lawrence Gridiron still plans to offer beer, an expanded wine list — and canned, “pop-top” cocktails such as vodka mules, bloody marys and mimosas.

“Canned cocktails in the last five years are making a big presence,” Watts explains. “We can do the basics.”

St. Lawrence Gridiron will mix its own drinks, too, created with lower-alcohol spirits. For example, The Bitter End ($7): Luxardo Aperitivo, honey and lemon.

“We can get creative,” Watts says. “We’re not going to be able to have the old fashioned, things like that, unfortunately. But the food is going to stay very much the same, and I want to build on that as we go here.”

Born and raised in North Carolina, Watts grew up eating traditional barbecue, grits and biscuits. He graduated from an Asheville culinary school in 1994 and opened a small restaurant, he says, before eventually moving to California. He and his family relocated to Boise just over a year ago.

Although there aren’t plans to fiddle with the Southern-inspired menu initially, Watts does hope to make a few minor changes to St. Lawrence Gridiron’s interior, plus prepare the patio for summer.

Mostly, he just wants to keep that smoker loaded with cherry wood — and maybe utilize it more, he adds. For now, customers can keep looking forward to menu favorites such as poutine ($9), mac and cheese ($9), the pulled pork sandwich ($11) and the almighty, 14-hour-smoked brisket platter ($25).

“ I’ve got a million ideas,” Watts says. “I’ll start playing around with them in the near future. The main focus in the next few months is getting everything where I want it to be and then start building from there.”

Online: saintlawrencegridiron.com.

This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 12:34 PM.