John Vink may be the best friend a slab of brisket ever had.
The engineer-turned-entrepreneur who reopened Sunnyvale’s closed Armadillo Willy’s in September, renaming it Empire Armadillo, has announced that he will reopen a closed South San Jose location.
Look for a late November opening at 878 Blossom Hill Road, near Westfield Oakridge mall.
“We always had the plan from the start to have two locations. It just took a lot longer to negotiate with the landlord for the second one,” Vink said. “We feel confident that we’ll have success there. It’s a busy area. We’re definitely more visible from the street.”
The abrupt closure of three Armadillo Willy’s in late June set Vink in motion. “I had to buy it,” he said, or lose his favorite sandwich, pit-smoked chicken — which he’d eaten for years while working at Apple and Google. “We moved fast.”
The Armadillo chain had downsized to one location, in Foster City.
Vink negotiated a bankruptcy court sale and a new lease on the El Camino Real property and partnered with restaurant veteran Ousmane Barry, who was general manager of the Santa Clara Willy’s. They renamed the place Empire Armadillo BBQ & Deli, which reflects both the Texas barbecue side of the menu and the new New York City-inspired deli sandwiches.
“When we first opened, our pastrami was from a supplier, then we moved to brining our own,” Barry said. “The new pastrami tastes great. We’re really happy with it.”
When it comes to the bestsellers on the Sunnyvale menu, barbecue reigns. The brisket plate and brisket sandwich are the most popular, Barry said. “And then ribs come in number two.”
Also popular is a new dessert inspired by Barry’s years working in New York restaurants — a Southern-style banana pudding revised to appeal to West Coast palates.
As for side dishes, they’re all back on the menu, from the spicy peanut slaw to the cornbread muffins served with honey cinnamon butter.
“People are thanking us all the time for opening,” Vink said. “When they see my picture on the wall from the Mercury News article, they say, ‘Oh, thank you for reopening! We missed this place so much.’”
Details: The Sunnyvale location is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at 161 E. El Camino Real; www.empirearmadillo.com/