About Our Chef
Ruthie's Bar-B-Q & Pizza was created by Eric Kaplan, a native of Long Island, New York who found his true calling not once, but twice, beginning with his love affair with blues guitar at age 15, and then with American-inspired cooking just three years later. He never looked back.

While attending the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York, Eric's externship in Houston introduced him to the rich textures and savory flavors of American barbecue. He was hooked, and after graduating CIA in 1983 he moved for a time to Chicago, in order to soak up the Windy City's vibrant blues culture and thriving barbecue scene. Years later, Eric's ongoing fascination with barbecue found him back in Texas, the great cultural icon of barbecue, for some hands-on research.

Before establishing Ruthie's Bar-B-Q & Pizza, Eric's decades of culinary experience include posts at several well-known New York establishments, including internationally-acclaimed Le Bernardin, Bull and Bear at the Waldorf-Astoria, Tribeca Grill, Arizona 206, Dean and Deluca, and Spartina.

About Our Barbecue
Barbecue, barbeque, BBQ, Bar-B-Q, or Bar-B-Que. Whatever you call it and however you spell it, we do it right, and never sacrifice quality for shortcuts.

Our "Q" is seasoned with our custom dry rub, then cooked low and slow over hickory or mesquite. Pork shoulders and chicken are pulled, beef brisket is chopped, and all are warmed in our homemade Bar-B-Q sauce – which is a zesty balance between sweet, vinegar, and tomato, with a spicy chili kick – then served on fresh Kaiser rolls. Our ribs are served dry, Memphis-style, with sauce on the side.

There's one more thing about our barbecue that you should know. Because it's a lengthy process by nature, once in awhile we run out of the day's most popular items. Feel free to give us a call, or place your order in advance for pick-up, to make sure we have what you're yearning for.

About Our Pizza
Long before we established Ruthie's Bar-B-Q & Pizza, Eric discovered a passion for pizza while working at Pizzico and Mirabelle with his friend and mentor, Evelyne Slomon, one of today's foremost pizza connoisseurs. The experience left Eric with a deep appreciation for the subtleties of this deceptively complex food, and it must have been fate – because years later, we happened upon a space for his barbecue joint in Montclair – complete with a pizza oven.

The rest is history. Our pies are made with high quality durum flour for a crisp, slightly chewy thin crust, and served with our own slow cooked marinara, topped with fresh mozzarella and basil. And, we don't stop there – we even make our own toppings, like Texas smoked sausage, Italian fennel sausage, pesto, and roasted vegetables.

About Our Fries & Sides
Don't stop at the Bar-B-Q and pizza. Order up our delicious fixins' – like baked beans with burnt ends, crunchy red cabbage slaw with sweet and tart green apples, four-cheese macaroni and cheese, and crispy buttermilk onion rings. Or try our fries, which are hand cut from Idaho potatoes, then fried extra crispy – and are especially good paired with one of our Belgian-style dipping sauces, such as roasted garlic and rosemary. We also offer our signature Fry-B-Q, for some Bar-B-Q over fries, as well as hot pressed paninis, fresh wraps, and seasonal salads, served straight or topped with chicken or pork. And if you're in the mood for something different, ask about our daily special.