Out and About

By Colleen Gundlach
There are few restaurants in the area that can say they prepare their entire menu fresh daily, and even fewer that start cooking the day’s food at 5:45 a.m. For Lou and Gina Gabriel, however, this is their reality, because developing the deep, rich flavors of barbecue takes time, and the Gabriels take that extra time with each dish they prepare at Zach and Lou’s Barbeque, in the Burrville section of Torrington.

Located in the former Burrville Store, a small but historic (circa 1849) building that once served as a train stop, the couple serve up some genuine, wood-smoked barbecue—all cooked fresh each day.

Zach and Lou’s Barbequeue is on Old Rte 8 between Winsted and Torrington.

Pitmaster Lou Gabriel starts his day at 5:45 a.m., loading ribs and turkey breasts in the smoker and cooks them until noon. Meanwhile, the sausage and kielbasa join in at 10:30 a.m.and the brisket and pork butts for the next day go in around 11 a.m. and smoke for about 16 hours to render that “cut it with a fork texture and rich barbecue flavor.” The restaurant is open from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. That closing time is fluid, however, depending on how long the day’s meats and sides last.

At first, gauging the demand for each day turned out to be tricky. Lou and his son, Zach, who prepares the side dishes such as BBQ beans, macaroni and cheese, cole slaw, succotash and potato salad, started out slowly when they first opened in September. But the word spread quickly, and they found themselves “balancing the daily struggle between quantity and demand,” says Lou. “We are continuously calculating when to begin cooking and how much to cook because we want to offer the absolute highest quality food.”

Spencer Clark and Gina Gabriel work behind the counter, with Zach off to their right.

It’s not just the food that attracts people to Zach & Lou’s, though. Customers come for the best in barbecue but stay longer to enjoy the atmosphere and the company. Gina Gabriel’s eclectic decorating style celebrates Burrville history. She calls it “free-range decorating.” The walls are adorned with images of Burrville in days gone by, along with a country style that is charming and welcoming. “When we first saw the place, it was all painted white. It had no love,” she says. As an avid fan of the 1991 movie, “Fried Green Tomatoes,” Gina immediately fell in love with the restaurant’s location, right next to the railbed of the old train between Torrington and Winsted. The décor is nostalgic, harkening back to the movie’s Whistle Stop Café. At Zach and Lou’s, though, they guarantee to serve real pork, beef and turkey.

In addition to the charm of the restaurant, customers are treated like family, with Lou and Gina moving among the tables, providing the home-spun warmth of a family meal. Spencer Clark, who serves up each order from behind the counter, adds to the family-like atmosphere, and diners seem to feel right at home there.

The barbecue flavor at Zach and Lou’s doesn’t come from sauces or marinades. Meats are treated to authentic southern-style dry rubs during the smoking process which produce their signature flavor and texture. Whether it’s a simple meal of smoked brisket with a side of mac and cheese, or a sky-scraping porkzilla sandwich—pulled pork, bacon, coleslaw, kielbasa and smoked sausage served on a bulkie roll—the Gabriels guarantee a tasty and satisfying meal. “A lot of love goes into our cooking,” says Lou. “These are our own recipes and we serve our food with pride—and we are having a lot of fun doing it.”

Photos by Bruce Frisch.