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Robert and Jennifer Smith opened 3 Bricks BBQ & Grill April 15 in the West Volusia Regional Shopping Center in DeLand, in the location previously occupied by Beef ‘O’ Brady’s sports bar.

{{tncms-inline alignment=”right” content=”<p><strong>Location:</strong> 2667 S. Woodland Blvd., DeLand, FL 32720</p> <p><strong>Cuisine:</strong> American barbecue</p> <p><strong>Hours:</strong> 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday</p> <p><strong>Signature dish: </strong>Smoked brisket</p> <p><strong>Price: </strong>$1 to $10 for lunch; $11 to $20 for dinner</p> <p><strong>Kid-friendly: </strong>Yes</p> <p><strong>Pet-friendly: </strong>Service dogs only</p> <p><strong>Handicap-accessible: </strong>Yes</p> <p><strong>Limited diets: </strong>Salads are available</p> <p><strong>Alcohol: </strong>Draft and bottled beer, wine</p> <p><strong>Our cost for one jalapeño corn-nugget appetizer, two 12-ounce rib-eyes, one half-slab of ribs, six side items, one soda, and one brownie-bite sundae:</strong> $74.06, plus a $16 tip</p> <p><strong>Contact: </strong>386-469-9445, or email <a href="mailto:3bricksbbq@gmail.com">3bricksbbq@gmail.com</a></p>” id=”b3dbb2dc-e482-49f0-8dfa-b92dfb79ae20″ style-type=”fact” title=”Foodie File: 3 Bricks BBQ & Grill” type=”relcontent”}}

3 Bricks is a classic American barbecue restaurant, specializing in smoked brisket and juicy pork, adding a new cuisine to the restaurant-dense shopping center, which is also home to Taste of Soul, Angelina’s Pizzeria, Oriental Garden Chinese Restaurant, Subway, Rincon del Sabor and McDonald’s.

The Smiths fully renovated the eatery and gave it a Southern-home feeling with bricks, classic wooden tables and benches, light bulbs hung by thick twined ropes, paneled stained wood, and even a quaint little country shop selling jams and honey.

3 Bricks has two large dining rooms separated by a wall, and a large bar at the back that invites you in as soon as you set foot in the door.

“We started renovating New Year’s Eve week going into 2018 all the way to the opening date,” Jennifer Smith said.

There are always struggles when you first open a business.

“Learning to work all together, timing, and figuring out the flow were some early obstacles we overcame,” she said.

My guest and I sat at the bar and were handed menus by our friendly server Destiny, one of the owners’ daughters.

Glancing over the menu, you get the sense of Southern American culinary style with starters like jalapeño corn nuggets, fried pickles, loaded brisket potato, and loaded pork fries.

3 Bricks has a few salads and three soup options, including broccoli and cheddar and a Brunswick stew.

My guest and I started with the jalapeño corn nuggets, which offer a nice crunch and a bite from the peppers, but with creamy ranch dressing for cooling the heat.

The variety of sandwich options to keep the barbecue lover happy includes pork, turkey, chicken, ribs and brisket.

I ordered a brisket grilled cheese with a side of house-made coleslaw. It’s a rich, creamy, cheesy sandwich, and I put coleslaw on top of each bite for some extra crunch.

3 Bricks also has large barbecue platters and combos, with your choice of homemade barbecue sauces. These include a tangy Carolina mustard sauce, a sweet-and-savory sauce, and the vinegar-based house sauce, which is served hot.

I enjoyed all three, but my favorite was the sweet and savory. I drenched my juicy St. Louis-style ribs and was soon wearing the sauce all over my face and shirt.

The restaurant offers a discount for first-responders and a large-family meal combo.

My guest and I also tried the rib-eye steak, and although it’s flavorful, it was cut thinner than is my personal preference.

For dessert, 3 Bricks has a DeConna Ice Cream bar with different flavors to choose from, and a brownie-bite sundae, to which I can never say no.

Robert Smith’s mother owned barbecue restaurants, and Robert and Jennifer learned a lot from her endeavors.

“We are a very family-oriented restaurant and love to serve people and the community,” Jennifer Smith said.

For many years, Jennifer was a senior office manager in the health care field, and Robert is a wholesale distributor for an air conditioning and refrigeration company. However, it had been in their hearts to open a restaurant for a very long time, and their dream has finally come true.

High-school sweethearts, the Smiths have two daughters and three foster children.

3 Bricks BBQ & Grill is a comfortable Southern-style restaurant with flavorful barbecue and some great people.