Paul Gary spent three years scouring Lafayette for a taste of what he calls “real barbecue,” the kind of smoked meat he grew up on in Oklahoma. Finally, he gave up looking and started cooking--the result is 2Paul’s Radically Urban Barbecue, which opened its doors last Thursday. His wife, author Marilyn Fournet Adams, says they spent a year and a half coming up with the concept, which fuses west Texas dry rubbed, slow smoked pork and beef with Louisiana basics like Cajun rice dressing, Thai spiced cole slaw, and homemade giant chocolate chip cookies. The couple has transformed the old CC’s in the Autumwood Place shopping center at the intersection of Johnston St. and South College into a casual restaurant. The menu is barbecue joint simple: a handful of smoked meat plates, sandwiches, salads and sides, with one welcome addition, the Radical Rita margarita, which is a natural pairing with the spicy smoked meat. At 59, Marilyn says most of her friends are getting ready to retire, while she and her husband have started on a new adventure. They’ve been so slammed at lunch they’ve been running out of ribs. “We keep doubling what we cooked the day before,” she says. “We’ll get it right soon. We’ve never run a restaurant before.”
2Pauls is open daily for lunch, Monday-Saturday for dinner. Call 232-1181 for more information.