New Haven Independent

Lightinin’ Hopkins’ voice and guitar filled the cozy new home the other day of Uncle Willie’s Real Down Home Pit BBQ joint, which moved from the Post Road in Orange to a shopping plaza at 1302 Whalley a few weeks ago. James Cotton was playing, too, and Albert Collins. The music came from a CD player, but what you saw first was this vintage phonograph.

Such Delta BBQ joint memorabilia fills Uncle Willie’s. Owners Diane Laskowski and Bill Lombardi fell in love with barbecue and blues in trips to the South, and returned home with all the artifacts they could find. This old B.B. King poster, for instance.

And this gem.

You’d think with all the traffic on the Post Road, Laskowski (pictured) and her husband would have wanted to stay in Orange. In fact, people most days just drove by. Moving to a neighborhood (and a spot where many cars still do pass by) has brought steadier business, she said.

And oh yeah, the food. Besides the main attractions — “real pit barbecue,” including pulled pork, baby back ribs, St. Louis pork ribs — the menu includes Southern fried okra, sweet potato fries, “jumpin’ jalapeno poppers,” chilli cheddar dogs, fried chicken, smoked pit ham, Mississippi mud pie… You get the idea. I admit I didn’t try it, but the Advocate did. They loved it.