The Pit Room parts ways with John Avila

John Avila John Avila Photo: James Nielsen, Staff Photo: James Nielsen, Staff Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close The Pit Room parts ways with John Avila 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

Even a young gun misfires at times. Or is fired.

John Avila is no longer associated with the Pit Room, the Montrose barbecue joint he’s been working on since last spring.

“It’s not cool at all,” John’s wife and business partner Veronica Avila told the Chronicle. “It came so unexpectedly. We spent the holidays absorbing it.”

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Avila’s partner in the Pit Room, Michael Sambrooks, told the Chronicle that he and Avila “went different ways.”

Sambrooks said the kitchen at the Pit Room is now a team effort. He is working with executive chef Bramwell Tripp, originally from Cincinatti. Tripp previously worked at Coltivare and Revival Market.

According to Sambrooks, he and Avila parted ways about six weeks back.

Veronica Avila said the split has been tough.

“John always wanted to start big. The Pit Room would have allowed that. Now we’re back on our own,” she said.

HUNGRY? Texas BBQ that's worth the drive

Well, perhaps, not on their own. Avila’s chef brother, Jesse Gallegos, is in the kitchen with John testing recipes for a new downtown project. Avila declined to offer details, other than to say they would be serving food downtown in four to six weeks.

(Could it have something to do with Myth Kafe, which also recently announced it was moving downtown, just off Main?)

As for the Pit Room, which is located at 1201 Richmond, Sambrooks said he expects to open in about 90 days.

A Houston native and the founder of the El Burro & the Bull Restaurant Group, Avila worked alongside Aaron Franklin in the early days Franklin Barbecue. He also opened a well-regarded Texas-style barbecue restaurant in New York City.

Browse the slideshow above to see Texas barbecue joints that are worth the drive.