Bruno’s BBQ was a Scotts Valley staple, but Bruno’s BBQ is no more. In its place is Bruno’s Bar and Grill. With the new name comes new owners Rogelio and Joanne Guzman, who’ve owned and operated the restaurant since August. They’ve been slowly easing themselves into the restaurant’s new identity, a little at a time. In the future, expect lots of new items and other tweaks on the menu. Joanne took the time to give us a little sneak peek.
What’s the new Bruno’s like?
JOANNE GUZMAN: We talked about, “What does Scotts Valley need?” A lot of restaurants have been sold and are under new ownership, like Don Quixote’s and Malone’s. Scotts Valley really needed fine dining, and they are taking care of that. The concept of our restaurant is really [to be] a fun place for adults and families. People can come in and have a good time. We pulled the BBQ off of the name, and we changed it to Bruno’s Bar and Grill. The reason we did that was because Bruno’s has some loyal fans that we didn’t want to disappoint. We kept most of the items on the menu, and then added some of my husband’s recipes. We went from one owner to us in one day. She had it July 31, we took it Aug. 1.
What’s something you’ve added that you’re excited about?
My husband is really good with sauces, glazes, dressings. We’ve added a raspberry chipotle barbecue sauce for the ribs. You can go with the Bruno’s traditional, or you can do the raspberry chipotle. He also does an excellent chimichurri. So we’ve got a chimichurri steak. He’s also got this sauce he calls “naughty sauce” that we put on some things. We have some naughty fries that people love. It’s a mayo-based sauce, but it’s got a pretty big kick to it. It’s spicy. It’s traditionally used with tapas and potatoes. He introduces specials throughout the week to see if people like his recipes. That’s how we’re doing it, just checking, and we will be tweaking the menu as we go. And his Bloody Marys. He made his Bloody Marys famous at Coasters at Boardwalk Bowl—people would come from San Jose to have a Bloody Mary. Now he had to kick it up a notch, ’cause they’re still using his recipe over at the bowling alley. He’s added a pork slider and a chicken wing, in addition to bacon and shrimp.
What’s an old item you will likely always keep?
Definitely the baby back ribs. People love the baby back ribs. We’re also one of the only places where you can get beef ribs. We’ve kept those.
230 Mt. Hermon Road, Scotts Valley, 438-2227.
