from My Machine Magazine, issue 02, December 2005

MM: What Makes Hot Rods BBQ a unique restaurant?
AS: At Hot Rods, we have labeled our style of barbeque "Yankee Barbeque". Our recipes and our menu combine different regional aspects of barbeque and comfort food from around the country to create a taste that we feel translates well to this more metropolitan Northeastern area. We stock an interesting selection of craft beers, wines, premium tequilas and hot sauces. The interior of the restaurant is slick and hip, but still very cozy.

MM: What is your favorite aspect of the eatery?
AS: The music and the décor. The music really stands out. It's our personal mix of Blues, R&B, Rock, Reggae and Jazz. And Everything you see in the restaurant, from the large photos on the walls to the handmade tune-up gauges on the shelf, was either created or donated by family and friends who were truly enthusiastic about what we were doing here and wanted to contribute [to it]. Next to the food, those are two of the biggest compliments we get.

MM: Tell me a few "must haves" from the menu. Describe the dishes.
AS: The whole menu rocks! Our dry-rubbed baby back ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, smoked sweet & spicy wings, cornbread with maple butter, and our unique made-to-order coleslaw are customer favorites. All of our meats are smoked on premise in our high-capacity wood burning pit. But even if you're not in the mood for barbeque, there is the Manifold Meatloaf, which is smoked then smothered in southwestern cheese and brown gravy; the Jacked - Up Jambalaya, full of spicy Andouille Sausage, chicken and shrimp; and a twenty two ounce choice Rib-Eye Steak with a mushroom bourbon cream sauce. My best kept secret [is] the South west Lasagna. It's something I've been making forever, and it still gets me every time. Everything on the menu is made here from scratch, so it all has that "like mom used to make" quality to it. And, my mom actually does make our amazing cheesecake.

MM: Tell me about what you drive.
AS: Well, every day I drive a 2000 Nissan Xterra, necessary for catering and towing. My passion, however, lies in the ten-year-old restoration project of a black and gold 1980 Pontiac Trans Am with a shaker hood. What can I say? I loved Smokey and the Bandit as a kid. The exhaust, suspension and braking systems, as well as the interior, are pretty much complete. I still want to replace the original 301 with a new or rebuilt 400 small block, and it needs new paint, only now I think I will have to give it a flame job instead of the standard gold phoenix.

MM: What other machines are in your garage?
AS: My wife Toby, has a mint condition 1985 Mazda RX-7, all original. We also have a 1966 Mini Cooper S that was Toby's mother's from the beginning; the car she was brought home from the hospital in when she was born in 1970. In 2000, my father in-law (and crew) restored the car from rusty hull to finished in just ten months as a surprise wedding gift for us. So, in January of 2003, we were able to drive our new little girl home from the hospital in the very same old little car. Sentimental value aside, it's a lot of fun to drive, too.