If you’ve noticed the smell of brisket, pulled pork and ribs in the Redmond air lately, your nose isn’t fooling you — Baldy’s really is back.

After closing its restaurant near Fred Meyer a year ago, the barbecue joint reopened March 19 at a new location at 343 NW Sixth Street, just north of downtown. Owners Brian and Paige Dioguardi spent that time reshaping the shuttered Fireside Grille Lounge, while also operating two Bend Baldy’s locations.

“It was a long process,” Paige Dioguardi said. “We replaced all the electrical, all the plumbing,moved the kitchen…Everybody always tells you how hard it’s going to be, and they were right.”

The stone exterior remains on the north side of the building, and some wooden beams inside still have old initials carved in them, but those are some of the few reminders of the building’s former life, which Paige Dioguardi heard had “quite the reputation.”

“A lot of people come in with stories about the place,” she said.

The wall of the 1940s building has been redone on the south side, which will serve as an outdoor patio with a small bar. The area features a shelter and will soon have a fire pit. A grassy area will serve as a place for kids to play and for cornhole tournaments.

Baldy’s features a rustic interior like its former location, which opened in 2011 but closed in 2017 to make way for the new store, but the new restaurant is twice the size. It features a new bar near the entrance and a large dining area in back. An indoor fireplace is adorned with “Yum” in large illuminated letters.

“Because we bought the building, we were really able to create the space we want,” Paige said.

The Dioguardis came across the building when they were looking for possible new locations with a real estate agent.

“(Brian) was really, really drawn to the location,” Paige said. “It seemed really conducive to what our plans were, which is a place to hang out, rather than just eat.”

So far, the response to the new location has been positive, Paige said.

“People were excited and warm and welcoming,” she said. “It was even better than we hoped.”

The excitement was evident by the mostly full restaurant around 2 p.m. on a Thursday.

“I think they were antsy, they were ready,” Paige said of Baldy’s customers. “Plus, anytime a new restaurant opens, there’s always an initial rush.”

Baldy’s (named for the lack of hair on Brian’s head) menu is similar to what Redmond fans will remember, with favorites like the beef brisket plate ($16.50), the Boss Hog sandwich ($13.95) for pork lovers and the BBQ Sundae ($11), with piled mashed potatoes, baked beans pulled pork and coleslaw.

The sundae started as an item Brian Dioguardi made for himself when he was working, Paige said.

“It wasn’t on the menu the first, probably, eight years,” she said. “We put it on and people loved it.”

But one major change is breakfast starting at 8 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, which Baldy’s has at its East Bend location but did not previously have in Redmond. Breakfast items include ribs and eggs ($12.50) and huevos rancheros ($8.50).

Mario Nonato and girlfriend Macenzee Calderon, regular customers at Baldy’s,recommend the smothered fries ($8.25) but say you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.

“Look over the menu well, everything delivers,” Nonato said.

Nonato has long loved Baldy’s and regularly drove by to check progress on the new building during the dry spell. He’s pleased with the new location.

“It’s super nice, the vibes are always up and good,” he said. “It makes it feel like a barbecue house.”

The finished product makes turning around the building worth it, Paige said.

“As hard as you think it might be, it probably will be,” she said. “But, eventually, the light at the end of the tunnel will show up…It was really a labor of love.”

— Reporter: 541-548-2186, gfolsom@redmondspokesman.com