Estelle’s to Become Cluckit!

Brian Poe trades in southern fare for piri piri hot chicken and beer.

By Christopher Hughes· 6/10/2015, 1:06 p.m.

Grilled wings in piri sauce. Photo provided

After closing the doors to their southern eatery, Estelle’s, in late May, chef Brian Poe and the Gordon Wilcox of the Wilcox Hospitality Group (Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake, The Tip Tap Room, Bukowski Tavern) will reopen the space on June 16 as a brand new concept, Cluckit!. Serving “hot chicken and cold beer,” the refreshed space will offer a series of piri piri offerings, marinated flame-grilled chicken preparations available in four levels of heat: mild, medium, hot, and scorching. With origins in Portugal and Mozambique, piri piri sauce is made from scores of ingredients including crushed chilies, citrus peel, pepper, paprika, pimiento, and tarragon.

“Estelle’s was a way for me to express my southern roots through cooking and after a great run, I was ready for a change,” said Poe via a press release. “Cluckit! is a concept that Gordon and I have been envisioning for years, a spot where we would hang out with friends that had spicy food and cold beer. We figured there is no time like the present.”

Cluckit!’s beer-heavy bar program will feature 30 draught lines and another 70 beer selections available by bottle and can. Poe will continue Estelle’s “Mugger’s Club,” with previous members grandfathered in at Cluckit!.

Poe and Wilcox’s new concept will be open for dinner and drinks Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.; for lunch, dinner, and drinks Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.; and Sunday for brunch, dinner, and drinks from 11 to 2 a.m.