Rob Holloway has fond memories of going to eat barbecue with his dad and grandfather in Texas. It set his taste buds for life, so even as an adult in Georgia, he was choosy about where he had his 'cue.

"We only ever went to one or two places," said Holloway, who lives in Dunwoody. "I'm pretty particular."

PHIL SKINNER/AJC STAFF (ENLARGE)
At Spiced Right BBQ, a pulled pork sandwich with french fries and cole slaw is a natural selection. With the opening of a second store in Roswell, the focus is on ribs, 'the top notch of barbecue,' according to owner Rob Holloway.
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Signature dish: pork spare ribs Entree price range: $6.25-$16.99 Hours: Noon-9 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturday Reservations: no Credit cards: yes Web site: www.spicedright.com

When he hit on Spiced Right BBQ in Lilburn, he stopped going anywhere else.

"They had great seasonings and sauce and it was set up like the classic barbecue restaurant, with the cookhouse out back," he said. "And the heart of their barbecue — pork and chicken — were as good as I've ever had."

Holloway worked his way through the menu, loving every bite. Two years ago, he took his passion even further by buying the restaurant. Last week, he and his wife Charlotte opened the second Spiced Right just north of the Roswell Square.

"Being in this part of town is very neat," said Holloway, who had a bit of a challenge turning an old restaurant space and one-time gas station into a cool 'cue house. "As soon as I pulled up to this space, I knew it was exactly what I wanted, even if it was empty, worn out and hadn't been painted in years."

Don't worry — diners won't see any of that left in the new freshly painted and reworked dining room. And they'll be too busy licking the sauce off their fingers anyway.

BBQ and more

The Lilburn location's menu was built around pork, Holloway said. "But I've wanted to do a restaurant focused on ribs. To me, that's the top notch of barbecue."

Sure, there are still juicy pulled pork sandwiches on the menu. But there's also plenty of pork spare ribs, dripping with a tomato-based sauce. The smoker also turns out turkey, beef brisket and chicken. Classic sides include slaw, beans, potato salad, Brunswick stew, corn souffle, fried okra and fresh-cut fries. There's also a Holloway family recipe for hash brown casserole on the menu.

Pricing is simple: A sandwich plate with two sides is $6.25; a full rack with two sides is $16.99; a half, $9.99; a quarter, $6.25. Top it off with a bowl of banana pudding.

"Barbecue is about coming in hungry and leaving feeling pretty good," said Holloway. "So we want people to get a lot of bang for their buck."

From the bar

Holloway is working on a wine list and is open to suggestions from his guests. Several bottled beers are available. Look for some live blues acts to be added down the road as well.