I'm opting out of further participation in the ruckus in the comments section of this story about Mr. K’s Barbeque, but I did pick up one interesting little tidbit this morning that seems worth sharing.

I spoke with Ray Kendrick, who has handled the day-to-day operations of the original Mr. K’s on South Park, and he is not going to be involved in the new business. But here’s the really juicy detail: He says he never handed over the real barbeque sauce recipe, and he’s the only one who knows what’s in it.

That is some cold-ass sibling-style maneuvering, and I was a bit shocked to hear it. He says the original sauce created by Charles Kendrick has been tweaked over the years to perfection, and that he never kicked down the knowledge as far as what changes were made.

He also says he’s moving on with his barbecue career, and that Tucson hasn’t seen the last of him, although I’m not at liberty to get into it any deeper than that for the time being.

Barbeque is typically messy, but, honestly people, this is getting a bit ridiculous.

There's nothing I can say to enhance this video in any manner whatsoever. Just take it in. Enjoy every fleeting moment.

Trust me, it's just as enjoyable the tenth time you watch it.

[The Awl/Ego Trip]

You might have seen the Sonoran Snoballs trailer at Broadway and Campbell, but you haven't heard the story from inside the blue stuccoed shaved ice establishment on wheels. Allie Leach interviewed John and Stacey Roads, who will celebrate the 19th anniversary of their business in September.

• From left: Steve Sargent, Charles Kendrick, Rhonda Kendrick and John Foster

“First I questioned their judgment; now I'm questioning their sanity," says Kendrick, now in his 80s. "This is my last hurrah. I missed my 15 minutes of fame, but this is my last hurrah.”

The new Mr. K’s is located in the former Chili’s on the corner of Stone Avenue and River Road. Kendrick and his daughter, Rhonda Kendrick, are opening the restaurant with local restaurant designer John Foster and Steve Sargent, the executive chef at Mays Counter, in which Foster is also a partner.

“For me, it’s more about him than the food,” says Foster, who has known the Kendricks all his life. “He had quite the impact on me the first time I met him, and it just so happens that he makes some gangster barbecue, too.”

Kendrick was one of the first black students to graduate from the UA’s School of Pharmacy, and will be honored at this year’s UA homecoming for his accomplishments. He worked as pharmacist for 40 years at Kino Community Hospital, opened an African-American museum and then opened a barbecue joint to keep the doors open.

He’s also been a vocal advocate for equal rights and access to education, and sort of an unelected official on the southside for many decades.

And his barbecue, well, let’s let him talk about that.

“I went to Kansas City three times; I went to Texas three times. I tried barbecue all over the place, and the only thing I ever did was add a little more spice to my beans,” says Kendrick, who swears by his tomato-based barbecue sauce. “This is Tucson barbecue. We live here; we’re not just passing through.”

What Kendrick and his crew are trying to do is make Tucson a barbecue destination, with them as the nexus. They say there's other good barbecue out there, but they're going to try to raise the bar just a bit.

Sargent — who has worked at a number of restaurants, including stints for Metro Restaurants and the now-defunct Terra Cotta — says the meat will come straight from the smoker, and that nothing will be reheated. He’s putting a bit of an upscale flair on some of the side dishes, too, although every recipe must get the go-ahead from Mr. K himself.

The restaurant will also pay homage to Kendrick’s accomplishments, with pictures from his life lining the walls. Kendrick himself will also hold court at the restaurant, as he’s always done at his south side joint.

On the menu: Brisket, ribs, pulled pork, turkey breast, hotlinks and rope sausages. Side dishes: Candied yams, okra, macaroni-and-cheese, kettle chips, collard greens and many more. There will also be a nice selection of Southern desserts and a full bar. Prices are in the $5 to $12 range.

There will also be live entertainment, and Foster says he’s bringing in a piano from the 1800s for live gospel concerts.

The original Mr. K’s on South Park Avenue will stay open, and they’re talking about doing some improvements to the property.

The new restaurant is expected to open in August.

• Steve Sargent can smoke a ton of meat in this smoker.

It was proposed to me recently that it is a waste of time writing about small taco stands. The philosophy behind the remark was that they are all more or less the same. Whatachon is an example of why such ideas are utter nonsense, and evidence that the person speaking hasn't been eating at enough food trucks.

The truth is that almost every taco truck is different, and you can often find items at one truck that you’ve never seen before, or even heard of. The salsas are completely different; the items are assembled in vastly different ways; and, well, the food tastes different.

For instance, at Whatachon, they serve an item called a Lorenza, which I haven't seen anywere else. It's a crispy tortilla covered in melted cheese and piled high with carne asada. It is gooey and crispy and meaty all at once, and a steal at $1.75 a piece.

Whatachon also has a built-in salsa bar that can hold court with any condiment bar in town (except for Aqui Con El Nene, which reigns supreme). It is at this salsa bar that I first had serrano peppers soaked in soy sauce, which, if you’ve yet to experience them, are pure heaven.

Whatachon — which, according to the owners, means “big shoes” — is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Most of the tacos are less than $2, and a fat torta will set you back about $5.

Rice Krispies was marketed for awhile as being full of antioxidants and apparently that was a problem, so now Kellogg's is paying off $2.5 million in a settlement. So, if you purchased Rice Krispies (or the sickeningly sweet Cocoa Krispies) between June 1, 2009 and March 1, 2010 and are willing to attest to that under the penalty of perjury, you can fill out a form online and get $5 per box, up to three. Of course, they'd like to scare you off by telling you that you're stealing money from the charity that will receive the unclaimed money, but forget that. I want my $15 for whatever that evil cereal company did to me.

Ryan Clark, the executive chef of Lodge on the Desert, is the new Iron Chef Tucson.

Clark beat Steven Schultz of Red Sky in Luna Bella at this weekend’s Iron Chef Tucson competition at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort.

Let’s go over a few factoids about Clark, shall we? The man is in his mid-20s and is attempting to take home three local culinary awards this year. He just nailed the first one, and next up is the Iron Chef competition at this year’s Tucson Meet Yourself. (He’s already a two-time winner.)

Clark will also compete at the Copper Chef Challenge at the Tucson Culinary Festival at the end of October. The word is that he is the only Tucson chef to participate in all three events.

We should also mention that Clark led the restaurant at Lodge on the Desert through some dark times last year. The resort had just finished a massive, multi-million-dollar renovation when a fire decimated the kitchen. The restaurant was closed for all of five seconds or something before Clark had it open again, running the entire operation out of a tiny mobile kitchen.

Yeah, Ryan Clark is killing it. Nuff said.

A new restaurant called Three and a Half Brothers Café has opened in the old Sanchez Burrito Company building at 2530 N. First Ave.

I took a quick look at the menu, and it’s all-American fare, with breakfast served all day. "You can sleep in and come on in here, and we’re not gonna say, 'Nuh-uh, it’s after 10 a.m.,'" said the nice lady working the front counter.

A friend who is an aficionado when it comes to Tucson diners ate breakfast at Three and a Half Brothers Café this morning and tells us the portions are enormous.

The prices look fair, too, topping out around $7.

Allegro's gelato is so good our Adam Borowitz once ate it with his fingers on his way home (and with no regrets). Lydia Stern talks to Ivan Lucchina, who came from Lake Como to bring Tucson delicious frozen treats.

I'm glad Long John Silver's has left the Old Pueblo. I try not to hate on things if I can help it, but Long John Silver's completely creeps me out. It is the only restaurant I could not bring myself to work at during my long and illustrious food-service career, and for good reason: They wanted new employees to sing pro-fried-fish anthems at the orientation, which is a lot more than I was willing to do for minimum wage.

So good riddance Long John Silver's, and welcome to the way-less-creepy (and greasy!) Overboard Seafood and Grill.