I have probably been asked that question a hundred times.
“Scott, why in the world would you call a restaurant Dirty Fingers?”
Fair question.
Truth is, when I came up with the name, Dirty Fingers was not really a restaurant.
It started because every now and then I got tired of Vietnamese food. I wanted a real burger, a taco, some chips and salsa and an ice cold beer. Back then there were not many places in Da Nang to have a western lunch. I also wanted a place to hang out after I closed my steakhouse in the evenings as well.
A cold beer.
Too much tequila.
Some live blues and rock.
A burger.
Some wings.
Friends sitting around solving all the world’s problems. Plotting against the public, and talking Tào lao.
That was Dirty Fingers. Just having fun, laughing and cutting up.
Back then, everything on the menu was meant to be eaten with your hands.
Not many folks were bothered by it. But then came my British buddies and they needed a knife and fork.
Matter of fact, for a long time knives and forks were not available.
Just chopsticks.
Living in Vietnam, that seemed to make perfect sense and fun.
Besides, chopsticks are really just an extension of your fingers.
People thought I was crazy.
“Nobody is going to eat in a place called Dirty Fingers.”
Maybe they were right.
But I was not trying to build a fancy restaurant.
I just wanted a place where people could relax, laugh big, eat good food and not worry about getting their fingers dirty.
The name stayed.
The restaurant changed.
These days you will find brisket, steaks, barbecue and a whole lot more than we ever imagined back then.
A little smoke on your shirt.
A little sauce on your fingers.
A wad of napkins on the table.
That has never bothered me.
In fact, I think that is exactly how Dirty Fingers should be.
See y'all around the smoker.
Scott