By Julia Griffin
Intern

For those who live in what had been one of Suffolk’s most underserved areas in terms of restaurants, it could be the promise of freshly cooked down-home country cooking that draws them to Lipsmackers Restaurant, one of the city’s newest eateries.

But if Channon Brinkley has his way, diners will be coming back for more once they get a taste of the special sauce served there. He encourages all of his customers to try the sauce, especially on the chicken.

“It’s addicting,” he said recently. “It is sweet at first, but gradually heats up.”

Served in mild or hot versions, the sauce will soon be available in a special barbecue flavor, too.

Lipsmackers offers a variety of menu items that will be familiar comfort food to visitors from the area. There are livers and gizzards, along with barbecue, hamburgers and hot dogs, chicken wings and tenders and vegetables such as green beans, collard greens, corn and rosemary garlic potatoes.

Hand-cut and hand-breaded potato wedges are one of the biggest sellers, said Brinkley, who manages the store for owner Anthony Chirico, his future father-in-law.

Brinkley also expects to add daily specials to the menu in the near future; among the ideas on the table, as it were, are pork chops, ribs and shrimp.

All of the food is cooked to order, Brinkley said. Nothing is frozen.

But the sauce was the inspiration for the restaurant, and Brinkley said he’s confident that folks who try it will come back for more.

For people in that part of Suffolk, the restaurant could be especially welcome.

“Not many other restaurants are in this area of town,” he said. “We will be one of the first places that those who live in Suburban Woods and Wilroy can quickly go to.”