Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new favorite BBQ spot. How it took us so long to get here is beyond me. Quite frankly, it’s embarrassing. We’ve been depriving ourselves of this hot action for way too long. If and when Team Infatuation opens our own BBQ spot, this is the place we’ll model it after. This is perfect destination for a night out with a big group for quality barbecue and booze. Situated inside what used to be an old auto body shop, this gutted garage is raging every night of the week. It’s essentially a combination of a Brooklyn beer garden and Texas style BBQ. House cured meats are served by the pound on butcher paper, and beers arrive in different sized jugs and growlers. Set up shop at one of the indoor or outdoor communal tables and you’ve got all the makings for a hell of an urban picnic. Never in my life have I seen a more attractive collection of females gnawing on pork ribs and drinking beers. Attention dudes looking for a nice woman who likes to get down on some BBQ: stop messing around with your buddy’s mom on CougarLife.com and turn your attention towards the bar area at Fette Sau.
In case you haven’t noticed, Cobble Hill is fully stacked with great restaurants these days, many of which are new Infatuation favorites. Right at the top of that list is Char No. 4, and it’s easy to see why. It’s essentially my New York City dream house – a warm, inviting space with a wall of bourbon and a smoker. When we sell this website to Excite or Lycos or whoever is spending money these days, that’s totally what I’m buying. I guess for now I’ll have to stick with my current method of tossing a few woodchips into the toaster and ripping the batteries out of the smoke alarm.
While smoking meat is definitely a huge part of what Char No. 4 does (you’ll notice that damn near everything on the dinner menu is a “house smoked” something), it’s not all just ribs and brisket sandwiches. This is Southern influenced food in New York City, and you will find some really creative things on the menu, like the insanely good lamb pastrami, a ridiculous crispy sweet potato gnocchi, and a more than respectable brunch. We recently decided to put it all to the test by bringing in some palates even more discerning than ours. One of our favorite new bands hails from Dallas, and we decided to introduce them to Southern food, Brooklyn style. Take a look and see what happens when Char No. 4 meets Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights.
Blue Smoke is an Infatuation favorite, and has been since we lived in the neighborhood a few years back and visited nearly every week. Not only does the food at Blue Smoke still stand up to the newer BBQ joints in town (Hill Country, Wildwood), but it also has a great bar, which touts their very own house beer and an amazing selection of whisky, scotch, and bourbon. Whatever your company, come with hungry people and don’t plan a big night after … this isn’t light eating. Not only is the BBQ great, but don’t miss the appetizers or the ridiculously good deserts.
Georgia is so hot right now, and we’re not talking about Real Housewives of Atlanta, we’re talking about BBQ. A couple of years ago when BBQ was all the rage in NYC, a tiny goldmine unceremoniously opened its doors on the Lower East Side. If you haven’t heard about Georgia’s already, it’s time to take notice.
Georgia’s Eastside BBQ has the best ribs in town, hands down. You heard that correct. They’re in a different league than Dinosaur BBQ. They take RUB to town. They destroy Hill Country, and even surpass Blue Smoke and perennial favorite Daisy May’s. The best part about the whole situation – it’s cheap. Everything on the menu is under $20. You can get a nice helping of St. Louis style pork ribs with two sides for $19. That’s good stuff. Their sandwiches are all less than $10 a pop, while beers are all $5 and under. Hell, this is cheaper than Texas. A few things to be aware of before you go – Georgia’s is cash only, so come prepared. Also, they don’t have their own bathroom. Luckily, The Sixth Ward across the street gladly offers up use of their facilities.
You love getting dirty on some BBQ? You’ll love Hill Country. It’s lower Manhattan’s biggest and baddest Texas style meat market. Think Disneyland in terms of barbeque. The sprawling, two level space is packed with hungry patrons every night of the week, and has quickly become the Mecca of all NYC BBQ. The front area is a little small and usually way too stuffed, so make sure you hit the big downstairs bar while you wait for your table. Hill Country is a great big group style destination. A personal drawback on my end is the live music downstairs. Is it really necessary to have C-rate Country/Bluegrass/Americana artists playing while you eat? Does that really make the whole experience more authentic? I think not. Now, let’s talk about the food. Overall, it’s solid but personally I think it’s a little overrated. I like a nice meaty beef rib. While their ribs are huge, there’s usually a lot more bone than meat and you have to work hard to get it off. My current favorite rib in the city is at Georgia’s on the LES where the meat is practically falling off the bone. My favorite BBQ attraction is brisket and while Hill Country has actually been written up as having some of the best brisket around, a lot of us at our table found it to be just too dry for our liking. It’s got nothing on Blue Smoke’s brisket. That said, the pork shoulder and pork ribs are both excellent and the whole chickens are very tasty. Also, the fact it’s serve yourself place is great so you can get a little bit of everything.
