Considering how obsessed I am with barbecue it's odd how many legitimate north east joints I have yet to taste. I'm one step closer to correcting that travesty today after visiting Rub BBQ on 23rd street in Manhattan. I hit them up right when they opened, and was told the infamous burnt ends were not quite ready. In their place I ordered a half slab of st louis ribs (short end), a 1/4 pound of pork shoulder, and a side of slaw. Read on for my quick review!

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I had another great meal at Fette Sau last week... these guys may have created the perfect vibe for barbecue in brooklyn: low-key, friendly, bustling atmosphere, plenty of anticipation, all alongside great food and drinks. I think over the years I've been here 5 or 6 times, and its always satisfying. This visit was courtesy of a visit from my good friend Tim (Tim of Seattle, Brooklyn, Chicago, Thailand, Vietnam, LA and currently SF). When I heard he was coming to town, I thought a picnic-table meal of 'cue, bourbon, and beer would be an outstanding venue to catch up and fill up. Here's my take on this visit (of Fette Sau, not Tim).

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The northeast is not known for its barbecue. Typically you find yourself wanting more real flavor from a joint in these parts... but Percy Street is onto something. Make no mistake, they have some killer 'cue right on South Street in Philly. Jumping at the opportunity to catch my Bruins in game 2 of the Flyers matchup with a Philly buddy of mine, we arranged for some pre-game barbecue festivities at Percy Street last night. Earlier in the week I had asked the folks at Percy Street on twitter what pit they use, and they responded with J&R, so I had a suspicion they'd know what they were doing. Here's what i found: 

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I've been meaning to hit up Smoke Joint in Fort Greene for a good 6 months, and I happened to find myself in the area today for lunch so gave it a shot. They've done a bang-up job on the space... huge counter for takeout orders, and a killer bar area with untreated wood walls and tons of bourbon. Its a really great vibe inside and out. They even have a little outdoor smoker on the corner to lure passer-bys in for a taste:

That's gotta be illegal, but I love the idea! Ok then, onto my pork-a-thon review:

 

Price: $9

Appearance: A little smooshed and grey, but some nice looking bark. 

Pork solo: Tasty in an "i love any pork" kind of way, but very little smoke flavor. I saw the smoker there, so I know they smoke it... but the smoke flavor was incredibly subtle. Especially for a place that has a smoker out front to attract customers in! I think that little joint was generating more smoke than their actual cooker. Bummer. 

Bun: A nice buttery hard roll. Not quite a brioche bun, but definitely not your average hamburger bun. The bun was solid. 

Cole Slaw: An oddly yellow-ish slaw, turned out to be quite tasty. A nice tang/cream combo that was right at home in my belly. But the bigger story was the pickles next to the slaw. They've managed to make a sweet/sour pickle that's really great. Not too sweet, tons of sour kick, and even a little heat. I loved the pickles! 

Sauce: They packed up my to-go order with two sauce options. I loved that they didn't smother the sandwich itself and let me decide. But one sauce was a super sweet maple/tomato thing that was really out of place. And while the other was closer to my vinegar vibe, it had a really heavy spice level. Not heat really, but just actual spice. Almost like you could feel the texture of cayenne in the sauce. It didn't kill the sandwich, but it wasn't a huge help. 

Total package: Better than your average pulled pork sandwich, but from a place with "smoke" in its name I was left wishing for more smoked flavor. I thought the slaw and pickles were great, loved the bun, and the meat was juicy.... it just was missing that key smokiness.  

 

Tried this at the Brimfield Flea, and while i'm always hesitant at a food vendor mashup i definitely expected better than this from a RI vendor. It looked like it would be promising, even if I could overlook the celery. Turns out the celery should have been the least of my concerns. Super cold meat (was that a freezer or fridge?), chalky, overcooked meat, and a sadly un-grilled bun. $12 was too good to be true. Bummer. 

 

 

I finally made it down to the Redhook Lobster Pound for lunch today. Cute little joint... I loved the vibe. Not sure if its just the very few twitter folks i follow, or the fact I'm a "fan" on facebook, but these guys get so much press I've been trying to get there for 2 months to see what all the buzz was about. For whatever reason, today was the day. Here's my take:

Price: $15

Bun: They absolutely nailed the bun. Top-split (seeing that JJ Nissen logo on the bun bags brings back a flood of new england childhood memories), buttered and grilled to perfection.

Lobster solo: Looks like they use meat from the small guys which makes sense... My roll had a great assortment of meat. I think every substantial lobster meat part was in there. It wasn't the most flavorful meat I've had, but it was cooked just about perfectly. Not a single bite had that overcooked lobster-as-pink-eraser taste. Even that tiniest tip of the claw was moist. Not many joints can cook a lobster that well, so I give them props on that for sure. 

Finxins: it should first be said I'm partial to there being essentially nothing on a lobster roll but a tiny bit of mayo.... must be the red sox blood in me. They got the mayo right, but it's piled on top of shredded iceberg lettuce which is just a travesty. Travesty! I never understood lettuce on a lobster roll... It has no place being there. They also tossed a few scallions on top, but I honestly couldn't taste them and they look pretty so I was ok with that. And then they shake a little something on top... Looked like paprika, or maybe a spice blend, but whatever it is, the impact is also very mild so doesn't really factor into the taste. 

Overall: I love a $15 roll in Brooklyn, that's really pretty amazing. The places I usually hit Down East run anywhere from $12-18, so $15 in the boroughs is a very welcomed thing. And they don't skimp on meat. Its a perfectly healthy sized lobster roll. The bun was PERFECT; they really nailed that. And the lobster meat was cooked perfectly as well. So that's all the good news. But the lettuce killed it for me. After my first bite I tried to just remove it, but it gets all clingy. Wondering if they'd make it without lettuce on request, or if they'd stick to their guns. Lobster roll makers get about as nutty as pitmasters with their methods being king. That said, I'd definitely say anyone in the area should check it out. Without a doubt one of the better rolls I've had in NY... it's just not Maine.