The original Brother Jimmy's BBQ on the Upper East Side

After burgers, the second specialty I always recommend friends and family coming from Europe to try is BBQ. as I mentioned in prior posts, what we call BBQ in France is grilling. Little I know that in Denmark, they are familiar with the BBQ as we know it here. I knew about smoked fish, but not meat, and Our friends Anne and Klaus even have a smoker at home. 

Anyway, our place of choice was Brother Jimmy's BBQ, but not the location near Madison Square Garden I reviewed, but the one on the Upper East Side, that is in fact the original restaurant. As we went on a weekday, the place was empty. Not that it helped with the noise level, considering that the music was literally blasting. 

It is a fairly big place with four distinct sections :

The main dining room:

The back dining room:

The second dining room with the kitchen in the back:

The bar with its games:

With its wood everywhere, it had a very rustic and country feel, with, on the wall, artifacts to remind you you should have worn your stretch pants. 

To start, we decided to order fried pickles (served with ranch dressing), a dish definitely unknown in Denmark. It was a good way to show that anything can be fried, and when it is fried, it is good!

We wanted to order fried green tomatoes, but unfortunately, they were out of it.

Then, we went for Jimmy's Pig Pick, a sampler dish where we got Northern ribs and BBQ chicken (you have a choice between this or pulled chicken, brisket, pulled pork or other types of ribs). 

I admit that I thought it would be bigger as we ordered the one for two people. I am not sure if this was the result of a confusion when we ordered. Anyway, it was enough food considering we were planning on having dessert later on. 

The chicken was very good: moist, I loved the sweetness if the BBQ sauce with it. The ribs were also delicious, tender, falling off the bone. I should mention that, with the Pig's Pick, came a salad. Needless to say that I did not care about it...

As sides, we got some cole slaw, as well as hush puppies:

Jodi decided to order a bunch of sides:

Fried Brussels sprouts:

Corn bread:

Mac & cheese:

Tater tots:

All of them were quite good, my preference going to the tater tots and corn bread. 

The lunch at Brother Jimmy's BBQ was succulent and comforting. It is definitely a great place to eat some authentic American BBQ. 

Enjoy (I did)!

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Brother Jimmy's BBQ

BBQ at Hill Country in NYC, New York

Recently, we went back to Hill Country with Jodi's cousins Jessica and Michael and their two kids, Alex and Brian. I was excited for many reasons, besides sharing a meal with them: the main one being that I love BBQ. It was also an opportunity to revisit it as my last visit was last year.

The place, that serves Texas BBQ, is similar to most of the BBQ places I went to: wood, wood and again wood.

But then, the experience is different: they sit you at a table where you will order beverages, but when it comes to the good, you need to order at the counter. So, they give each person of the party a ticket that will be stamped with the cost if the items you order.

Do not lose that ticket, otherwise, similar to Katz's, you will be in trouble and pay a high price!

They have three counters: the meat, where they will carve the meat.

You just need to ask them what you want, type and quantity, as they sell by the pound. They also propose some samplers for a fixed price.

Then, the sides:

I should probably mentioned that the guy serving us at the meat station was very courteous, not like the one at the sides station!!!

The last one is for desserts, that you can also order at the table.

We were ready for a feast! A good sign was the paper towel roll that they put on each table, that prefigure some finger licking!

So, Jodi decided to order a salad, but we also shared some deviled eggs.

I liked them, probably because I love mayo and there was a lot if it!

We also shared some Mac & Cheese, that were good, but I would have liked them creamier.

We also tried the corn pudding that was deliciously sweet.

Then, I created my own sampler! They put it in brown paper

That I delicately unwrapped, as I would if it was a gift!

There, I had:

Beef shoulder:

Moist brisket:

Beef rib (huge):

Pork rib:

I was a bit disappointed by the meat... The brisket was extremely fatty, the pork rib dry and salty and the beef rib a bit dry and tough. The only piece of meat I enjoyed was the beef shoulder that was tender and moist.

Fortunately there was dessert! We ordered the banana pudding that was spectacular: light and not too sweet, I could have eaten several of them.

We had a good time all together and it was a fun dinner, despite the fact that the meat was not that great. I still think that Southern Hospitality or Brother Jimmy serve a better BBQ at a better price.

Enjoy (I did)!

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BBQ at Blue Smoke in NYC, New York

We finally made it to Blue Smoke, that I tried last June at the Annual Big Apple BBQ Block Party in New York! They have two places: the original on 27th that we visited and another one in Battery Park city. 

The place on 27th is huge with very high ceilings and an industrial feel, from the apparent air duct and the lightning.

But, contrary to place like Dinosaur BBQ, my nose was not overwhelmed by the smell of BBQ when we entered! 

They sat us in a booth and we were ready for a feast! At least, I was...

We started of with deviled eggs. They sell them by the half.

They were delicious, with a nice amount of mayonnaise and we could definitely taste some spices.

Then, we tried the corn bread:

I love corn bread with a BBQ meal and this one tasted fresh, was not too firm and delicious.

Then we tried the Mac & Cheese:

It was a nice presentation in a small rectangular cast iron dish. The top was a bit burnt, but no crunch. However, it was extremely creamy and I truly appreciated that they did not add any seasoning that would have overpowered the delicious taste of the cheese.

Jodi ordered the Caesar salad with pecorino cheese and croutons.

It was a bit too salty...

On my side, I went for the ribs sampler, my bucket ready for the bones!

The sampler was composed of (from bottom to top):

• Kansas City spareribs.
• Memphis baby back ribs.
• Texas ribs.

The ribs were good, with the meat falling off the bone. My favorite was the Texas rib that was more flavorful with a bolder taste. Of course, I tried some of the sauces that were on the table...

But did not tried their spiced salt:

At the end of the meal, we were too full to get dessert. Too bad, because I saw that they serve a banana cream pie and they even have a dessert sampler that is one of those things that more restaurants should do! The food was good, but a bit overpriced. For instance, the rib sampler was $20 and did not include any side! If you are in the area and want to eat BBQ, then go to Blue Smoke. Otherwise, Southern Hospitality remains my favorite

Enjoy (I did)!

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11th Annual Big Apple BBQ Block Party at Madison Square Park in NYC, New York!

Today was a good day for my stomach: the 11th Annual Big Apple BBQ Block Party at Madison Square Park took place over the week end, featuring some of the best pitmasters in the country, from Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Alabama...This event takes place every year, one week end of June, in support of the Madison Square Park Conservancy. 

The festival was all about food, but there was also a beer garden, some BBQ demonstrations and some music.

It was for sure packed and more and more people showed as the day went by, trying to benefit from the food that cost $9 a plate. Surely, walking around, you could not miss the delicious smell originating from the different BBQ pits, each pitmaster having his own design, some of them looking industrially made:

and others looking more...homemade!

As I mentioned few times on this blog, what we call BBQ in France is grilling and I can assure you that each time I have visitors, I bring them to a BBQ joint and they really love it! So, imagine me in this festival: I was like a kid in a candy shop! Especially looking all these stands prepare their food!

Like Whole Hog at Skylight Inn:

Sausages at Jim'N Nick's:

Baby Back Ribs at Memphis BBQ Company:

With all this food all around and that smell that kept tempting us, it was time to try some food! We started with Blue Smoke. 

I always wanted to try their restaurant and it was the perfect occasion to taste their salt & pepper beef ribs!

They were fantastic! Juicy, with a nice char on top and some delicious fat, the meat was falling of the bone. There was also a nice quantity of it: in fact I found it to be one of the best deals there!

Then, we went to Salt Lick BBQ from Texas:

They were serving sausage and brisket:

They served it Southern style, with a slice of white bread in the bottom and we put some of their BBQ sauce. The sausage was pretty good, with a nice kick, but the brisket was a bit tough and dry. So sad, because we got a sample earlier and it was very good and juicy.

The last one we tried was Scott's BBQ from South Carolina.

I am not a big fan of shredded pork shoulder because it tends to be dry, but I was curious to try this as they mentioned pork skin and I could see them shredding the pork that had this beautiful reddish crisp skin.

Here again, they served the meat on a piece of white bread and put some vinegar all over it.

Well, they called it vinegar, but I did not really taste vinegar! I was a bit disappointed as I was expecting some of the skin of the pig we saw before. Instead, they throw some fried skin from a bag...It was good and crispy, but still not what I was expecting. This was good, but a bit bland and dry. I did not finish it.

This was a great opportunity to try different BBQ joints and was for sure for meat lovers as there was nothing for the vegetarian: no Mac & Cheese and no fried green tomatoes! Chapeau to the pitmasters and staff for cooking in these high temperatures on a hot day! The Big Apple Block Party was fun and well organized and I will probably go back every year! One thing is certain: the beef ribs from Blue Smoke were the best from what I tried and I am looking forward to try their restaurant!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Lunch at Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem NYC, New York

For my birthday, Jodi and I went to Dinosaur BBQ IN Harlem. It has been a while I wanted to go back. The last time was 6 years ago for our friend Gary's Birthday. The place opened few months before and, as a Syracuse University Alumni, he was thrilled to bring a bunch of friends to celebrate. I remember that I had a fantastic ribeye!

Another time, visiting Syracuse University, we went to their first location. This time , no ribeye, but BBQ chicken.

So, here we are on our way there. Before arriving at the restaurant, we passed the famous Cotton Club! I confess that I did not think it was still there!

We got our table fairly quickly, thanks to the reservation we made. No reservation was definitely synonym of  a long wait. Interestingly, the crowd was a mix of families, couples, friends and bikers.

Entering the restaurant, our noses immediately smelled BBQ! For sure, that makes you hungry!

We started off with the appetizer sampler for two.

It was composed of chicken wings, shrimp, fried green tomatoes and eggs mayonnaise.

I truly appreciated the fact that they offered a sampler so we could try several appetizers. The chicken wings were my favorite: the skin was smothered with an heavenly delicious BBQ sauce. Know that they were not spicy.

The shrimp were good but had nothing special. They were served shelled, but it was not an issue as BBQ means dirty hands!!!


The green tomatoes were not bad, but they were missing that crunch that I am so used to since I tried them at Southern Hospitality!

Last were the eggs mayonnaise that I really liked: tasty and not too mayonnaise-y.

Then, Jodi ordered the wedge salad, but with no walnuts:

The salad was good...for a salad! What was great is that they put the blue cheese dressing on the side (they offer different choices such as BQ Blues House, Creole Honey Mustard Vinaigrette...).

She also ordered a side of Mac & Cheese:

It could have been a decent Mac & Cheese, unfortunately, the seasoning they put on top was overpowering. 

I decided to order a BBQ sampler plate. I think it is great that BBQ joints offer samplers: that way, I can try different meats! Luckily, they have a small sampler, called the Nuevo Sampler.

It came with chicken, ribs and brisket. The brisket was definitely the star of the plate! It was tender and not dry with a nice amount of fat. The chicken was ok with a crispy skin, but a bit bland. The ribs were dry. 

With the platter, they give you a corn bread (very good) and you pick 2 sides. We went for the fries and the brussels sprouts that were the side of the day. It was good, but nothing extraordinary!

I admit that I was a bit disappointed by the experience: the food was just ok at the end and I remain a fan of Southern Hospitality and Brothers' Jimmy!

Enjoy (...)!

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Virgil's Real BBQ in NYC, New York

It is no surprise that I love BBQ and when we have people visiting, it is often an option for lunch or dinner. So, this time, we went to Virgil's Real BBQ, near Times Square. The place has the feel of any BBQ places I tried: wood all other and a delicious smell of meat as soon as you enter. It was a Friday night and the place was packed! 

This whole experience started well when they gave us a towel instead of a napkin on the table.

It was definitely promising!

So we ordered food! Jodi got the Mac & Cheese, as I was going for a sampler and we were planning to share a bit.

The Mac & Cheese were so so. The cheese did not have a great of a taste and it was not as creamy as I like...

On my side, I ordered the pick 3 BBQ combo.

You pick 3 BBQ dishes, 2 sides and it is served with corn bread. I chose the BBQ chicken, the pork ribs and the beef brisket. The sides were mash potatoes and a biscuit with honey butter. Let's start with the sides: the mash potatoes were good and dense. The biscuit was terrible and the corn bread had a weird taste: clearly not your traditional corn bread...unfortunately! Clearly not the best choices.

Then the meat: the brisket was good but a bit dry. Fortunately, each table had some sauce, mild or hot to make it better! The chicken was the best part: moist with a nice and tasty skin. The worst was the rib: very dry!

I was disappointed by Virgil's BBQ. I think Brother's Jimmy and Southern Hospitality are far better: better meat and better sides. So, I will forget that one...

Enjoy (the post)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

My brother's culinary visit...

Last week, my brother stopped by to see us on his way back to France. On top of the fact that it was great to spend time with him, it was a great occasion to make him try some cuisine or food that are not that common in France or that he cannot find in the city where he is living. There is so much diversity in New York that I had to pick just couple of choices that I proposed to him. I'll pass on the first night when we went to Benny Tudino's in Hoboken so he could have a good taste of pizza. We also ordered chicken wings as it is something that he never tried (it is only served in few restaurants, mainly in Paris, such as the Indiana Cafe where I used to go with my cousin Sandrine when I was living there). 

The pizza was good as usual, but the chicken wings were like fried chicken...Disappointing...In fact, I never ordered anything else other than pizza over there and several people told me that the rest of the food is not very good!

The next day, I proposed to go for Venezuelan as where he lives, there no such restaurants and he never tried before. We ended up at Caracas Arepa Bar that is one of my favorites! Caracas Arepa Bar is a small place in the East Village that has these amazing arepas, which are some sort of buns that are grilled and baked, filled with different ingredients, from chicken to beef, to beans and cheese. They offer a nice selection of vegetarian dishes.

The decor has an authentic feel with its wooden tables and chairs that are a bit run down and plenty of religious figurines on the wall.

 as well as satiric figurines of politicians...

I admit that the only one I recognized was Hugo Chavez...

The service in the restaurant was efficient and extremely courteous. The menu is simple and features items that cost less than $8, at the exception of course of the tasting platters that they propose.

We started by ordering some banana milkshakes.

They had a little bit of cinnamon on top. It was more liquid than a traditional milkshake, that is good considering that it was more a drink to go with the meal rather than being a dessert. Unfortunately and contrary to the last time we went there, it did not have as much banana taste.

For appetizers, we first ordered the guasacaca & chips.

It is in fact guacamole with chips made with plantains and taro roots. The guacamole was very good and fresh, while the chips were deliciously crispy and not at all greasy.

The second appetizer was the tajadas.

It is fried sweet plantains with cheese. The cheese was salty, making it a perfect ingredient to counterbalance the sweetness of the plantains. This was a fantastic appetizer and I could not stop eating it!

Then came the arepas. My brother picked the one called "De Pabellon".

It was made of shredded beef, black beans, white salted cheese and sweet plantains. I did not try it, but my brother loved it and told us that it was his favorite food from the whole trip!

Jodi chose the one called "La Del Gado".

It is an arepa composed of plantains, avocado and white cheese. These are simple ingredients, but I have to say that it was the best! It has some nice flavors and the avocado added some freshness to the dish. The salted cheese and sweet plantains complemented each other well. This was a hit!

On my side, I picked the "La Mulata".

An arepa filled with sweet plantains, black beans, jalapenos and sauteed red peppers. This was very good, but when you eat the jalapenos, your mouth starts quickly to get on fire! It is a bit attenuated by the cheese and plantains, but still, it is a bit hot!

We skipped dessert as we were full! When you see the arepas coming, you may think it will not be enough, but trust me: it is!

For dinner, we went to have a steak at Dino & Harry in Hoboken (review of Dino & Harry here). Each time I have visitors from France, I tell them that they should try the meat in a steakhouse; there is no doubt in my mind: the meat in the US is way better than the meat in France.
Dino & Harry is a great steakhouse, but, as most of the restaurants of that kind, it is pretty dark inside, so the photos are not great...I therefore decided not to publish them!

Jodi and my brother ordered the petite filet mignon that was very tender and juicy, served with mushrooms. I decided to order the ribeye that was magnificent: perfectly cooked medium rare, juicy, extremely tender with a nice char. For sides, we went for the French fries (mediocre) and the onion rings (delicious and not too greasy). Oh, I forgot to mention the sauces: the bearnaise sauce is always perfect, but I did not really like the roasted garlic aioli.

As we had a bit of space left after this fantastic dinner, we went for the chocolate mousse: it was very dense, not too sweet with a very pronounced chocolate flavor.

I have never been disappointed in that place!

On Friday, we decided to go to Little Italy and see if for San Gennaro, we would find some succulent food!

I was a bit disappointed because, besides the stands for iconic places such as La Bella Ferrara pastry shop, it was the usual sausage and meatball stands you would see in a street fair. So we decided to eat in one of the restaurants over there. We first went to Da Nico, but nobody bothered taking care of us. So we left and ended up at Benito One. 

We picked this restaurant simply because we saw people already eating there and we were in kind of a rush (I tried to check on the internet which restaurant was the best, but unfortunately had no service...).

Jodi ordered a tomato and mozzarella salad.

It was served with roasted peppers and basil leaves. I think it is the worst tomato & mozzarella salad I ever had, that is pretty incredible considering how easy it is to make! It was under seasonned, had barely any olive oil and the mozzarella was horrible! The roasted peppers were the only things I enjoyed.

My brother ordered the homemade cheese ravioli.

They were served with a tomato and basil sauce. It was a good dish: the ravioli were not too doughy and the sauce was good although simple.

On my side, I ordered the homemade gnocchi.

They came in a tomato, shallots and cream sauce. The gnocchi were ok, but overall, the dish was bland.

Benito One was clearly not a good choice for lunch! I will definitely have to try to find the best Italian restaurant in Little Italy: this will be my next quest! Anyway, if you know any, please send me an email at jp@ijustwanttoeat.com

So, of course, we skipped dessert at Benito One and walk few feet away to the Stuffed Artisan Cannolis! We saw them on a TV show and were dying to try them!

They started 5 years ago and their idea is to put a twist to the traditional cannoli. So, for instance, they have coconut, French toast or nutella.

We decided to try (from left to right): nutella (of course!), French toast, Birthday cake, regular, regular and chocolate. Of course, these cannolis are not full size! They are half the size of regular ones.

The shell of the cannolis was good and crispy, but the filling was not: the nutella one barely tasted nutella; the regular had an off taste; the birthday cake was just ok. The French toast was good with a nice maple syrup flavor, but it was not something I would crave. 

For dinner that Friday, we decided to go to Southern Hospitality (review of Southern Hospitality here). BBQ is an amazing thing to discover as we do not have that in France. We have grilling, but not the slow cooking so particular to BBQ! And Southern Hospitality is the perfect place for some tasting!

We decided to order several dishes: for appetizer, we went for the fried green tomatoes.

These are amazing! Not greasy, very tasty, the tomato had a nice crunch. It was served with a BBQ ranch dipping sauce that is so good that I would just drink it!

We also shared some corn bread and Mac & Cheese.

The corn bread was wonderful and came warm with a delicious honey butter. The Mac & Cheese was perfect! Creamy and full of cheese!

Then came the meat! What I like about Southern Hospitality is that they propose some tasting portions so you can try different meats. We started off with the fried chicken.

It was good, but not the best I ever had: the breading was falling off as we started cutting the bird...Southern Hospitality also proposes fried chicken and waffles that I love!
By the way, as an anecdote, the first time I tried fried chicken when I was leaving in Paris was at...KFC...

Then we got the brisket.

That was a fantastic piece of meat!!! I did not even need a knife to cut it! It was amazingly good, tender and moist, that is what is sometimes a miss with brisket. I would have eaten more...

Last was the dry rub Memphis style spare-ribs.

Delicious as usual: the meat was falling off the bone and was incredibly tasty with some nice fat in some areas (yes, fat can be good!).

We could not leave that place without having a dessert...My brother went for the key lime pie.

It was very good: creamy and not too sweet with a nice whipped cream on top to counterbalance the acidity of the lime.

But my favorite was the banana pudding.

The banana pudding at Southern Hospitality is the best I ever had! It has vanilla wafers and caramelized bananas on top. It is pure heaven: very creamy and rich, each bite makes you want more. Then you reach the bottom and you get some crumbled cookies, wishing that there was more! It is definitely something to try!

That dinner at Southern Hospitality was definitely a hit and a perfect way to showcase some specialties from the South.

Saturday was the last day...We decided to go to brunch. The brunch concept is not as popular in France as it is here. Many years ago, when I was living in Paris, I used to go with my friends for a Sunday brunch, but it was a novelty (we used to go to Le Loup Blanc that still serves a brunch for 22 EUR with all you can eat croissants and chocolate croissants!).  

I checked on opentable.com and found this place few blocks from Times Square as it was one of the places we were supposed to see. We ended up at 44 1/2 on 44th street and 10th Avenue.

This place is pretty cool, very modern and very bright.

It has a nice patio in the back...

...that you can see behind the corn bread!

They serve traditional brunch dishes such as eggs, French toast...

Jodi went for the California Omelet.

It was made with egg whites, tomatoes, spinach, mozzarella and avocado on top. It was pretty good. The eggs were perfectly cooked and it was a great healthy dish. On the top left side, you can see some fruits cut into cubes: all the dishes had some. Great idea to clean your palate at the end!

My brother ordered the andouille sausage frittata.

It was made with green onions, white cheddar and truffle oil. Very good dish too, although I missed the taste of the truffle oil...

On my side, I ordered the crab cakes benedict.

It was served with a homemade Hollandaise sauce that was delicious. The crab cakes were not the best I ever had, but I enjoyed it! It had a bit of sweetness that reminded me my first attempt at crab cakes!

This was a great brunch, but we were so stuffed at the end that we decided to pass on dessert and walk on the high line...

Of course, after that walk, we needed a snack and we thought that it would be a great idea to go, before my brother took his flight, to the Doughnut Plant (review of the Doughnut Plant here).

Jodi got her coconut donut, my brother the peanut butter and banana one and for me, I simply ordered the tres leches that is one of their best selling and always a hit!

We had a great time with my brother and wish we had more time together. I would have had for sure found so many other places to try: deli (Junior's), bagels,...It will be for another time!


We enjoyed (we did)!

And remember: I just want to EAT!

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Gobuki Korean BBQ Food Cart in NYC, New York

In the past few years, New York has seen Food Trucks and carts popping up all around. The beauty of it is that it is not just the hot dogs cooked in dirty water, but different types of cuisine, from all around the world. Some used it as a way to start a business and opened later a brick and mortar restaurant, like the Taco Truck in Hoboken. Others just opened food carts / trucks in different locations like The Hallal Guys or Yogo (Frozen yoghurt).

Of course, some people might still be worried of the sanitary conditions and when the restaurants grades were introduced in New York, some people advocated to have a similar concept for food carts and trucks. I am not really scared of trying food cart and so decided to try Gobuki.


It is a Korean BBQ Food Cart, that popped up approximately 6 months ago on the corner of 52nd and 6 avenue in New York. Their food is a typical Korean food, so do not expect any twist like Korean Tacos! Their traditional menu offers:

• Kalbi plate or sandwich: marinated beef short ribs.
• Bulgogi plate or sandwich: marinated beef rib eye.
• Spicy chicken: marinated chicken with spicy sauce.
• Stir fried noodles and vegetables.
• Udon soup: Japanese noodle soup.
• Vegetable fried dumplings.

Prices are pretty reasonable, going as low as $4 for the dumplings and as high as $8 for the Kalbi plate.

I decided to go with the bulgogi sandwich.

When I ordered it, they first steamed the bread that was kind of an amoroso bread, similar to a cheesesteak. At the same time, they heat the meat, the onion and some sauce for few minutes. Then place all of it on the bread and added a delicious sauce. When ordering, they ask if you want to have it spicy or not. I decided not. 

I really liked it: the bread was very good, although at some point the sandwich broke down because of the juiciness of the meat and onions mix. The meat was delicious, tender and there was no fat. 

My friend Bill chose to go with the bulgogi plate.

It is equivalent to the sandwich but without the bread and with some slaw and rice. He liked the meat, but said that there was not enough sauce for the rice. I guess you can ask for more sauce!

Overall, I like Gobuki Korean BBQ: the sandwich was tasty and delicious! Definitely a food cart to go back to or to try!

Enjoy (I did)!

 

Awesome BBQ at Southern Hospitality Restaurant in New York City!

If you read my previous posts, you know that I love BBQ. So I really wanted to try Southern Hospitality in New York. I went to the location in Hell's kitchen. I like the place: it had a certain warmth, probably because of all the wood around, from the floor to the high ceiling, with wood letter going all around the restaurant. There was a great photo of Elvis as a boxer, that I guess is from the movie Kid Galahad from 1962. The service was good, but the food took a long time to come to our table!

So, this place is all about BBQ! All the traditional BBQ items are there: ribs, brisket, chicken...They also have the High on the Hog platter that costs $3000! It is an assorted appetizers platter that includes buffalo fried shrimp, fried pickles, hush puppies, nachos, hot wings, cheesesteak rolls. Then, wet and dry Memphis style spare-ribs, baby back ribs, 1/2 BBQ chicken, four sides and corn bread. To justify the price, you get a magnum of Armand de Brignac brut (note that the brut gold magnum costs $700, so not sure what makes the difference between $700 and $3000). Needless to say that I did not go for this....

In term of food, you have many choices:

• For lunch, they have a $14.95 menu (at time of post) where you will choose an appetizer and an entree.
• You can pick from the menu.
• You can choose a combo platter.
• You can pick different items for $5.95 (time of post). This is what I decided to do.

This was a mistake: the food was delicious, but I did not expect, for that price, so much food!!! The waitress should have told me it was too much, but I guess she was mostly concerned by her tip...

I picked the Dry Rubbed Memphis-Style Spare Ribs (two).

I loved it: the meat was so tender and moist! The dry rub was delicious and not too overpowering.

I aslo tried the brisket.

I am not a huge fan of brisket, but have to say that this was awesome! The brisket is usually a bit dry, but this was not!









Then came the roasted chicken. I asked for breast but you can ask for a thigh if you'd like. This was also pretty good, but not my favorite.

They also have some amazing fried shrimp! Yes, at this point, you are wondering when this post will stop. It was a feast so keep reading! So, back to the shrimp: they were fried but not greasy at all and tasty. I liked the fact that it was not baby shrimp...It was served with two sauces: no idea what they were!






Now, let's talk about sides! Remember the lunch menu? Well, they serve the Mac & Cheese, entree portion. This was huge! But so good! These were probably the best Mac & Cheese I ever had! So creamy!

Last were the tater tots: very good, crispy and not greasy!

It was definitely a feast and I loved it! Definitely a great place for BBQ! But do not do what I did...Otherwise you will have tons of leftovers!

Enjoy (I did)!

Awesome BBQ at Brother Jimmy's BBQ in NYC

Chain restaurants are not always great: average quality of food and bland. So I did not expect much when I went to Brother Jimmy's BBQ Midtown, after seeing an horror movie (I was hungry for meat; mmh...can it be related???).

The restaurant had two floors: bar in the bottom (hence checking my ID) and the restaurant upstairs, quieter. Definitely, you do not go there for a romantic dinner: it is a bar like feel. Anyway, I prefer that they focus on the food, not the decor!!!

As I love meat, I went for the Jimmy's pig pick that is your selection of four choices between:

- Ribs: either Northern, Southern or Dry rub style,

- Pulled pork,

- Brisket,

- BBQ chicken or pulled chicken.

I went for:

• The Northern style ribs that are smoked and then grilled with Brother Jimmy's original BBQ sauce. It was delicious: the meat was tender and had a very nice smokiness.
• The dry rub ribs: smoked with Brother Jimmy's signature rub that tastes like a country sausage. It was just ok for me: it definitely tasted like sausage, but it was too dry. I added some BBQ sauce that was on the table. I should have gone with the Southern style!
• The BBQ chicken: nicely cooked and moist. Loved it.
• The brisket: it was smoked for up to 12 hours; I am happy I did not wait that long! It was very good. The meat was lean and nicely smoked.

They serve the plate with hush puppies (cornmeal deep fried meatball) and cole slaw. I like the slaw that was a good thing to eat from time to time between the meat, but did not like the hush puppies that were too dry.

The plate was huge and overall pretty good. It was a lot of food and there was no place for any dessert!

I was also able to try the cheeseburger: good and juicy. The meat had some taste!

And the Mac and Cheese (with the cheeseburger, you pick a side): not the best but pretty decent. It was not dry but a bit more cheese would have been great.

For those who like to drink, they also have some giant fishbowls full of alcohol! Could be a good way to forget that you will eat that big plate you ordered or that you will have to pay for dinner to apologize for the poor attitude you have when you are...drunk...

A the end of the dinner, I was stuffed! Brother Jimmy's BBQ is definitely a good place to go for BBQ.

Enjoy (I did)!