Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

Filed under American, Upper West Side · Print This Post

646 West 131st Street and Twelfth Avenue
212/694.1777
about $60 for two racks and eight sides, without drinks, without tip
♥ ♥

Update: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is moving to 125th and Twelfth Avenue after Columbia University takes over

People have been talking about Dinosaur Bar-B-Que since it opened in 2004. I just didn’t have a clue about how many people. Jase and Mia came down from Brooklyn to eat barbeque with the Dr. and me one weekend. I was surprised that only a 9pm table was available for four people but I was flabbergasted when the restaurant was crowded. Sure, it was basketball night, but this is uptown and way above 14th Street. Where did everyone come from? I felt guilty that I was the last one to make an effort to visit. And I live about fifteen blocks away!

When we were finally seated and the the live band started playing in the other side of the room, we ate our fried green tomatoes. We also ordered two of the Sweetheart plates: a full rack of pork ribs plus four sides. Soon enough, our table was covered with macaroni and cheese, French fries, coleslaw and cornbread. Mia is almost vegan, but she politely watched the three of us devour our meat while she ate her iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing. (I told Jase that she was a keeper after he finished one of the racks all by himself without her glaring.)

I’ve gone through lengths to eat a good barbeque. I once spent $70 for a round-trip cab ride from the Houston airport to find Burn’s BBQ after an Anthony Bourdain episode. I’ve even smoked my own 8-pound pork shoulder. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que makes eating good barbeque in New York City easier for fanatics like me. Their kind of barbeque is my favorite. The meat is moist and falls off the bone with a dainty touch of the fork. There’s a very faint sweet taste which makes the burnt ends even better. Everything else on our table was icing on the cake.

Related post/s:
Head downtown for R.U.B.
If you have the patience, smoke your own pork shoulder

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R.U.B. Righteous Urban Barbeque

Filed under American, Chelsea + Meatpacking District · Print This Post

208 West 23rd Street off Seventh Avenue
212/524.4300
a large enough bill for 20 people including drinks and tip
♥ ♥

R.U.B., or Righteous Urban Barbeque, was the only restaurant in the city that was accommodating to more than 20 people. We had a few things to celebrate at work and, as usual, I got stuck with the task of organizing a get-together. Daisy May’s did not want a large group before 8pm. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que was too far for my co-workers. Virgil’s was too touristy. After bowling at Leisure Time in the Port Authority Terminal, we all took the subway down to Chelsea to eat. R.U.B. does not take reservations, but the guy on the phone told me coming in with a big group before 6pm won’t be a problem. Sure enough, we were seated on a long table in the back after giving them a call ten minutes beforehand to tell them that we were on our way.

I’m not a barbeque expert but I later found out that R.U.B.’s specialty is Kansas City style. I also realized after my visit that it’s not my favorite. I thought the ribs were a little dry. I much preferred the pork butt which was very soft. The meat fell off the large bone and it had an addicting burnt cover I could not stop picking on. The fried green tomatoes and the cornbread were comparable from what I’ve tasted elsewhere. Their sandwiches were served with only pickles but the rest was far more generous. They got sufficient beer on tap, but none were my personal favorites.

R.U.B.’s space is a little tight. The friendly staff makes it an anomaly in the Chelsea neighborhood, but there’s nothing wrong with that, even if you come out smelling like smoked meat.

Related post/s:
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is uptown
I’ve made my own North Carolina pulled pork at home

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