Writing With My Mouth Full

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

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

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.

R.U.B. Righteous Urban Barbeque

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

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.

Where to eat in Reykjavik, Iceland: Kebab Husid

Because Iceland is famous for its cod, the Dr. became very interested in eating fish and chips after reading about the Kebab House. The name doesn’t scream fish and chips, but the writeup proclaimed it offered the best in the city. Because cod is plentiful in Iceland, I assume Kebab House had several chances to get them right.

The downtown location closed after the building burned down in the corner of Austurstraeti and Laekjargata. We had to drive to their other location on Grensasvegur. We drove to what looked like a plaza mall before heading out to the airport. It felt like we were transformed to a London pub as soon as we walked in. All the TVs were on showing football games. Famous jerseys were hanging on the walls. Blokes were drinking beer and smoking cigarettes while playing billiards. It wasn’t even noon yet.

The Dr. ordered fish and chips. I ordered the lamb gyro because I was still insistent on having good lamb before leaving Iceland. We’ve had fish and chips from England to Harlem and they’ve all tasted differently because of the fish used and how they were fried. The Kebab House cod version was light and not weighed down by so much batter. I’m not sure what oil they use but the fish was definitely not soaking wet. The chips were also light and crispy.

The gyro was nothing special. I could not finish the heavy pita anyway, but I have to say the lamb chunks tasted better and were more flavorful than my overdone saddle of lamb the night before.

Kebab Husid is on Grensasvegur 3
Where to stay in Reykjavik for cheap: Reykjavik Hostel

Where to eat in Reykjavik, Iceland: Baejarins Beztu Pylsur

Our Iceland guide books made such a big deal about Baejarins Beztu Pylsur that we had to check it out. It’s a hot dog stand on Posthusstraeti, next to the Kolaportio flea market on weekends, and it’s lauded by eager locals as one of Iceland’s national foods.

When we walked by before noon, the line was already long. They must be good hot dogs, right?

I’m from New York City and we have Nathan’s and Sabrett hot dogs on the streets. We have Gray’s Papaya and Sparky’s. But perhaps Reykjavik has a say, too. So we joined the queue and bought ourselves a hot dog–what they call “A Clinton” after Bill Clinton made a stop during one of his trips to the country.

The verdict? We ordered a hot dog with ketchup and mustard. I added fried onions on mine. It looked like a hot dog and, well, it tasted like a hot dog. What’s the big deal again?

Baejarins Beztu Pylsur is on Posthusstraeti 101
Where to stay in Reykjavik for cheap: Reykjavik Hostel

Where to eat in Reykjavik, Iceland: Vin og Skel

For our first dinner in Reykjavik, we ended up at Vin og Skel on a small alley off the main shopping street of Laugavegur. We didn’t have reservations, but when we walked in, the waitress led us to the only two-person table upstairs. We were surrounded by two large groups. It felt like we were crashing two different parties. Their entire menu was written on a blackboard which reminded me of any laid-back New England seafood restaurant, but the seafood at Vin og Skel was better than any I’ve had here in the States.

Owner Kristjan Noi is not shy about experimenting, but the best dishes were the simplest. A pail of mussels was comforting in some broth flavored with leeks. My glass of white wine wasn’t as cold as I would have liked, so the mussels made me wish I ordered beer instead.

My main dish, part of the “surprise menu” I selected, was a lobster-catfish-monkfish combination with white sauce. The dish was a little too salty but the lobster and the fish were the freshest I’ve had in a long time. Both fish were cooked just right: the meat tender with some give. The Dr.’s bacalao, or cod, an abundant fish in Iceland, was also really good. Unfortunately, it was also oversalted. His came with brown stock and potatoes, which were perfect to combat the chill coming in through the French doors next to the kitchen.

They were offering minke whale carpaccio as a special. I am currently doing research about whaling in Iceland to see if the meat for sale in their markets are from scientific research only, but that night, the Dr. and I simply couldn’t resist. The whale meat was of a deep-burgundy red, like beets, sliced thinly and drizzled with olive oil. The tops of what looked like radish greens had the perfect bitter taste to accompany the beefiness of the whale. It wasn’t at all fishy and it tasted like a very expensive cut of beef. The Dr. felt more awful than I did because he loves to fish, but when asked if he’ll eat it again, say in Japan where it’s also “allowed,” he said yes.

We ended our night with creme brulee served with a dainty gooseberry on top. It came with my prix fixe. Our temples were pounding because of the salt we’ve consumed and my eyes were a little tired from squinting all night because the space was not well lit. In the end, both helped us fork over our $200 with only a glass of wine and a Pillsner Urquel. We saved a lot of money while we were on the road but we surely blew a lot just in one night!

Vin og Skel is on Laugavegur 55, + 354 534-4700
Where to stay in Reykjavik for cheap: Reykjavik Hostel