Who Do You Trust? - AOL/City Search Names New York City's Best Barbecue

This came into my email today....

City's Best Winners - Barbecue - Restaurants and Nightlife ...
Spanky's BBQ, 6th. Pig'n Out Barbeque, 7th. Bone Lick Park, 8th. Pies-N-Thighs, 9th. Sawa BBQ, 10th. 617 9th Ave,New York ... m.aol.com/citysbest/.../citysbestResults.do?...

OK - I'm always interested in what others think about the New York BBQ scene, but looking over this little email notification, something was clearly amiss. Spanky's came in at number 6? Spanky's has been closed since early 2009 as I reported back on January 28, 2009! Sawa is also closed - and I don't think they ever were a barbecue joint. Bar BQ is also long gone as is Pig'n Out.

WTF is going on here? I've always heard that the "leaders" in the review world could be bought. Is this evidence? Why would AOL/City Search list FOUR closed restaurants as part of the top ten and leave out NYC's current leaders like RUB, Wildwood, Hill Country, The Waterfront Ale House etc? I call shenanigans!

In case you're interested, here's AOL/City Search's top 10 BBQ joints of New York City - for what it's worth. And that ain't much.

1. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
2. Virgil's Barbecue
3. Blue Smoke
4. Bar BQ
5. Daisy May's BBQ
6. Spanky's BBQ
7. Pig'n Out Barbeque
8. Bone Lick Park
9. Pies-N-Thighs
10. Sawa BBQ

PS - That rib picture that leads this post is from the incredible RUB! You need to check them out whenever you're in Manhattan.

Mac and Cheese at The Waterfront Ale House

I still have a lot to talk about with our meal from The Waterfront Ale House, but today I'm going to skip around a little in our menu and talk about what was probably the most controversial dish of the night - the Macaroni and Cheese. Que scary stabbing music now.

Yes folks, the macaroni and cheese was the most talked about dish on the menu at the Ale House. "Why?" You ask. Simply because it wasn't your traditional orange powder cheese sauce. As mac and cheese go, this is a very light version which works perfectly as a side dish. Its flavors won't overwhelm the main entree.

Sam and Ralph's Macaroni and Cheese is a home made version using Adams Reserve New York Extra Sharp Cheddar and elbow noodles. This ain't nothing like what you get out of that blue box and it ain't nothing like your mama used to make. Hence the controversy. Either you love this or you hate it.

But you know what? This mac and cheese is exactly like MY momma used to make. And my wife still makes it this way. I love it. It's nowhere near as gooey or chessey as what you get from the box, it doesn't involve a bechamel sauce and it comes together relatively quickly.

Here's what you do - dump one pound of cooked elbow macaroni into a buttered baking dish. Stir in one can of Campbell's condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup. Stir in one teaspoon dried mustard. Add in one pound of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese. Add up to one half pound of an additional easy melting cheese - use whatever you have on hand. Mix thoroughly. Top with flavored bread crumbs. Arrange pats of butter on top and bake until bubbly.

Now I don't think that's Sam and Ralph's recipe, but it sure is a good copy. Enjoy.

March Madness at the Waterfront Ale House

On Monday night, March Madness woke like a lion with an outstanding meal at The Waterfront Ale House with the New York BBQ Lover's Meetup Group. Sam Barbieri and his cook Ralph really put out an incredible feast for us. Going to the Waterfront Ale House was a bit of a departure for the group as we usually focus on "BBQ joints" and Sam describes the Ale House as a "restaurant that serves food with a small selection of barbecue."

First up was chicken bacon poppers. Jalapeno peppers filled with cheese, wrapped by thin chicken breast and encased in house smoked bacon and glazed with barbecue sauce. How could you go wrong?

These were just fantastic. I could have eaten a dozen of these, but unfortunately I had to share with my other group members.

I don't know if it's just me, but jalapenos don't seem to have the heat they used to. Most of these jalapenos were very mild, so much so that some of the folks at the table thought the "green stuff" was spinach.

Up next were some house double smoked bacon BLTs and margarita buffalo shrimp. Now I was in heaven. The margarita buffalo shrimp is marinated in Sam's own house made hot sauce. Now that is some good stuff. These shrimp were huge, spicy and sweet at the same time. Again, I didn't want to share. I wonder if Sam will share this recipe.

The BLT's were a bit a of a miss. The dominant flavor in this sandwich was the bun. A great bun that it is, I still prefer the fillings to dominate the flavor of my sandwiches.

The filling that were there were tasty, but the bacon was overcooked. I really liked the sauce, but I didn't get a chance to really explore it. Was it a home made Russian dressing or more of a tarter sauce? Maybe one of the other members of the group can tell me.

This was followed by barbecue bologna sandwiches. Sam and Ralph take Boar's Head bologna and smoke it in house.

I have to admit that I approached these sandwiches a bit cautiously. It's been a long time since I've had bologna and the last time someone gave me a "smoked bologna" sandwich it made me gag. Childhood memories don't help when it comes to my relationship with bologna. It was always the "loser" sandwich as I was growing up.

Not that it happened here! The smoked bologna was flavorful and moist. I really enjoyed these, although in this case, I would have preferred to lose one layer of meat. Sometimes the texture of bologna is a little tough for me to take.

This post is getting a bit long and I'm still not done with the appetizers. More tomorrow. While you're waiting, get your butt over to the Waterfront Ale House, either in Brooklyn or on Second Avenue in Manhattan. Trust me you'll be glad you did.

Wordless Wednesday

Tonight Only at the Water Front Ale House

WATERFRONT ALE HOUSE
540 SECOND AVE
NEW YORK NEW YORK 10016
212-696-4104

Left Hand Brewery Night
Thursday 1-14-10 6-8PM
Come meet the brewers

PRINT & BRING THIS FOR A FREE BEER & GLASS

Photograph courtesy of Pig Trip. Used without permission, but I'm pretty sure it's OK.

BBQ Events: First Friday Blues

There's a barbecue joint in New York City, actually there's two them, who get no respect. They're the Waterfront Ale House in Manhattan and Pete's Ale House in Brooklyn.

They're both run by my friend and fellow competitor Sam Barbieri who also happens to be the pit master for the Fuggedaboutit BBQ team, supporter of New York's only sanctioned bbq contest, Grillin' On The Bay, and a damn fine cook.

The reason that both the Waterfront Ale House and Pete's Ale House get no respect in the barbecue community is that they're primarily bars with a full menu but with a limited amount of barbecue being served. But, to use some old New York slang, the barbeque they serve is choice. They offer pulled pork, 14 hour smoked brisket, chicken and award winning barbecue spare ribs. What more can one want?

And what could go better with barbeque than blues? Every first Friday it's The First Friday Blues Show at the Waterfront Ale House in Manhattan. The party starts at 11:00 PM. This month the band is The Black Coffee Blues Band. See you there!

March Madness: Restaurant Week

Hey there boys and girls, guess what? It's Restaurant Week here in WhiteTrash BBQ world, which just happens to be in the City of Brooklyn.

Restaurant Week is a great chance to sample a lot of the more pricey restaurants for at a price most working stiffs can afford. Oh sure, some restaurants play games like marking up the price of drinks or water, but most view this as an opportunity to drum up new business.

This year's deal is 3 courses for $23. Damn, that's a great deal! You can hit up some of Brooklyn's finest, fanciest and pricey-est places on the cheap and never let your date know.

One of the places I'm going, cause I go there anyway is The Waterfront Ale House over on Atlantic Avenue. I reviewed this place back in 2005, but have been back many many times. I need to update the reviews! I haven't written about them since.

So, my WhiteTrash lovin' folks, jump at this chance to check out The Waterfront Ale House. Remember, 3 courses for $23. With this wonderful Bush economy, I don't think you'll be getting this chance again.

Over on the March Madness front, dinner tonight was a bowl of chicken soup. I still haven't shed this damn cold/flu.