Restaurant Review Revisted: Brooklyn BBQ
In November I wrote a restaurant review of my favorite (to date) NYC BBQ restaurant: Biscuit, which is located in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
BISCUIT BBQ: Slow-smoked Ribs, Chicken, Brisket, Pork and More! 230 Fifth Avenue (at President Street), Brooklyn, NY 11215
One of Daily Gotham's favorite Greens, "Anncoulter," disagreed with my positive review. She has every right to disagree and I am ready and willing to be convinced that her BBQ is better than Biscuit's! But, with her disagreement fresh in my mind, my family returned to Biscuit.
A couple of weeks ago was my wife's birthday and my step-daughter made 6th grade honor roll. So, to celebrate I wanted to take us out to dinner, and Biscuit was their choice.
My positive opinion of Biscuit was reaffirmed big time! To quote my wife as she reacquainted herself with their double dipped fried chicken: "This is still the best fried chicken I've ever had." I was too busy gobbling delicious food to answer.
Their fried chicken is nearly perfect (though I still maintain they need to add a touch more flavor). The pulled pork is wonderful. The BBQ beans (a new item that wasn't offered at their original, Flatbush location I think) were delicious. The mac and cheese doesn't have the great peppery flavor it used to, but is still good (and I am not a mac and cheese fan usually). Cheese grits well worth the shortened life expectancy. All great. Even their biscuits are improved. I always thought them too dry at the Flatbush location, but now they are better.
I dimly remember one caveat to our love of Biscuit: the ribs. I haven't eaten their ribs in many years. They aren't my favorite (though I have had short ribs in North Carolina I would die for), so I often don't order them. But my step daughter used to. We found they were highly variable: sometimes great, sometimes kind of nasty. We have not tried them at their new location yet, so I cannot vouch for the ribs. But every other item we have had, including many of their desserts, are wonderful.
So, I am still very open to being convinced by "Anncoulter's" homemade Texas BBQ...but until she invites us over, I have to say, Biscuit is still the best BBQ I have had in NYC to date.
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Community | Culture | Food | Brooklyn
BBQ
Submitted by mole333 on 17 December 2006 - 11:09pm.
Well, here we got a difference of opinion...despite being Jewish, I'll take pork BBQ over beef anyday. I think in some way I take after my wife's grandfather. He was a good, kosher jew until serving in the army. Back then you ate what they gave you and he ate it...including bacon. He could never stop eating pork, so kosher went out the window.
I love pork too much to be kosher. Back when I could really put time into cooking, I wrapped meatloaf in bacon. I cooked a spicy pork shoulder stew (inspired by a Paul Prudomme recipe) that was killer.
But I actually never was much for BBQing my own stuff. I have always been good at making marinades and once turned some rawhide tough meat into something fantastic with an overnight marinade, but I always left the actual cooking to others. I do better baking and stewing stuff.
I also will note that I do not think Biscuit is the best BBQ I have had. Had much better pretty much anywhere in N. Carolina, in a place in Oakland with a blast furnace like oven with sides of meat cooking, and a handful of other places. In NYC Virgils used to be the best we could find, and Blue Smoke would be great if they added some real flavor and cut their prices in half. Dallas BBQ isn't worth the time and money, by and large.
Now, I am fully expecting "Anncoulter" and "Mork" to compete for "best Texas BBQ in Brooklyn" with me as the judge. I warn you, though. It takes me several tries to make my choice. After all, I am a scientist and have to make sure my data is repeatable.
When's the first taste test?
You sparked...
Submitted by anncoulter on 18 December 2006 - 2:56pm.
my husband's competitve side, and I am getting nervous. Cooking a better BBQ than Biscuit is one thing (even with my silly stove-top smoker), but competing against Mork, a Texan? Darn, what did I get myself into? And several tries? How many tries exactly? More than two respectively is somewhat suspicious.
Now before we pick the date/s we should have some rules: brisket or ribs or both, sides and how many, as well as dessert. Also, does Mork have a backyard which could give him an edge because smoking meat in a steel drum tends to be better. (I just assume he would have one because I would if I had a backyard)
Oh yeah, rule # 1: you bring the beer!
Let the Games begin!
Submitted by mole333 on 18 December 2006 - 3:36pm.
My preference is for brisket, but then again I also consider it worth letting the cooks choose for themselves whatever is their best medium. Of course we could have sepearate brisket AND rib competitions, right ; -)
Any sides are fine with me as long as there's nothing green in it. I mean, day to day we eat healthy enough, but in this kind of thing greens just take up space that good meat and starch could occupy!
Mork...do we have a competition? Any other BBQ fanatics want to compete?
I guess I would have to cook in return someday, though it would not be BBQ since that has never really been my specialty. But I have ample recipes in my head I can draw on.
Right!
Submitted by anncoulter on 19 December 2006 - 12:43am.
Or? What do ya think Mole? Shall we include him? Of course all Green Party Bashing shall be banned in our humble home, call it rule # 2. Oh yeah, you gotta bring some beer too. Gotta check the schedule, looks like the Cowboys are making the playoffs, though football and bbq go hand-in-hand provided you like football (though it still beats me why on earth this game is called football).
I am feeling the heat now
Submitted by morkfrombrooklyn (not verified) on 19 December 2006 - 3:41am.
I am feeling the heat now and I ain't no great BBQ'er (apt living can kill your grill skills) but I am game to this challenge. But I ain't watching no Cowboys football! I'm from Houston remember 
Of course there is no more "Luv ya blue" and the Texans...well.....no playoffs for Houston for a long time.
Hmmm...
Submitted by mole333 on 19 December 2006 - 9:11am.
I don't know...he didn't write any restaurant reviews, did he?
I know...maybe if he can get Biscuit to join in the competition as a publicity stunt...maybe even fund it. Maybe even a full scale Texas vs. North Carolina BBQ cook off? THEN we can let him join : -)
Not a huge football fan myself, particularly since baby wrangling generally precludes paying attention to anything for any length of time. But then again, if everyone else is watching football, gives me more chances to eat all the best stuff.
LOL! You probably didn't
LOL! You probably didn't know this but I'm from texas as well (Houston) and the first thing I saw when i read your previous post (before the comments went up) was that you ain't never had good Texas BBQ. Biscuit is ok (the only place the wife and i eat BBQ here) but it is nothing next to what you can get back home. Annc. mentioned Ruby's but Goode Co. in Houston is great as well. In fact, it is my favorite. If they delivered accross country I would have one hell of a FedEx bill. Of course, to get real Texas BBQ you gotta eat someone's Dad's or an Uncle's BBQ fired up on a steel drum grill in the backyard ...that blows any of the restaurants I mentioned away. And that Southeastern BBQ from NC, GA and TN you can keep. Give me some beef anyday over pork BBQ.