Fatty Cue, NYC
With SF Beer Week in the rear view mirror, I’m trying to get caught up on some blog posts. I’ve still got a backlog of pictures from my January trip to New York City. One of the Highlights: Fatty Cue in Williamsburg, specializing in southeastern style BBQ.
After a brisk walk through a orthodox Jewish neighborhood, the restaurant was easy to pick out: it was the one with no hebrew sign, and instead, a pig. Upon sitting down the waitress asked if we have any food allergies. ”No” we replied, “Good – there is shellfish is just about everything.” My kind of place.
The drinks, complete with smokey and spicy touches, were just OK. On message, sure, but not my favorite (PDT, on the other hand, was great) Of course, I have no idea what they are now. But they are pretty!
Heritage Pork Ribs with smoked fish-palm syrup, Indonesian long pepper. The sauce is outstanding. But maybe because it was just the edge of the rack, the tenderness of meat left something to be desired.
Broccoli Salad, charred and raw, lemon preserve, lardo, toasted dry chili. Outstanding. I was a particular fan of the raw stalks, shaved into thin noodles. Little bits of lardo punctuated the dish perfectly.
Smoky Bone Broth: smoked bone broth with galangal, Chinese celery. I love a dish that simply stands as a statement of purpose. Simple but with complex flavors, nothing to hide behind, and a great warmer on a cold winter night.
Brandt Ranch Beef Brisket with chili jam, aioli, bao, pickled red onion, bone broth. Now we’re getting to the good stuff. Great smokey flavor and texture on the brisket, perfectly packaged as a makr your own bun.
Add a touch of the house sauce (the same that came on the ribs), which is sweet, but balanced with smoke and heat, and you’ve got something.
Our last dish was one of the highlights of the trip: Smoked Blue Crab Laksa. Loaded with crab, and a deep, rich broth overflowing with crabby goodness, it actually gave me pause to which side of the dungeness vs blue crab fight I stood on.
My friend Aaron heartily approved.
I came to New York demanding to be impressed. Show me the differences between SF and NYC food I thought. Fatty Cue did just that. While slightly uneven, the highs easy smoothed over my complaints, and left an impression on me. I could really go for a bowl of Crab Laksa right now.
