Cue the Yelpers! After the usual hyped anticipation, chef Zak Pelaccio and his Fatty Crab crew have returned to Williamsburg's Southside, just a couple blocks from where Pelaccio opened his first joint, the now-defunct Chickenbone Cafe. (That space, for those keeping score, seems at last poised to reopen as the small-plates cocktail lounge Dram, which is also across the street from the recently opened and routinely packed Pies 'n' Thighs.) Called Fatty 'Cue, this new triple-decker restaurant "unofficially" opened last night on South Sixth Street.

It's all about the smoke up in here. Two Ole Hickory smokers, which can smoke approximately 400 pounds of meat at a time, are integral to the menu. You can immediately taste their full effect in the must-have Smoked Blue Crab Soup ($15), which Pelaccio tells us is made from a time-intensive broth with smoked crab shells, and includes a hearty mix of maitake and shiitake mushrooms and daikon. On the whole, the menu emphasizes Southeast Asian cuisine and is obviously meat-centric, but not overwhelmingly decadent. The most filling options are probably the Pork Spare RIbs with smoked fish/palm syrup and Indonesian long pepper ($14); and the Lamb Shoulder, with goat yogurt with garlic and Vietnamese mint ($18).

Three well-designed floors can accommodate over 50 diners, with room for more once the back garden opens. Up in front, there are more tables by the warmly-illuminated bar, which serves bottled beer, wine, and specialty cocktails. Perhaps the most appropriate of these would be the Big Ben, made with the peaty Scotch Benromach, St. Germain, Campari, and orange. Don't let that dainty glass fool you; this little guy lives up to his name.

Fatty ’Cue // 91 South Sixth Street, Williamsburg // (718) 599-3090 // We're told the restaurant is not officially open until March 23rd, when it will serve dinner every day except Monday, from 4 p.m. on. Reservations only for parties of six or more.