Results tagged “dinosaurbar”

August 19: 8th Annual Blues & BBQ

Untitled, by Ryan at Citying.

If you go to Dinosaur Bar-B-Q up on West 131st Street in Harlem, you will have your choice of many saucy, porky specialties. (And there is beef brisket...mmm, brisket...) But Gothamist's favorite would have to be the "Swag Sampler Plate" which allows you to try spicy shrimp, deviled eggs, fried green tomatoes, and chicken wings. The chicken wings are quite exceptional, tender and juicy, with the right amount of BBQ sauce on them. We had these with one of the many much-stronger-than-you'd-think fruity drinks (there's even one called a Donkey Punch!) and was about to call it a day...but then our plate of ribs and brisket, with salad and mac & cheese sides came, so we downed an Zantac and continued on.

BBQ NYC, which is on Saturday, is already sold out, but you can still get your ribs on at the Sixth Annual Blues, Barbecue and Fireworks on Sunday. This year's participants include Daisy May’s BBQ U.S.A., plus relative newcomers Dinosaur Bar B Que, RIB, Smoked Barbecue, and Spanky’s BBQ. Gothamist on last year's event.

We've been there from the beginning: the first, and the second, so it goes without saying that when we found out about the 3rd Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, we knew we'd be going. But, we'll admit that last year, even though we were ultimately placated by some of the best barbecue in the country, we were pretty annoyed by the crowds and the lines. Apparently, we weren't the only ones. This year brought some welcome changes, including moving the event from the North side of Madison Park to the East side, providing more space and room for four additional pitmasters (hooray!), and creating the "Bubba Fast Pass" option, a VIP card which allowed cardholders and a guest to access the barbecue tents through a separate entrance, with little to no waiting involved.

Today: Danny Meyer's Shake Shack re-opens. People are all in a tizzy about this place. We have to admit, we like the burgers at the Burger Joint more, but we haven't tried the famed dogs and custard yet. It's only open from 11-4 through April, but extended hours start May 1st. Madison Square Park, Southeast Corner.

The New York Times reports that Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, wildly popular in Syracuse and Rochester, will be opening its Harlem outpost on December 1st. Gothamist has had the pleasure of eating in the Rochester branch and tasting their pulled pork sandwiches at Taste of New York (we actually went back for seconds!) and we have to admit we're pretty excited to see Dinosaur joining the ranks of New York's pit-smoked barbecue along with Pearson's Texas Barbecue, Daisy May's, Philly's Smoke House and Blue Smoke. But is there room for more 'cue? Dinosaur founder, owner and chef John Stage thinks so. "I don't think it's possible to saturate the New York market in any category, and especially not barbecue." Amen to that. Now pass the ribs.

Fall is in the air, bringing with it a handful of new restaurant openings. Both the Daily News and New York Magazine have released their Fall preview lists to get us ready for the season. Gothamist has whittled down the lists to create our own short list of places we'd like to hit first: