Dinosaur BBQ Disappoints
Craig's Recipe-Ribs
I know that the Dinosaur BBQ outpost in Harlem boasts boatloads of passionate pig partisans. One of them, a friend from Chicago, took me there the other night. “You’ll love it,” she said. “It’s great barbecue.”
Sorry. No sale. I’ve traveled through much of the South, and this, folks, is no BBQ. I know NYC thinks of itself as one of the nation’s great centers of ‘cue, but you need to head south to get the real stuff. (For succulent pork, travel to Mr. B’s in White Post Virginia, just two short hours from DC, where you’ll find finger lickin’ great ‘cue and the best sweet potato pie anywhere.)
The pulled pork piled onto my sandwich at Dinosaur tasted like someone in the kitchen was still yanking on the poor pig who produced this mediocre fare. The meat was tough, rubbery and tasteless. Accompanied by watery over-sweet greens, the platter was a keen disappointment. A huge salad with candied walnuts tasted OK, but a chunk of cornbread failed to measure up to the muffins dished out by any corner coffee wagon guy.
Service was barely passable. I had to ask my waiter to refill my glass four times before it was finally refreshed. As for the noise level, it was high, but that’s to be expected in a ‘cue joint.
Dinosaur Barbecue 646 W 131st St. New York, NY 212 694 1777Related: Dinosaur BBQ: A Second Bite
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January 29th, 2009 | Tags: 10027, BBQ, dinosaur bbq, harmlem, Manhattan, New York City, pork, restaurants | Category: BBQ, Harlem, Manhattan, Uncategorized, restaurants
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January 29th, 2009 at 7:25 am
It’s my understanding that there are so few barbecue places in Manhattan because really good ‘cue is a time-consuming undertaking. And with labor costs, not to mention union restrictions, it becomes a costly one. Sounds like the barbecue you were served was pulled from the cooking process too soon.
Scott
August 22nd, 2009 at 8:00 am
You must have been on acid when you ate there, because DINO BBQ IS AMAZING!!!!
August 23rd, 2009 at 7:30 am
Well, no, but I did go back again. See subsequent post: Dinosaur BBQ: A Second Bite http://www.foodandthings.com/2009/04/dinosaur-bbq-a-second-bite/