Year of the Pig

Yesterday, Squidocto, Alissa and myself were up for grabbing some pork-infused lunch and we decided to head over to try the long awaited Fette Sau in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We were all very hungry and excited, and we drove up alongside of their chain link fence to see that is was locked, razor wired and closed, as usual. I think this is about the fourth time I have tried to eat there. I don’t think it is ever open, which makes me sad. We are going to start calling it Geschlossene Sau, a much more fitting name.

But this story has a very happy ending, cause lucky for us there was another place in Williamsburg that I had been wanting to try: Pies and Thighs, on South Fifth and Kent Street, right in the shadow of the Williamsburg Bridge. We had enough energy left to get over there, and as soon as we drove by the place, I knew I was gonna love it.

Pies and Thighs is a tiny kitchen tacked onto the back of the Rock Star bar, a dark, stale-beer smelling dive bar with a typically colorful Brooklyn men’s room:

The kitchen itself is hardly more than a closet, full of activity and great looking food. A delicious looking rhubarb pie was being assembled as we looked over the menu, spelled out with moveable letters on an old board:

The dining room of Pies and Thighs is a concrete yard, sporting red and white plaid cloths covering the tables, a nice looking smoker, razor wire and graphitti, against the dramatic backdrop of the Williamsburg bridge. It’s a great looking place, Brooklyn charm at its best.

We placed our order in the kitchen and the staff were very friendly. Everything looked good, and we ordered up a nice sampling.

It was damn hot (90 degrees) out back so we opted for the stale indoors of the bar, sipping on our sweet, refreshing and delicious Lemonade Iced Tea drinks. I anxiously awaited our food, and when it came I was not disappointed. I, of course, opted for the pulled pork sandwich, with a side of Okra Pie. Squidocto tried the Fried Chicken with Mac and Cheese, and Alissa ordered the Catfish and Cornbread, with Collards.

No one hesitated to dig in and we all sampled everything.

I thought the pulled pork was top notch. Smokey and moist and full of flavor, not drowned in BBQ sauce. The other side of the open bun was loaded with a minced coleslaw, that I found quite good. The pork and slaw mixed with the bun as you ate, merging into one fully enjoyable, but messy, porky treat. The okra pie was delicious–kind of like a quiche made from Okra, hominy, and cheese. A hit, even with Okra-naysayer, Squidocto. As for the other dishes, both the chicken and the catfish came out smoking hot and fried to perfection. I especially liked the Catfish which was sweet and rich with a nice cornmeal crust. The Cornbread itself was good,and definitely not Yankee-style-yellow-cake cornbread. The browned edge from heating it up on the griddle was a nice touch as well. The other sides were good too. The mac and cheese was good and no frills, dripped with tobasco sauce. The Collards were excellent, savory with leaves tender like butter. I made sure to help Alissa finish those off.

The one thing we regrettably did not try were the pies. I have to say they looked absolutely wonderful, but we were all just too full. I can guarantee they should not be missed, and warrant a trip to Pies and Thighs on their own. We will be back for pie, I am certain.

All I have to say is that Pies and Thighs is a great place. It is simple, well-executed, comfort food at its best, just like it should be and rarely is. If you find yourself in the area you owe it to yourself to stop in. Hell, if you are nowhere near there, you owe it to yourself to stop in.

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