Year of the Pig

Well, I didn’t really expect to be giving Fette Sau another try so soon, but I am glad I did, so I can set the record straight. This time, I was happy to find their food much more enjoyable. I wound up in Williamsburg again last Friday night, looking to get some dinner with my very hungry friend, Squidocto. He was very hungry, the poor guy, but we were only a couple of blocks from Fette Sau, and I was willing to try it again.

This time, they had no ribs. We waited in a long line going back and forth about what we should order. In then end, we ended up with a healthy heaping tray of food, a winning pork trifecta with some very tasty beef cheeks thrown in for good measure, plus a side of beans, 3 Gus’ pickles, and some saurkraut.

We dug right in, especially Matt:

We had a delightful dinner, moving back and forth between all our choices: We had a solid helping of the pulled pork, which was good and tasty, especially when you managed to get some of the nice blackened smokey bits. I liked it very much with the vinegar sauce that was on the table. We had a sausage, that was nothing special, but enjoyable. We also also split a bone-in pork chop rib which was very good, getting better and better as you approached the bone. And although it was beef, I have to mention the beef cheeks. I have never had such a thing and they are hard to describe. It was dark reddish meat, soft but chewy. The texture and taste were both interesting, intriguing even…savory and downright good. I am afraid you will have to try them for yourself to see what I mean!

We left very satisfied and happy with ourselves. This was a much better trip to Fette Sau. I still feel like I have to try their ribs again, but I am afraid that the problem is that my expectations have just become too high.

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My diet over the last couple months has had no shortage of pork, but it has been sadly short on ribs. I am trying to make up for that this week.

Above is a crappy photo of meat. Sorry about that. The meat in question however is from the Brooklyn barbecue restaurant, Fette Sau. I have already mentioned this place in several posts, including Squidocto’s preview-review about it, but I had yet to try it for myself…until last weekend!

I arrived in Willimsburg around 10 pm not having had a bite to eat since lunch, and headed straight to Fette Sau. The place was hopping with Saturday night Williamsburg hipster types, and a hoofed it right through them to the counter and ordered up a rack of the baby back ribs which are served by the pound and cost around $25. The friendly young woman dropped my rack on the tray and I promptly picked it up and sat it down on one of the long tables, next to the not-that-funny-LCD-screen fireplace. I sat down excitedly and purposefully with my rack of ribs, ready to thoroughly enjoy them.

I planned to take my time with these ribs and savor them. The first bite was promising. They had a nice texture and solid smoky flavor. I have to say, however, I was disappointed. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they are tasty and enjoyable, but nothing to blow your mind. Also, the meat was a little dry and bland compared to say, Texas Hill Country, who’s ribs will blow your mind. Anyway, I got a little bored with these ribs about halfway through the rack, but nevertheless they made a very satisfying tasty meal for a man in desperate need of some ribs. To be fair, I will definitely come back and give the ribs another try. A trip to Fette Sau is certainly still a good time, the place itself has a real nice fun and low-key atmosphere that I dug.

Now, did someone mention Texas Hill Country? Oh yeah, that was me! I made it out to Texas Hill Country again last night, excited to relive my previous experiences with their wonderful pork spareribs. Could it be that they are really as good as I remember? For that I would be willing to put up with their zoo of Manhattanite customers and their inane seating methods, which are frankly just plain irritating. My friend Jay was playing with a Patsy Cline tribute band called the Poor Man’s Roses in the downstairs level (which typically has a good line up of bands), and my friend Ben and I saddled up to the bar to enjoy some ribs, some rye whisky and some music. The band was very good; they do an excellent job of reproducing the sweet, mellow, soulful music of Patsy Cline. As it got later, the crowd began to thin out and we moved over to a table to watch the band, and they even dedicated a nice version of Bill Monroe’s Blue Moon of Kentucky to yours truly, which was very nice, thanks. So, were the ribs as good as I remembered?? Yes, every bit and more so. God bless Texas Hill Country!

Rock on, I finally get to ribulate again! I think I left off at 108 ribs. Now I add 12 from Fette Sau and 3 from Texas Hill Country, which oddly enough, is about an equivalent amount of meat, bringing the grand total for the Year of the Pig to 123. Thank you piggies one and all, and may your ribs find their way to Texas Hill Country!

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This is called a ‘preview’ because it won’t be a ‘review’ until PIGGIE himself goes there. In the meantime, I’m happy to report that the much discussed Fette Sau (right by Havemeyer & Metropolitan in Williamsburg) is a wonderful restaurant. For starters, the staff was friendly and helpful (but not fake); the atmosphere is pleasant and unpretentious; and the available meats are on display for easy decision making.

I was there with five others, celebrating my pop’s birthday. We ordered a rack of ribs, flank steak, pulled pork (pork shoulder), and three sides. All the meat was fantastic: full flavored, perfectly well done on the outside, tender inside. No sauce is put on for you; if you want some, they have several kinds on a self-service table. I didn’t feel the need, though some of my companions opted to dip. The ribs had a subtle, delicious rub, and were an excellent blend of ‘tender but not soggy’. The flank steak (not pork, I know) was to die for. The pork shoulder was, for my tastes, exactly the right texture (so important in pulled pork!). The sides were okay, but the only standout was the beans, which should not be missed. (For comparison, HT felt that the sides at Hill Country were superior.)

The meats are sold by the pound. Not including the drinks and desssert (which is also yummy), we ate our fill at quite a reasonable price for smoked goodies (about $11 a person). I will be going back there, no question about it.

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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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A long awaited BBQ joint just opened up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, by the owners of another great bar for beer lovers, the Spuyten Duyvil. The new place is called Fette Sau, meaning “Fat Pig,” in German, and the description sounds great! I can’t wait to try it out.

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