Monday, August 08, 2011

Bourbon, Beer and Meat c/o Fette Sau

The original inspiration for going up to New York was that Mother Mother was doing a residency at the Knitting Factory and since they were so much fun in March, I thought it would be a solid idea to go again; L. and Fat T. agreed. K. was also going to be in town starting that day, so it was decided that I would dine with C. and K. for dinner and then just go across the street to the Knitting Factory for the show. K. and I met up first and sat at the bar. Fette Sau is a barbeque place with a small bar (about six seats) and four or five long picnic tables inside. The minute you step in the smell of smoked meat fills your nostrils, and the huge wall of bourbon beckons you to take a minute and just gaze at all that amber magic just waiting to be sipped. They did beers in half pints, pints, 1/2 gallons and gallons. And the taps came out of the wall in a really neat and aesthetic fashion. K. is a lover of bourbon and asked the bartender for her suggestion. I had a pint to start and then went with Templeton Rye, considering our shared history. K. and I caught up until C. arrived, and then we grabbed a few spots at one of the tables. In retrospect we should have taken some of our drinking time and spent it in the line where one orders their choice of meat and sides...as the line did get longer and longer while we were sitting there, and by the time I got in it the time before the show had dwindled and the line moved very slowly.
After maybe ten or so minutes K. relieved me in the line and C. and I spoke a little bit while K. did the actual ordering. In the end I believe we ordered 1/4 pound of boneless beef ribs, 1/2 pound of pulled pork, some amount of brisket, one sausage, some German potato salad, beans and pickles.
It was all quite good. The meats are served 'dry' and the tables had three or four sauces you could smother them in if you desired. One was nice and spicy, another tomato-based and smoky. All were good. I felt unnecessarily pressed for time and shoveled it all into my face at a rate that makes it hard to remember the finer points of the meal (that and the three week lag time), but I would most certainly go back and try other kinds of bourbons and whatever their rotating meats might be.
Half pints!


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