Archive for BBQ
Virgil’s Real Barbecue – top notch BBQ
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Virgil’s Real Barbecue
152 West 44th Street New York, NY 10036
Phone: 212.921.9494
Take out: 212.921.9663
Fax: 212.921.9669
Hours: Monday: 11am – 11pm Tuesday – Friday: 11:30 am – Midnight Saturday: 9am – Midnight Sunday: 9am – 11pm Breakfast served Saturday and Sunday 9am – Noon ( Brunch until 3pm)
Friends of mine have always bragged about the awesome barbecue restaurant that they go to. So on the last weekend, I asked my friends to take me to have this fabulous barbecue restaurant that they couldn’t stop talking about.
We arrived at Virgil’s Real Barbecue around 4 p.m. to beat the early dinner crowd. Immediately the smells of smokey goodness overtook me. The bright and lively interior was a nice surprise. We were seated right away by a very friendly and eager waitress.
To get the most out of my first visit I ordered the Virgil’s Pig Out, which came with ribs, chicken, brisket, pork, and a Texas link. Our order came up within 10 minutes and I was impressed by the lovely presentation of all this food. Everything was absolutely delicious. I tried all the barbecue sauces, but I loved the HOT ones.
My friend ordered the catfish and Carolina crab cakes. I tried those, and they were just like what we used to have as kids at our grandmothers house in South Carolina. To top it all off, we all ordered the sweetened ice tea. It was made to perfection.
As I watched other people receive their orders, I was amazed at the variety that was offered. The menu is enormous and all of it looked so good. Everything was authentic, fresh and the prices were unbelievably reasonable.
I couldn’t believe that a barbecue place in New York City could be so great. I plan to go back when I return to the city next month. The menu is so huge I’m wondering just how many trips I will have to take to sample half of what they offer.
Dallas BBQ – great taste for small budget
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Dallas BBQ
241 W 42nd St (between 7th Ave & 8th Ave) New York, NY 10036
(212) 221-9000
Open 10:30am – 10pm
As a full-time student living in the city, I have to say that Dallas BBQ had the most bang for every buck in taste and price. I discovered Dallas BBQ while roaming around the city searching for a place to eat on a weekday at about 2 PM. We quickly rejected a nearby TGI Fridays among other restaurants for their pricing. (walked out as soon as we saw the menu)
As we turned the corner onto 42nd street, we saw a sight truly to behold: “Dallas BBQ $4.99 Lunch Special!” We walked in hungry and happy to find a meal we could afford, but skeptical of the portion that we would receive for $4.99.
Seating took about 10 minutes as we had to wait for a large table for our party of 8. Eventually, we were taken to a booth underneath the wall of horses. The décor was a bit tacky, but for $4.99, we didn’t care much. The strobe lights were bothersome however, and the large flashing neon sign right outside the window didn’t help either.
I would suggest getting seating in the large room across from the wall of horses. Our orders took about 20 minutes to arrive. We were taken aback by the size of the lunch specials. They were the size of about 5 bags of $.25 wise potato chips stacked on top of each other in a pyramid shape.
The lunch special, chicken burger with BBQ sauce, fries, and a side of coleslaw, was quite good. The chicken was moist and the fries were crispy, but a bit too salty. The BBQ sauce was runny, but otherwise very good. I would highly recommend the lunch special as that’s all my friends and I have eaten from then on whenever we ventured back to Dallas BBQ.
After all, you can’t find prices like Dallas BBQ for a meal as big as they serve anywhere else in NYC. (or midtown Manhattan anyway)