DINOSAUR BAR-B-QUE & HOMETOWN BROOKLYN'S BEST

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BROOKLYN EATS

Story By: Louie B. Fry

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Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

 

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Gowanus

RIB ALERT --- In the last two weeks we sampled two of the premier rib-joints in Brooklyn. First up, is the ever-growing chain, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, first began up North and now have outposts in Harlem and, recently, in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn.

Face it, ribs are always a complicated meal choice; messy, succulent, lots of juices flowing every which way….  But, ultimately, if they're done right, they're great and at Dinosaur, we were quite pleased.

Staring with their Swag Sampler, which included fried green tomatoes, spicy shrimp and deviled eggs, we were immediately dazzled. In fact, those deviled eggs were so captivating that we immediately ordered up another round. The shrimp had a tangy, asian, sharp taste, hard to beat.

I opted for the pulled pork which, along with a delicious brisket, was sensational; the ribs – cooked just spot-on and their own sauce proved the perfect compliment.

The Dinosaur Bar-B-Que began life in 1983 as a mobile concession stand using a 55-gallon drum cut in half. The idea was hatched by founder John Stage and two partners at the Harley Rendezvous, a massive motorcycle gathering near Albany, N. Y.

The three partners believed that bikers deserved a good plate of food and that the Dinosaur had it.

For five years, their home was on the road, where they served good bar-b-que at cycle shows. With 9 current outposts (including Buffalo, Newark, Stamford, Troy and Chicago), it’s a just a rivetingly good meal.

Dinosaur is located at: 604 Union Street, Brooklyn (347) 429-7030

 

RED HOOK'S HOMETOWN

Hometown In Red Hook Brooklyn

PIT SMOKED MEATS-- Red Hook’s Hometown was our second rib-joint destination and while the seating here was first-come, first serve, their preparation was something different, as their cooking process focused more on authentic pit smoked meats, traditional sides, local craft beers and they featured a large range of American whiskeys. In fact, their large bar in the main room featured more bourbon-selections that I'd ever seen before.

Their pulled pork was good, but didn't seem to have the home-style grit that Dinosaur had. Their sides - some great cold slaw and mac-cheese was superb. The also had a bean-concoction that at first resembled chili, that was off the charts.

Their ribs were good, but hard to handle and again, somewhat not as forcefully grilled as our others.

Hometown is located at: 454 Brunt Street, entrance on Reed Street in Brooklyn (347) 294-4644