When In Manhattan...

Yankee Barbecue

by Oliver Peterson

Cape Hatteras is a groovy place to surf, fish and admire that lighthouse, but so is Montauk. What I really loved about the Outer Banks were the pulled pork and chicken sandwiches. At this time, I'm pretty much off the red meat, sugar, fat and anything else delicious, but imagining biting into one of those juicy morsels is nearly driving me to relapse. To further my dilemma, the owners of Nick and Toni's are apparently opening a barbecue take-out joint about a half-mile from my house. I've lost about eight pounds, but I fear that I will gain it all back about a month after opening day. I love cornbread, ribs, wings, catfish and the rest of it.

When I lived in the city, I rarely ventured above 14th Street. If I went out to dinner, it was usually for Mexican, Japanese or Thai and there's plenty of all three Downtown. A couple times a year, one or both of my brothers would come to town for a visit. On these occasions, I would often make the journey north, to Times Square and beyond. My brothers had a friend, now a restaurateur in his own right, who managed one of the bigger tourist traps in midtown. The difference between Virgil's Real Barbecue, where he worked, and the other restaurants in the neon-drenched madhouse we know to be Times Square, is that they have excellent food. No, there aren't any Hulk Hogan t-shirts, signed guitars, celebrity photos, strippers or major sports memorabilia, but right there, in the middle of Manhattan's busiest nest of commerce and human traffic, is some of the finest barbecue I have ever tasted.

Virgil's has all of these things. Memphis pork ribs and chicken, Carolina pulled pork, Texas beef brisket and link sausage, Owensboro lamb and Maryland ham are all smoked over hickory, oak or fruitwoods in Southern Pride smokers. The woods each have a unique flavor and color, from pale rose to dark mahogany. These colors are supposedly the sure sign of genuine barbecue. That's probably why the place is so busy. Expect to wait for a table on weekends and during common vacation times. The bar is modest and the interior is pretty homey, despite the usual crowds. The second to last time I was at Virgil's, it was about five o'clock and my brother and I were waiting to go to Cigar Aficionado's "Big Smoke." We met a guy having a beer after work and talked about rebuilding vintage cars while he waited to catch the train back to the Island, our island. I found a mint julep on the menu. I'm a bourbon fan, and aside from making them when I was cough-twelve-cough and trying everything in Mr. Boston's red tome, I'd never had the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. Let me tell you, this drink was excellent, mint sprig, tin cup and all. It was just sweet and minty enough, while retaining the lovely bite that characterizes bourbon. Virgil's has good drinks and food and is located at 152 West 44th Street. Call 212-921-9494 for hours. They will be hosting a party for Cinco de Mayo and the two days leading up to it.

The mint julep at Virgil's is great, but if you want to get hammered, the best barbecue place in the city is Dallas BBQ. I can't vouch for the food. It's not my favorite, although the whole chicken is cheap and decent, but the "Texas Sized" drinks are killers. Drink two and you're blotto, but drink three and it's blackout time. They are literally as big as the head of an eight-year-old. I've always leaned toward the giant frozen margaritas, but they have a wide range of frozen and standard cocktails. Whatever you do, stay away from the wings. My wife ordered them once and it seemed like they'd plucked them in the kitchen, with little concern for leftover feathers. The sauce, however, is good. Dallas BBQ has been around forever and has locations all over the city. Check them out in the East Village, Times Square, Washington Heights, Chelsea, Brooklyn and the Upper East Side.