For my birthday, Jodi and I went to Dinosaur BBQ IN Harlem. It has been a while I wanted to go back. The last time was 6 years ago for our friend Gary's Birthday. The place opened few months before and, as a Syracuse University Alumni, he was thrilled to bring a bunch of friends to celebrate. I remember that I had a fantastic ribeye!
Another time, visiting Syracuse University, we went to their first location. This time , no ribeye, but BBQ chicken.
So, here we are on our way there. Before arriving at the restaurant, we passed the famous Cotton Club! I confess that I did not think it was still there!
We got our table fairly quickly, thanks to the reservation we made. No reservation was definitely synonym of a long wait. Interestingly, the crowd was a mix of families, couples, friends and bikers.
Entering the restaurant, our noses immediately smelled BBQ! For sure, that makes you hungry!
We started off with the appetizer sampler for two.
It was composed of chicken wings, shrimp, fried green tomatoes and eggs mayonnaise.
I truly appreciated the fact that they offered a sampler so we could try several appetizers. The chicken wings were my favorite: the skin was smothered with an heavenly delicious BBQ sauce. Know that they were not spicy.
The shrimp were good but had nothing special. They were served shelled, but it was not an issue as BBQ means dirty hands!!!
The green tomatoes were not bad, but they were missing that crunch that I am so used to since I tried them at Southern Hospitality!
The green tomatoes were not bad, but they were missing that crunch that I am so used to since I tried them at Southern Hospitality!
Last were the eggs mayonnaise that I really liked: tasty and not too mayonnaise-y.
Then, Jodi ordered the wedge salad, but with no walnuts:
The salad was good...for a salad! What was great is that they put the blue cheese dressing on the side (they offer different choices such as BQ Blues House, Creole Honey Mustard Vinaigrette...).
She also ordered a side of Mac & Cheese:
It could have been a decent Mac & Cheese, unfortunately, the seasoning they put on top was overpowering.
I decided to order a BBQ sampler plate. I think it is great that BBQ joints offer samplers: that way, I can try different meats! Luckily, they have a small sampler, called the Nuevo Sampler.
It came with chicken, ribs and brisket. The brisket was definitely the star of the plate! It was tender and not dry with a nice amount of fat. The chicken was ok with a crispy skin, but a bit bland. The ribs were dry.
With the platter, they give you a corn bread (very good) and you pick 2 sides. We went for the fries and the brussels sprouts that were the side of the day. It was good, but nothing extraordinary!
I admit that I was a bit disappointed by the experience: the food was just ok at the end and I remain a fan of Southern Hospitality and Brothers' Jimmy!
Enjoy (...)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
