Fat? So!
Posted by Chewy on Wednesday, April 25th, 2007
On Monday night, Matt, two friends of his and myself went to Fette Sau - the new BBQ joint in Williamsburg. The owners also own the expensive, yet awesome craft beer bar Spuyten Duyvil, which is conveniently located across the street.
I really really liked the interior and usually I don’t give a crap about that kind of stuff.
To order, you wait on line and order deli style - there’s a chalk board of their offerings. They also have a deli counter so you can see the meats. The workers dress in butcher whites and wrap up your to-go orders in parchment paper. Unfortunately, they often run out of things and don’t make note of it on the board. So I waited on line for ten minutes only to find out that they didn’t have any pig tails ($2.50 each) that day.
The four of us shared 1/2 lb of each bacon belly and brisket and 1/2 a rack of ribs. Large potato salad (simple, just skinless potatoes, oil, butter, salt and pepper), large broccoli salad (a little overcooked), half order of pickles and four potato rolls (these were obviously not made on premises). Cuts of meat are priced by the pound, ranging from about $10-$17 per pound.
The bacon and the brisket were awesome - beautiful color, beautiful char. They were both extremely tender, with the perfect amount of fattiness. A telltale sign of quality is that excess fat wasn’t greasy - it melted in your mouth. This is what meat is supposed to be. The ribs were really dry, but it was almost forgivable because they tasted smokier than I thought food was able to taste. The fact that they had Guss’ New Pickles won me over ($2.50 for three whole pickles). The photo above was taken when we were halfway done. I got so wrapped up in the deliciousness, I forgot to photograph our food before we dug in.
For drinks, you have to go to the bar. They carry dozens of bourbons and ten kinds of microbrews available in 1/2 pint, pint, quart, 1/2 gallon and gallon. Yes, you can get a gallon of beer. Bonus points for serving beer in olde tyme drinkin’ jars. Also, can you somewhat see in the photo below that all the pulls on the taps are of BBQ implements (meat slicers, a cleaver, a tenderizer).
It was quite busy for a Monday night and it seemed to be mostly young locals. I’m assuming they get slammed on the weekends by Manhattanites because Fette Sau’s opening has been announced in all the Manhattan mags and blogs. And I like this place better than the famous Manhattan BBQ joint, RUB.
Outdoor seating in the front.
$45 fed the four us well, without obtaining a case of the itis. My pint of cider was $4.
Not suitable for vegetarians.
ChewFood Rating: Nine thumbs up. Or an A. That means that if you asked me if I wanted to go there tonight, I’d be all like, “Um. Fuck, yeah!”
Categories: 
Discussion: 
So it’s a glorified meat n three? I’m still intrigued.
Comment written by Joe on 10:48 am on the 26th of April, 2007
Anyplace not suitable for vegetarians is right up my alley. Sounds great!
The decor reminds me of a nice touch at one of my favorite bars here in Chicago, Empty Bottle. Behind the bar is a medical poster of the liver.
Comment written by Terry B on 10:59 am on the 26th of April, 2007
Fette Sau actually got mixed reviews from most magazines and blogs. But I don’t listen to reviews of places that are brand spanking new. Every new place has to work out their kinks, especially if it’s the owner’s first restaurant.
Terry, I will probably be in Chicago this Summer, so I will try to check out that bar. Any recommendations for a place to get classic Chicago-style pizza for a NY-style pizza snob?
Comment written by Chewy on 11:36 am on the 26th of April, 2007
I will be going there this weekend (in case you wants to roll Ms. Chewy) and I will also be cooking my own ribs (not from my body, from a pig, but I’ll be cooking them) this weekend.
My goal?
To have the best ribs in the city by July 19th.
Btw, the extra strong smoke flavor on the ribs and the dryness come hand in hand from too much smoking.
Based on my prior weeks’ ribs and your description, I think I wll easily win the rib battle versus “Fat Pig”.
Comment written by franz on 12:04 pm on the 26th of April, 2007
In addition to what Franz said, there are tricks by which you can keep meat moist, yet pack in more smoke flavor than you can shake a hickory stick at (or a mesquite stick, if you’re in Texas). No, I’m not giving out any BBQ secrets that I have.
Comment written by Joe on 1:33 pm on the 26th of April, 2007
i thought this place was only ok. not bad, not good, nice smokey flavor. but the beans kinda sucked and the barbecue sauce had jalepenos in it, which i am vehemently against.
not that i won’t go back. i need to try the other 38 bourbons on the list.
Comment written by Stephanie on 1:12 pm on the 29th of April, 2007
Fette Sau seems inconsistent. I tasted the BBQ sauce, which I think had ancho or chipotle, but I found the meat flavorful enough that it didn’t need sauce.
Comment written by Chewy on 2:01 pm on the 29th of April, 2007
My only advice for Chicago style pizza is to forgo the deep dish and get a thin crust. Only tourists and people going out for special occasions get deep dish. If you’re dying for deep dish, Lou Malnati’s is decent, as is Giordano’s. Pizzeria Uno is over hyped and not worth the wait or the pizza.
Comment written by Anoonemouse on 5:20 pm on the 11th of June, 2007