Trip to Southern Hospitality NYC (with pics!)

Thursday August 28, 2008

My girlfriend and I took our friend, Claude to dinner last night for his birthday and we agreed to meet up at Southern Hospitality on the Upper east Side of Manhattan for some BBQ. I emailed the executive chef, Ray Lampe (aka Dr. BBQ here on Roadfood) that we were coming and hoped to meet up with him, but he was out of town. We had last eaten there in April and had a good experience and Claude has been eager to try it for some time. Outside. It was really crowded, but no line and we were able to get seated right away.


Bottles of jack and a couple of Dr. BBQ's trophies from competitions.


Sorry I didn't get a better shot of this, but it looks like a 2005 KCBS sanctioned event.


Claude and Dayna had some "leaded" beverages while I started with a sweetened iced tea. I don't think that this was a Southern style "sweet tea", but brewed in house with lots of sugar added. Is that right? I'm not real familiar with sweet tea. Good, but I think I prefer my unsweetened.


The Smokin' Hot Wings ($9.95). These were excellent! I haven't been a fan of Buffalo style wings in a while as I haven't found a version I have liked. These were meaty, crispy and spicy. Really great Buffalo sauce flavor and lip-tingling heat. They came with celery, blue cheese and more of that super spicy sauce which I plunged into! The only drawback for me was the price. I think the order was 10 or 12 wings. That is a bit steep. However, they do have a beer and wing night on Tuesdays from 8pm to 11pm. Not sure what the deal is, but it might be worth checking out.


Our King's Combo platter ($28.95) It came with Memphis-Style Dry Rubbed Spare Ribs, Burnt Ends and Fried Chicken. It included two a biscuit and two sides. We went with collard greens and mac & cheese ($2.00 charge for mac & cheese). I also ordered a side of tater tots and burnt ends.


Tater tots. these were just like the kind from my school cafeteria. Crispy and comforting.


Burnt ends. These were tasty, but not my favorite. I really like a dark, almost blackened crust on them and an intensely smoky flavor.


Collard greens. They really know what they are doing with these! Porky, buttery, salty and a nice leafy green flavor. I wasn't really a big fan of collards until I ate these.


Memphis-Style Dry Rubbed Spare Ribs. Excellent! Not "fall of the bone" (which I'm glad for), but very tender, meaty, subtle yet assertive smoke flavor and a nice crust. I applied some of their BBQ sauce and it was sweet, but I wished there had been some heat to it and I had remembered from my previous visit. I do like that they don't sauce the meat, but let customers decided for themselves.


Mac & Cheese. Another winner. Creamy, cheesy, thick and they let the top get brown and crusty which is a deal closer for me. They do offer it as an entree portion which must be insanely good!


Fried chicken (white meat breast). Really moist, tender and great chicken flavor. The crust had great spice flavor to it as well as being crispy.


Another shot of the platter with the biscuit in full view. Decent biscuit, but not the best I've had.


My plate of BBQ. We split the King's Combo 3 ways and it was plenty of food for us. This was most of what I ate, but I was able to grab some more off of the platter.


Peach Cobbler ($5.95) Excellent as it was on the last visit. Lots of warm, fresh peaches and pieces of cobbler on top.


Dr. BBQ's Sweet Potato Pie with Jack Daniels ($5.95) Good pie, but not the best I've had. I've eaten a fair number of homemade versions, so there you go. The crust was really good and reminded me of some great homemade ones I've had before.



I didn't realize it until we got home, but I think the platter was supposed to some with beans, slaw, toast and cornbread (according to the menu I picked up last night on the way out). It doesn't mention that on the site, so I'm not sure if that is correct. Our total came to $90 and change and $108 and change with the tip. I think the food was solid and very good, but that seems a bit pricey to me. I liked the King's Combo very much, but I was checking out some prices of other places that I frequent often and most of them offer a comparable amount of food for about $5-$10 less. I'd come back again, but not often as my wallet might not like it. One other thing I need to note is that it seemed very loud inside and I and my dining companions had to strain to hear one another speak. Hope this was helpful.

I would have been disappointed with those burnt ends, does seem to have any bark at all. The chicken looks really good though! Thanks for the report!

Looks great. My appetite is now sufficiently whetted for my lunch tomorrow with Bushie at Louis Mueller's BBQ in Taylor, Texas.

Billyboy,

Great report, I enjoyed it. To me the most attractive looking items were the chicken, ribs and collards. I would have skipped the dessert, but that's simply because I am not a dessert person. I might have ordered extra collards for dessert though...they looked really first rate.

Seems to me that your iced tea was made from a powdered mix 'stead of brewed from TEA maybe it's just the pic. ...............

It looked good but for $28.95, It should have been much better. I guess that is NYC prices???

The ribs looked sorta dry to me? Everything else looked very good except for the price.

What did it cost for you to get out of there???

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I thought the ribs looked very good. Especially seeing that they were, "St. Louis" style. Not much of a smoke ring though. But still, very good looking ribs.

Thanks Billy!

I notice the loud thing at many NYC BBQ restaurants. Beyond normal loud, almost like it is manufactured on purpose. It was so loud at Wildwood BBQ, we had to leave before dessert. Had a nice (quiet) drink instead, at Olives in W Hotel.

We are going out tomorrow night. Somewhere near Times Square. Don't know yet, but we are bringing a camera, and will do a report. You are an inspiration!!!

Another interesting trip to a NYC BBQ joint, Billy.

I've encountered so-called "burnt ends" like that before. They're just purpose-made chunks of pork, not really the burnt trimmings from a BBQ'd shoulder (or whatever).

AHI, I grew up on the powdered stuff with one set of grandparents, then got hooked on the fresh brewed with the other grandparents. This was definitely fresh brewed with sugar added.

Sundancer, $90 and $108 with tax and tip for the 3 of us. I think Southern Hospitality is one of the more expensive BBQ places in NYC. The ribs were not dry at all (except for the fact that they weren't pre-sauced). very tender and moist.

CC, have fun in Times Square!

Don, Burnt ends are actually from the fatty end of beef brisket. This is my ideal for burnt ends:

Looks like a great meal to me!

Billyboy you do food good! I love your pictures and narration. Excellent job!

I also noticed the absense of a smoke ring wondering when or if those ribs were smoked.

I love that the macaroni was in an individual dish with a full crust. Yummy looking.

In Los Angeles I get a full slab of ribs with 2 sides for that price or half tri tip and a portion of ribsor chicken.

I think I now need to order some burnt ends. They look mighty tasty.

Some great food here...Got to check it out next New York trip!

BB: Great report. How does Southern Hosp conpare to Dinosaur BBQ? Especially the ribs.

===but I think the platter was supposed to come with beans, slaw, toast and cornbread... ...$90 and $108 with tax and tip for the 3 of us. I think Southern Hospitality is one of the more expensive BBQ places in NYC ====

Would you have felt better if those sides came with the rest of the meal? They are cheap as far as the kitchen is concerned, but for you it was part of the meal's value.
You say that the place was loud. I always equate loud places with disorgonized, unattentive service and bet your server is overwhelmed trying to stay above the volume in both noise and customer size. It's just that it should have been noticed by this person since they are part of the deal:
http://southernhospitalitybbq.com/pdf/Southern%20Hospitality%20dinner%20menu.pdf

Looking at the appetizers, I am shocked that you didn't try the deep fried ribs for all of us who need to know about these kind of things.
Most of the food looked very good, but your other shots of burnt ends puts Southern Hospitality's to shame. Where did you get the other picture? Was it taken north of the Mason/Dixon Line?

All your posts are a excellent pictoral documents, but this doesn't persuade me to try it out compared to the other places you've covered. I would send this report to the management and see what is their response. You may not be alone in your comments.
I would not expect too much in the way of a comp for your meal, but as a opportunity for them to make it right. Who knows? Maybe they'll go the extra mile and show you true Southern Hospitality.

mark

I sure wrote alot for someone who would never have bbq in NYC. As billy's other reports show, there is just too much other great food and hey, my smoker has still has its Louisiana license plates attached.

Thanks for the report ...
Looks like a place worth trying.
Chicken looked great.

billyboy - And the hits just keep on coming! Another winner! I thought it was a little pricey also...the mac 'n' cheese looked pretty darn good (a favorite of mine) and at $29.00 for the platter, I dislike the up charge.

The missing elements is a problem. Many establishments seem to not keep website, to go menus, in house menus and specails boards coordinated. That can lead to dissatisfication among customers. Interesting to know which was correct!

I thought the cobbler looked great!

As always...thnaks for sharing!

The beef burnt ends from R.U.B. look terrific. I've had both beef and pork "burnt ends"; I don't know which (or both?) is authentic.

I'd love to see (or participate!!) in a one-day tour of R.U.B., Hill Country, Southern Hospitality and Dinosaur. Am I forgetting one?

That looks good but there is only one important thing missing,


A Smoke Ring!

mar52, the ribs were definitely smoked.

sodawater, I like Southern Hospitality, but I love Dinosaur. I've been eating at the Dino since the mid 90s in Syracuse and once in a great while I'll get something I don't like. Their ribs, pulled pork and beans have been top notch every time I have gone both in 'cuse and NYC.

doggydaddy, Maybe a little bit if we had gotten those with the meal. I didn't look at the menu I grabbed until we got home and I'm honestly not sure if they were supposed to some with it. Actually, our server didn't seem overwhelmed at all, she was very attentive and sweet. It was crowded, but not chaotic.

I only occasionally indulge in the deep fried stuff and it's usually solo. Most people I eat with aren't into deep fried stuff. They do sound interesting though. Sounds like something the Scottish would have come up with.
The burnt ends were from R.U.B. right here in NYC. I hear what you're saying about not trying the 'cue in NYC. It doesn't make a lot of sense for out of towners only here for a few days, especially if you live anywhere in the Big 4 regions. I'll drop a line to Dr. BBQ and no need for comping anything, I've always enjoyed my meals and the people there.

Gregg, it really was most tasty!

CTD, yeah that seems to be a common thing in the city, especially on sites like menupages.com. It's like the wikipedia of restaurant listings. Not much editing or proofing going on there and it drives me crazy. I proofed a menu I picked up yesterday and found at least six major typos in it plus a lot of punctuation errors. It can be good for reviews to get a sense of what people think of a particular place. You're killin' me though with YOUR trip reports! I get hungry every time I look at them!

Don, There are quite a few barbeque places in the city now. I've been to about 11 of them and I'd probably add Daisy May's to that list as well. I'd like to do a tour as well, but space it out so we just try a few specialties to share at each one, then move on, otherwise we'll fill up too fast. It'd look something like this:

1.) R.U.B. for Burnt Ends and BBQ baked beans with more burnt ends in them.

2.) Southern Hospitality for Fried Chicken, collards and mac & cheese.

3.) Dinosaur for Ribs, Pulled Pork, Syracuse style salt potatoes and beans.

4.) Daisy May's for Kansas City sweet and sticky ribs and their Texas style Bowl O' Red chili.

5.) Hill Country for the lean brisket, Jalapeno Cheese hot links, Hot German Potatoes and corn pudding.

Just a thought. If enough people went, it would just be a sampling tour so 5 places wouldn't seem like too much.

quote:

Originally posted by MiamiDon

The beef burnt ends from R.U.B. look terrific. I've had both beef and pork "burnt ends"; I don't know which (or both?) is authentic.

I'd love to see (or participate!!) in a one-day tour of R.U.B., Hill Country, Southern Hospitality and Dinosaur. Am I forgetting one?

Burnt ends were originally started from beef and come from the point or nose of a packer or whole brisket. Places like Arthur Bryant's in KC use to give them away before realising that they could charge for them. They use to stick them on a plate or in a pan by the order window and people could help themselves as they waited in line for their order.

Don't know where pork burnt ends would have come from but beef burnt ends are the original burnt ends.

John

Good looking stuff. Excellent pictures.

This, from Southern Hospitality's HTML menu, may explain the side order issue:
http://southernhospitalitybbq.com/sides.asp

Older reviews talk about the platters automatically coming with cole slaw, baked beans, cornbread, and Texas toast. The same as currently on the Southern Hospitality's PDF Menu, as given by doggydaddy:
http://southernhospitalitybbq.com/pdf/Southern%20Hospitality%20dinner%20menu.pdf

Billyboy indicated "It included two a biscuit and two sides. We went with collard greens and mac & cheese ($2.00 charge for mac & cheese). I also ordered a side of tater tots and burnt ends." So I have to assume they are now giving customers a choice of all nine entries and adding the biscuit. A change an experienced executive chef would make.

The plaque on that 2005 trophy reads: "Purchased on ebay seven months before this restaurant opened Jul/Aug 2007" (just kidding.) I was scheduled to go to Southern Hospitality three times with friends, but we always got sidetracked at the last minute. Based on Billyboy's comments. I'm going to try the fried chicken.

That is not a very appropriate comment regarding the trophy. Even if you were only kidding. A great many of us on the pro BBQ circuit take our wins very seriously.

John

I certainly appreciate the fact that those who compete in BBQ competitions, both professional and amateur, take tremendous pride in their accomplishments. I also don't think they will part with their trophies or other forms of awards they received for their achievements. However, there is a tremendous amount of hype in the New York restaurant scene. Hype that borders on lying. When I finally get to Southern Hospitality, I will read the plate on that trophy. My point is that people who walk into the restaurant will that THAT RESTAURANT won the trophy. But, it could not have, because the restaurant only opened in 2007, not 2005. I would like to know if someone parted with that trophy, and why. Here in the NYC area, you often see puff pieces for this restaurant in the media. They don't talk about the food, they talk about the fact that celebrities eat there or that Justin Timberlake is a part owner. And as Billyboy has noted, there are better BBQ places in NYC.

Great report, billyboy!! Appreciated you throwing in that pic of the CRUSTY burnt ends from R.U.B.!
Those are MY type, as well!

Who'd ever guess that NYC would now be considered to have it's own BBQ trail!

I agree with you, David. Someone goes out and gets a fifth place finish on ribs and they change their menu to say "Award Winning BBQ!" This will always be a problem in the food industry.

I could be wrong, but I would venture a guess that the trophies there were won by DrBBQ. And since he is executive chef there, that would seem appropriate to me.

John

billyboy, Not a perfect meal, but certainly not a bad meal. Excellent report as usual.

Don't you feel sorry for us folks who have to actually travel for our Roadfood? At least travel further than around the block. You really make the most out of your location and it shows in the trip reports.

quote:

Originally posted by RibDog

I could be wrong, but I would venture a guess that the trophies there were won by DrBBQ. And since he is executive chef there, that would seem appropriate to me.

John

RibDog, you are right. A visit to a relative at a UES hospital put me up in Southern Hospitality's neighborhood. I was able to determine that two of the trophies were won by Dr. BBQ. The plaque on the large 2005 trophy reads:
3rd Annual Grill Kings KCBS
Sanctioned State Championship
Grand Champion

This article from Long Island's Newsday newspaper indicates the winner was Ray Lampe:
http://www.newsday.com/ny-libbq254357791jul25,1,7684540.story

Another trophy plaque read:
Cabella's
World's Foremost
Bar-B-Que Challenge
1st Place Brisket
Owatonna, MN June 24 & 25 2005

A message board on the Cabella's website indicates the winner was Bonesmokers BBQ, Ray's group. I could not identify the winner of the third trophy:
Bull-O-Rama
2nd Place Ribs - Pork
2002

I did have lunch there off their weekend brunch menu. I ordered their fried breast of chicken served on a waffle. The waffle was a frozen foodservice one, but the chicken was heavenly. I took about 20 minutes to arrive, but it was freshly cooked and very moist. It tasted like it was marinated in buttermilk, then covered with a lightly seasoned coating. The door to the kitchen/food prep area was open, and about half way through my meal, they must have opened a smoker door(s), because one could smell burning wood.

There was nothing to indicate who won the trophies. Neither Justin Timberlake nor Ray Lampe was there. But, my lunch was great.

Wow! I did not know they still made trophies in that particular style. Kinda looks like circa 1976 League Bowling Championship material.

The previous statement was intended on injecting a little humor back into the atmosphere. Sheesh.