RUB (Righteous Urban Barbeque) NYC
208 West 23rd Street (btw 7th and 8th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 524-4300
Happy Father's Day! We took out DJKung's pops for some barbeque to celebrate. RUB has gotten some solid press ever since they opened a few years back. The wait was not too crazy, and we had fun perusing their menu. Their most impressive item is "The Empire." For $275, you get a whole lotta 'que plus a bottle of champagne. We were more than happy to settle for something less grand, though.
Obviously, their strong point is barbeque, done St. Louis style. Their barbeque is smoked for a lengthy 17 hours, and you can tell the difference. Everything is served on paper-lined plates, giving the place a very informal, picnic-style air.
DJKung's pops got a half-rack of pork spare ribs bbq, with a side of their old fashioned mashed potatoes (not pictured). DJKung's poppa is not much for words when it comes to food... everything is either "it's ok" (meaning that it is so-so), or "it's good," which means that it's awesome. He judged the ribs "good."
Superfatty's dish: fried catfish with french fries and vinegar coleslaw. The catfish portions were quite generous. Catfish being what it is (lean bottom-dwelling freshwater fish), I can't say much about it except that it tasted like catfish. The slaw was exceptionally good--- crunchy, sweet, with that biting pickle taste. Very refreshing. Had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day too!
DJKung ordered the Burt End Dinner. It includes the fatty part of the brisket and is cooked twice until crispy. He picked a side of fried onion strings.
Here's a glamor shot of the burnt end, in all its greasy, porky and heavenly goodness. Yes, DJKung did declare this to be heavenly, it was so good.
Close-up shot of the burnt end. Notice the smoke ring (reddish tinge)on the fork side of the meat, which is a sign of authentic bbq. The veins of fat are also very visible, and add a lot of flavor to the meat.
RUB also has a nice, well-edited selection of beers on tap to go with your bbq. We picked a Fat Bastard (a nice weighty stout), an IPA, and a weissbeir--- all went well with the food.
We were pretty impressed by the bbq here and definitely will hit this joint again soon!
