Best ever 'cue at Bourbon BBQ

Bourbon BBQ
529 Goffle Road
Wyckoff, NJ 07181
(877) 774-7427 (77-4-RIBS)
www.bourbonbbq.com

After a pleasant browsing experience at Then & Now, we went to this very unasuming BBQ joint on Wyckoff Road, practically in the middle of nowhere, entirely on a whim. DJKung was hungry and there were literally no other places that we knew of in this mostly residential area. UFC agrees that this has been our best find in a looong time.

The menu is certainly very intriguing, and they have catering too, which they seem to do a very brisk business in. While waiting for our order, we noticed their delivery truck with the chef and sous chef (DJKung said that he could tell from their jackets, who knew) loading trays and trays of food. DJKung then eavesdrops on the boss' instructions to the two young men behind the counter:

CHEF TALKING TO STAFF IN A MOBSTER/GODFATHER VOICE: "So what you do is take the order, take the money, and give the food. Take the order, take the money, and give the food.... Anyone give you any trouble, just kick 'em out. Anyone give you any trouble, just kick 'em out."

Then the chef and sous chef leave. The place was pretty quiet by then, because it was a very nice Saturday afternoon (4-ish) before the dinner rush.

We entertained ourselves by admiring the two (expensive) smokers and the various rubs, sauces and bbq accoutrements on display for sale. The decor was very pit-stop-meets-a-60's midwestern diner-in-the-middle-of-nowhere look. From the rolls of paper towels propped up on each table, the very smoky spice mix from the shakers, and the thin-and-spicy barbeque sauce on the tables, we were convinced that this was a SERIOUS place. And so it was.

French fries and the ribs appetizer with onion rings. Frankly, DJKung was quite rapturous about how this was THE BEST barbeque he'd ever had. Even his dad stated that it was "good" (which meant it was excellent).

The barbeque here is made Southern-style, but we were not sure of the provenance. Kentucky and I think Tennessee were thrown out by some of the review articles posted on the walls. The ribs are prepared much wetter (and messier) than at RUB, fall-off-the-bone tender, with a nice smoke ring. DJKung stated that it the ribs at Bourbon were on par with the burnt ends at RUB, which if I recall correctly, was one of the more specialty dishes.

The onion rings were just dang good... fried to perfection and with no sogginess at all. The onion taste was all there too.

Blackened salmon wrap.

I was not hungry at all, but to be a good sport, I got the blackened salmon wrap. And finished it all. The salmon was prepared on the dry side, and was hauntingly sweet, smoky and spicy. It came with some greens and a kick-ass remoulade. It was just WOW. The pickles were soggy.

DJKung remarked that it was rally cool that this place only served RC colas, which gave Bourbon extra nostalgia points. Not a lot of places carry RC anymore, and it fit in with the whole "back in the days" feel of Bourbon.

DJKung and I agreed that this place was much more than meets the eye. From the two dishes we've had, there were just too many special little touches that really place the cooking here to gourmet stuff. From rooting around on the internets, we notice that the chef here is/was affiliated with a fancy-pants restaurant in nearby Ridgewood, which explains the little classical cooking details.

With the value and quality 'cue that we had this day, we've added Bourbon BBQ to SUPPERROTATION status. We cannot wait to try more.

Give a Father's Day RUB [Righteous Urban BBQ]!

Under fun:

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!