Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Not in Kansas Anymore: Dinner at Fatty 'Cue

Me in Brooklyn is like Dorothy in the Land of Oz: completely lost and clueless in a foreign land. Navigating Manhattan is a piece of cake, but put me anywhere outside of the grid and I am completely helpless. Last night, my cousin and I were to meet at Fatty 'Cue in Williamsburg for dinner. After getting off the L on Bedford Ave., I walked to 91 N. 6th Street, where I realized the restaurant was on S. 6th Street. So I walked for about 5 minutes in what I thought was the right direction, until I noticed the streets ascended from S. 8th to S. 9th, etc. Again, I turned around and finally headed in the right direction. Driven by my insatiable appetite (and Google Maps on my phone), I arrived at Fatty 'Cue at 8:30 (30 minutes after we planned to meet). But I wasn't the only Dorothy in Oz; my cousin also got lost on her way to the place!

We both revived our spirits and tired feet with one of Fatty 'Cue's signature cocktails. I had The 'Cue: rum, smoked pineapple, citrus, Tabasco and Pernod. Sppiiiccy!! But definitely a fun and different drink. Alyssa, my cousin, had the South 6th: gin, cucumber, Thai basil, ginger ale and lemon. Much more refreshing and cooling than mine.

The place itself definitely fit in with the hipster vibe of Williamsburg. Menus on mini clipboards. Dark lighting. Waiters in plaid flannel and thick-rimmed glasses. Sitting there in my Banana Republic outfit and pearls I realized, I was not in Kansas anymore.

As much as our physical journey to Fatty 'Cue was a trip to unknown lands, so was the food. Offering a menu of American BBQ food with Southeast Asian flavors, the food is definitely funky, new, and like nothing you've ever tasted.

Our waiter informed us that the best way to order was to get several plates to share. So we started with the Smoked Eggplant Nam Prik: an eggplant dip that came with scallions, bok choy, pork rinds, and green mango to dip. The dip itself had a great smokey flavor. The pork rinds were extremely salty, but good with the eggplant.

Next came the cucumbers with smoked chili, brown rice vinegar and toasted sesame seeds. The cucumbers were a nice break from the bold flavors of our other dishes, but did seem a little plain in comparison. Our bowl of noodles in a meat broth with chili and scallions was excellent. The noodles had a great, springy texture, and a meaty, smokey flavor from the meat juices.
The star of the meal, and both our favorite dish, was the beef brisket with aioli, chili jam and steamed bao (steamed buns). The bao were like little, fluffy pillows. The brisket was very tender and especially tasty sandwiched in the bao with aioli.

Our dessert was much more traditional and familiar: s'mores pie. A graham cracker crust with fudgy chocolate and toasted marshmallow. Yummmyyy! Not sure that s'mores pie fits in with the whole Southeast Asian flavor theme, but when it comes to dessert, good ol' American pie is fine with me!

Dinner at Fatty 'Cue was an adventure not only out of the Manhattan bubble, but also a culinary excursion to uncharted territory. The hipster vibe and funky menu may be intimidating at first, but Fatty 'Cue serves up some great food that won't leave you wishing "There's no place like home".

Note: The only picture I took was of my drink for 2 reasons:
1. It was too dark to take a good picture on my phone.
2. I feared the hipsters would have chastised me for taking pictures in the middle of their sacred grounds.

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