[Abbylovi]

This BBQ place is by the people behind the beer bar Spuyten Duyvil. They recently opened up in a converted garage, which is a brilliant venue – in the summer time they can simply roll up the door and let the summer air in. They obviously put a lot of thought in the design of the restaurant and I loved the little touches. One cement wall has a beautiful mural of cuts of meat, the beer taps have cleavers, meat tenderizers, etc on top of them, the bar stools are tractor seats (I think), etc. Unfortunately the bar seats are not successful in a practical way, they are terribly uncomfortable and have no backs – this practice must be banned.

The beer list is wonderful and you can order beer by the half pint, pint, half gallon and gallon (!). Beer is served in mason jars, and I’m not sure how I feel about that but it does look purty. Several beers are brewed exclusively for Fette Sau – the Greenpoint Shard is one of them and it is a hoppy delight. Bourbon lovers will delight in the broad selection, I unfortunately did not partake last night.

Okay, on to the meat. Some of it was very good but nothing was great. A meat expert who had gone on another occasion spoke highly of the smoked flank steak, which was the best he’d ever had. Unfortunately that wasn’t available last night. Meat is available by the ¼ pound. Four of us shared pork shoulder, pastrami, ribs, pork belly, pig tail, beans and German potato salad.

The best were the belly and the ribs. Ribs were smoky and porky-tasting. The pastrami wasn't bad either. It had a nice flavorful crust on it but it was a touch too dry. The shoulder was terribly dry, perhaps because it had sat around too long? I'd had pig tail previously at Al di La and loved it there, I think it was fried and de-boned? This one was very chewy and the bone was still there. Wouldn't get it again. Others loved the beans but I thought they were a tad too sweet but did appreciate the copious amount of pork swirled into it.

I’d go back again in a heartbeat. I like the concept and the food is pretty good, if not great. On a Tuesday night, they were completely full. Those of you who are hipster phobic should be warned that this is a hotbed of hipsters.

Fette Sau:
354 Metropolitan Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-963-3404

[Daniel]

Abbylovi, on Apr 18 2007, 09:35 AM, said:

I’d go back again in a heartbeat. I like the concept and the food is pretty good, if not great. On a Tuesday night, they were completely full. Those of you who are hipster phobic should be warned that this is a hotbed of hipsters.

Fette Sau:
354 Metropolitan Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-963-3404

Nice write up.. I really wanted to try this place.. I also want to go to a place with a lot of hipsters.. I think I know what a hipster is but havent seen a bunch of them at one time.. I am fascinated by this group that gets spoken of so much..

[cristina]

Abbylovi, on Apr 18 2007, 08:35 AM, said:

This BBQ place is by the people behind the beer bar Spuyten Duyvil.

Fette Sau:
354 Metropolitan Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-963-3404

Is that like, ¨Listen, fettesau, get your big rump off the sofa.¨?

[BackyardChef]

Daniel, on Apr 18 2007, 10:48 AM, said:

Nice write up.. I really wanted to try this place.. I also want to go to a place with a lot of hipsters.. I think I know what a hipster is but havent seen a bunch of them at one time.. I am fascinated by this group that gets spoken of so much..

Bedford Avenue.....oy. They're everywhere......everywhere. I'm convinced they hatch out of pods and come complete w/ Flock of Seagulls hair and Members Only jackets......

[bonitobroth]

I've been a few times (live nearby) and like it, but have to agree with Abby that the food has been good, not great -- apart from the pork belly which was really good one night. The food is better at Pies & Thighs, but I'd much rather hang out at Fette Sau. They've also got more variety of meats than P&Ts and its very reasonably priced. Booze selection is fantastic (I like the mason jar thing), and it's a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

The space and design is so well done (didn't sit on a barstool)... though they need to work on the ordering system. I haven't been in a couple weeks, so maybe they've worked this out, but it was that the same person taking your order was the same person cutting your meat. And there was only one person doing it. When it's really crowded, like a warm night, the line gets crazy long, snaking in-between the picnic tables.

I've got some pictures on my Flickr page:

As for hipsters, unless you only hang out above 50th street in Manhattan, you're going to encounter them so I think you're just going to have grin and bear it and I'd say Fette Sau has less of them than a lot of places in the WB. They're mostly harmless, anyway.

And Daniel, anyone who uses ODB as their avatar has to be a little hip themselves I would think. (smiley emoticon)

[BackyardChef]

bonitobroth, on Apr 18 2007, 12:30 PM, said:

I've got some pictures on my Flickr page:

As for hipsters, unless you only hang out above 50th street in Manhattan, you're going to encounter them so I think you're just going to have grin and bear it and I'd say Fette Sau has less of them than a lot of places in the WB. They're mostly harmless, anyway.

Mostly harmless...ha.

Nice pics. Thanks for sharing....

[Abbylovi]

bonitobroth, on Apr 18 2007, 12:30 PM, said:

The space and design is so well done (didn't sit on a barstool)... though they need to work on the ordering system. I haven't been in a couple weeks, so maybe they've worked this out, but it was that the same person taking your order was the same person cutting your meat. And there was only one person doing it. When it's really crowded, like a warm night, the line gets crazy long, snaking in-between the picnic tables.

Thankfully they've reworked the ordering system so that one person takes the order and then several people assemble it. No lines last night.
Thanks for the picture of the mural. A thing of beauty.

[Daniel]

bonitobroth, on Apr 18 2007, 11:30 AM, said:

And Daniel, anyone who uses ODB as their avatar has to be a little hip themselves I would think. (smiley emoticon)

I would be hip if it were 12 years ago. I dont think he is hip anymore.. I thought I knew what a hipster looked like until the members only jacket comment.. What I really dont understand is, does hipster describe a person's beliefs and attitudes or, just their dress..

[bonitobroth]

They don't wear Members-Only anymore, though I think those were more of the "hipster dufus" variety anyway.

For more information,

http://www.hipsterhandbook.com/

But don't believe everything you read there, even if its made-up lingo has made it onto the Sopranos.

Fette Sau is worth checking out. ODB is forever hip. RIP.

Daniel, on Apr 18 2007, 02:09 PM, said:

I would be hip if it were 12 years ago. I dont think he is hip anymore.. I thought I knew what a hipster looked like until the members only jacket comment.. What I really dont understand is, does hipster describe a person's beliefs and attitudes or, just their dress..

[BackyardChef]

bonitobroth, on Apr 18 2007, 02:48 PM, said:

They don't wear Members-Only anymore, though I think those were more of the "hipster dufus" variety anyway.

For more information,

http://www.hipsterhandbook.com/

But don't believe everything you read there, even if its made-up lingo has made it onto the Sopranos.

Fette Sau is worth checking out. ODB is forever hip. RIP.

Daniel, on Apr 18 2007, 02:09 PM, said:

I would be hip if it were 12 years ago. I dont think he is hip anymore.. I thought I knew what a hipster looked like until the members only jacket comment.. What I really dont understand is, does hipster describe a person's beliefs and attitudes or, just their dress..

They're all "hipster dufus" material.....The hipster handbook is pretty old, too. But not as old as the Members Only jacket I saw on the hipster dufus this morning on the L train.....Stay cool and listen to Royksopp and glitch hop, or whatever....I think hip is in the mind. If you need the uniform there's something missing.....

And those huge sunglasses have got to go.....but what do I know....I'm still wearing my same old Zen Arcade t-shirt under my suit and tie.......

[nuxvomica]

so i finally made it and really liked it a lot - the space is great, the booze selection vast and very good (ah, those whiskey flights!) and some of the food very good: loved the brisket and spicy pork sausage, mmm... the pork belly was pretty good. pulled pork a little dry, some not so exciting beef something somebody else ordered. ok sides, except for the glorious pickles, which reminded me i don't eat enough pickles. and very reasonably priced.

[Abbylovi]

I went back several months ago and thought that the meat had improved since my first visit. I really like the place.

[Abbylovi]

Back again last night.

This time the fabled smoked flank steak was available (in addition to the flap steak, whatever that is), we of course got that, brisket, beans, pickles and pork ribs. I thought the ribs were the best and while the steak was good, it could have used some more smoke and moist-ness.

My friends (who are no slouches in the meat experience department) thought that Fette Sau is on par with some of the best in Austin. My take? If the meat was juicier and smokier, this would be a must-visit joint.

They now have whisky flights, which I think is a great idea but I didn’t try last night. I had the rye beer again, which I really love.

[StephanieL]

I'm sorry they didn't have the flank steak tonight. I started with the brisket and a couple of baby backs, then added a couple of St. Louis ribs when I saw them added to the menu. I liked those St. Louis ribs the best--they were meaty and had a terrific smoky taste. The brisket and the baby backs were much too fatty, though I did like the touch of sweetness on the ribs. I ended up with a serious case of heartburn.

I have to give props to the broccoli salad. It's very vinegary, maybe a little too much, but it's a good counterpoint to the fat. Plus, it's nice to have a veg side that isn't cole slaw or potato salad.

[StephanieL]

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