The hype has died down, and it’s close enough to my office that there’s no reason not to go try Picnick, Smoked. You may recall that I really detested Picnick when I went 2 years ago. Maybe not. But I did… but I LOVE BBQ, so whatever.
As you can see by the above pic, there was no line when I went. Why? Because this was the Friday before Labor Day, and the Financial District was pretty empty. The hype died down, the line was gone, and I could finally comfortably go – I’m sure I’ve mentioned a ton of times that I’m a huge brat, and don’t like waiting on lines. Especially when it’s super sunny out and I have to stand in the sun… I’m not cut out for that. (It actually creates health issues for me, but even minus the sun, I hate standing in line. I embrace my brattiness.)
I ordered the complete package meal deal – I forget what it’s called, Lil Piggy maybe? – drink, meat, side, and dessert, because I wanted dessert. Will Goldfarb is known for desserts, and I’d enjoyed his panna cotta, so, why not? I requested root beer, but the guy behind the counter – who I thought was Will, but then it wasn’t, and I was just confused – kind of young, hipster lookin’ guy who was REALLY nice – pulled out a “Creamy Red Birch Beer” – which I’d never seen before, so I snagged that one instead. Yum! It tasted like birch beer, but it was reddish in color.
I’d planned on getting Kobe beef brisket, but they were out; then I wanted pulled pork, but the nice guy was all “We have beef ribs” (it’s a special, so there’s a $1 surcharge for the meal-deal) and I can’t resist ribs. It was going to be a slow afternoon at work anyway. Garlic bread on top…
MASSIVE pile of ribs underneath. The fat is delicious, I don’t care what anyone says. The only problem here is (and there are no further pics of the ribs, because once I started eating, that was it for pics) that the meat was tender… but slightly bland. Salt was nowhere to be found, so I snagged some BBQ sauce, which was quite tangy and had a good kick, surprising my tongue. Delicious… though finishing this whole lunch put me out of commission for the rest of the day. Burp. Yes, I ate the fat, or most of it.
Creamy potato salad – pretty good, needed a little salt (which I didn’t have! They don’t put salt out on the tables!) but REALLY creamy. Not for you if you don’t like mayo.
My dessert – I almost took the cookies, but the guy working the counter said I should try the apple tart, because he made it. I obliged. I could have sworn he said it was apples on top of almond praline, but I know fo’sho that’s not praline or not praline how I know it. Whatever. This tart was f*cking amazing. OMFG. The apples were delicious but the bottom, soft, slightly cakey, crumbly, and just… oh my, I want the recipe, even though I’ll never make it – I just want to find someone to make it for me. Oh, Mr. Nice Guy working there…???
Beyond that… I actually returned a week later, intending to try the pulled pork, but they had Kobe beef brisket, so why the heck wouldn’t I get THAT? Mmm! I got another meal-deal because it was totally worth it.
The housemade lemonade was super tart with a slight sweetness, really good… if you like lemonade and tart things. I do (which is why I ordered it!).
A better pic of the bread, since last time, I didn’t take one. I liked the bread because it’s garlicky – but not overwhelming, and crispy, something nice to temper your tongue between bites of whatever.
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I opted for the cole slaw this time, which was really creamy. Seriously, if you’re squeamish about mayo, pass on both the mayo-based sides, but this one in particular. I mean, wow. It almost got me… and I LOVE mayo.
So, I went on a very rainy Friday afternoon – no line again, the week after Labor Day – not just because I didn’t bring my lunch that day, but because I’ve read before that smoked items are even better when it’s rainy out; something about the moisture and smoke really penetrating the items. Yum. You see that ring of fat? I ate the fat. YES I DID. And it was smokey, salty, delicious.
Here’s a pic with the BBQ sauce they gave me – almost not enough. This sauce wasn’t quite as spicy as the week before, but still a nice kick to it that gave my tongue the tingles. The meat was super tender – rainy day WIN!!! – but needed a bit of salt. Sigh. However, eaten with the fat and a slight dip of BBQ sauce… zomg so damn good I cry big fat tear of joy!
And at $11 for the deal… so worth it, since the Kobe beef brisket by itself is $8.50 alone.
My coworker had the pulled pork and really liked it, so next rainy day, I might go back for that…
Yvo says: I was wary of the hype and the crowds. The hype and the crowds have died out, and luckily, I never saw any hype that said OMG BEST BBQ EVER cuz it’s not. Location-wise, though, it’s only a few blocks from work, and it definitely fills part of the void of good food down here in the Financial District. The prices are not prohibitively expensive, and it’s definitely tasty enough that I will return, and am welcoming them to the area with open arms. Please don’t block me from getting my ‘cue when I want it, though – I will spork you 🙂
recommended
Picnick, Smoked
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Arm70 says
Wow. That tart DOES look amazing!
Cosilicious says
Hey Yvo! Cosilicious here … I saw that scrumptious chef first! He's adorable and his food is to die for. when do you want to go back? I want to get ribs next wednesday…
Cosilicious says
PS fantastic writeup!
Jenn says
OK, If I had the recipe for that tart, I would SO try to make that. Looks supremely tasty.
As for the BBQ, that looks darn good too.
Anonymous says
He probably didn't say praline- he probably said almond CREAM, or Frangipane.