Finally got a chance to Dinosaur BBQ - I've been wanting to try this place out for a long time to see how it compares to other NYC BBQ places like Fette Sau since I heard Dinosaur is supposed to be the best.
Beer Flight: Ape Hanger Ale, Dogfish 90 Minute IPA, Greenpoint Winter Lager, Wildcard - it's great that Dinosaur had flights available, and they even have their own beer (ape hanger). Unfortunately, ape hanger was the worst of the ones I chose (I won't be getting it again).
Tres Hombres - ribs, bbq pork, and beef brisket, mac n cheese, and baked beans – all three proteins were awesome. The sides were really good too, though I think the baked beans at Fette Sau are better.
Sampler Nuevo - chicken, ribs, beef brisket, cole slaw,
and syracuse style salt potatoes – as good as the ribs, pork, and beef were, I
was actually most impressed with the chicken – the apple brine made it really
tender and juicy.
Chocolate Ice Box Pie – way too sweet – you really need ice cream to balance out the chocolate
Some misses with the beer and the dessert is not recommended - however, their BBQ is TOP NOTCH - I can't wait to go back.
I saw the head chef of Ngam competing on Iron Chef and her food seemed pretty good - I also saw that they have $1 oysters during happy hour so I had to give this place a try.
Thai Oyster Shot – Conn. Blue Point oyster, pomelo, Thai mignonette, kaffir lime, tobiko caviar – the dressing is very similar to nuoc cham (which I LOVE) but with the addition of Thai chilies to give it more heat. The flavors balance out really nicely with the tobiko, though I do wish the pomelo was a little more prominent. These oysters were delicious, we ended up getting 3 dozen (they were $.99 during happy hour)
"Peek Gai Tod” Brother Chai’s Chicken Wings – Ngam’s house marinade, tamarind chili sauce, freshly picked apple – pretty good wings, the tamarind sauce was very tasty
“Sai Oor Farang” Thai Burger – 7oz hormone free beef patty, homemade “sai oor” curry paste, cilantro lime mayo, green papaya kraut, Chiang Mai Fries – this is one of the best burgers I’ve had in a while – the flavors were really interesting and the patty itself was really juicy. The Chiang Mai Fries were also really good - kabocha and sweet potato, served with homemade red curry mayo, and sweet and sour peanut relish.
Here’s a link to a burger piece that also has the recipe for Ngam’s burger:
Brussel Sprouts “Prik King” with Bacon – all the flavors were fine, but we both thought that the sprouts themselves weren’t cooked properly (texture seemed like it was overcooked, I’m not sure if they steamed/boiled a bunch before service and just added the other ingredients/sauce to order)
Overall, an excellent meal – I’ll definitely be back.
I’ve been meaning to check out Desnuda for a while because I love ceviche, and more recently I’ve developed a taste for oysters and saw that they had $1 oysters on Sunday and Monday. I also know they do a tea smoked oyster dish and I was curious to see how that would be. It was my friend’s birthday and she is obsessed with oysters, so I thought this place would be perfect for her birthday meal.
Complimentary popcorn with truffle oil and truffle salt – good start to the meal.
Two Dozen Oysters (from New Brunswick Canada) served with Three Sauces – chipotle mignonette, sweet and sour ginger shallot mignonette, and a chuka fu gelee. All three sauces were amazing with the oysters, but my favorite was the chuka fu gelee. Originally when I asked our server what it was, I thought he said tuzazu, which the head chef mentioned was a Japanese dressing. I figured I would research the recipe later since I’ve never heard of a tuzazu dressing in Japanese cuisine. The name is actually chuka fu, which is the Japanese name for a Chinese dressing made of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil, which they made into a gelee. These were the best sauces that I’ve had with oysters, and we were both so impressed that we ended up ordering two dozen more.
Sichuan Tea Smoked Oysters: they also smoke it tableside for you – it’s definitely cool to try, but fairly pricey at 4 oysters for $18
Not my video, but you get a better idea of it here:
Tiradito of Hamachi with Sechuan Peppercorn Infused Ponzu and Sechuan Peppercorn Dust and Thai Chili Oil: this was one of the specials for the day – really good, but verging on being over salty – the balance between the ponzu and chili oil was a bit off and the scallions didn’t have enough punch to cut through the salt. For me this dish was fine since I really like salt, but my friend thought otherwise.
Seared Foie Gras with Seared Tuna with Warm Pear Chutney and Balsamic Reduction: this was another special of the day. Really fantastic dish – everything on the plate complimented the perfectly seared foie gras. However, it’s really expensive for what’s basically an appetizer version of foie gras.
Overall, really good but too expensive – I feel like at the price point we were at, there’s a lot of other places we could’ve gone to have a better meal (though I will definitely be back for the oysters).
