Last Friday we took the journey up to Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem. My Uncle had bought my brother and I two gift certificates to the Upstate New York based BBQ joint and we wasted no time using them. It was a cold night but the idea of those super tasty wings kept us warm on the short walk from the subway to 131st st and the river, their downstate home. As we approached, the neon glow of the letters heated us up even more than the brisk walk and imaginary food running through our minds. Although, once inside the 2 hour wait put a bit of a “slow roast” on our hunger.
With some creative thinking and luck we maneuvered ourselves into the bar and staked a claim at the end of a long table occupied by a family from Greece. Julia, second from the left(below), lived around the corner and was nice enough to invite us to the table. Our crew was Jim, Catherine, Anthony and me.
Order one and two, medium wings. 26 of them in all their BBQ, beefy glory. 4 beers followed. We made quick work of that. Time for round 2. Ribs, mac and cheese, syracuse salted potatoes, hot link, brisket and corn bread. All amazing but the most interesting and surprising was those boring looking potatoes. They are very deceiving. They pack a deliciously moist salty punch.
Round three or four, who’s counting, was Slaw, pulled pork sandwich and baked bean w/ham hocks in them of course!
So now that our stomachs were full and we could barely move, a killer blues band started up and next thing we knew we are all dancing the night away. Catherine got a special show from the lead singer and guitarist. The night ended with the 4 of us and our new friends (the greek family and mostly everyone sitting at the bar) completely full, totally sweaty from dancing and ready for more. The band ended and we said our goodbyes. We dragged ourselves back out into the cold and shuffled off as the last bit of neon warmth faded into the distance. We will certainly be back soon.
Dinosaur Barbecue
646 W 131st St
New York, NY 10027
(212) 694-1777
www.dinosaurbarbque.com
