I had the Monday-only All You Can Eat special at Brothers BBQ in SoHo tonight, knowing well I’d be too full for seconds. But the price was right for a combo platter of four different barbequed meats and two sides.
Things started poorly when my server alleged the bar was out of Guinness. (Don’t bars prepare for St. Patrick’s Day runs on the black stuff?) They had nothing on tap stronger than Bud, so I had a pint of that anemic brew. My bread basket was an inspired mix of cornbread, sliced white bread and hush puppies, which I hadn’t eaten since childhood trips to Red Lobster were considered a special treat. But the selection was barely warm and the cornbread was just plain stale.
My meats weren’t much better. Again, in theory, it’s an excellently priced and well-varied mix: a large breast of barbequed chicken, spare ribs, pulled pork and beef brisket. As I’ve suggested in my many BBQ write-ups, I like saucy BBQ and this wasn’t saucy. The chicken, while moist and tender, had little flavor other than a vague smokiness. The spare ribs were greasy and the meat flavorless. The pulled pork was of the vinegar variety, which I’m not a fan of. Merely holding a tender forkful of the meat near my mouth was enough for the pungent vapors to open my sinuses. I had held out the most hope for the brisket, presented in large, well-sauced chunks, but the sauce had the exact industrial-tomato flavor of (I kid you not) SpaghettiOs. I’ve got nothing against SpaghettiOs, per se, but I don’t want my BBQ sauce tasting like ’em.
Not even my side dishes were appetizing. My mac-and-cheese was gummy and bland while my baked beans had no adherence whatsoever; they were more like beans plunked in a watery BBQ sauce.
Booo.
Brothers BBQ
- 225 Varick Street
- (212) 727-2775
- Meal 10 of 52: All-I-Could-Have-Eaten BBQ platter (Monday-only special) ($14.95) and a pint of Bud ($4).