Hometown Bar-B-Que smokes the best meats in NYC. Since smoked meats are quite literally my favorite food, it is no surprise that I absolutely love them.
My wife also knows this, and she conspired with several other wives to make this past Father's Day a delicious one by ordering The Tailgate, a feast that serves 6-8. It comes with:
8 Sticky Ribs, 8 Vietnamese Wings (whole, meaning it's 16 wings that you'd get elsewhere), 2 lbs of Brisket, a Whole Wood Fired Chicken, 8 pieces of cornbread, and 4 sides (we got mac and cheese, slaw, pickles, and collard greens).
The sticky ribs are, flavor-wise, everything I always want to eat. The wings are excellent. The brisket deserves the title at Brisket King that Billy Durney has won, and this past order, I was actually most impressed with the chicken. As juicy and flavorful as chicken can possibly be, to the point where I wasn't sure which meat was my favorite.
In short, this is an incredible feast that no one in their right mind could ever complain about receiving.
And while I am not in my right mind, I do want to be clear that I am not complaining here (I would never drop a star or anything), just offering some constructive criticism that would make this incredible feast even better for future customers (which will certainly include me again):
1. It should include some of Hometown's excellent two sauces, standard. I'm perfectly happy to eat their award-winning brisket sauceless, but some folks are not, which was kind of a bummer for them. Also, a little sauce is an excellent addition to the mac and cheese, among other things.
2. The sides are too small. A pint of mac and cheese (especially Hometown's excellent queso version) and a pint of slaw is simply not enough to match the amount of meat here. The ratio is wrong. I'd order that much for two-three people, and so it's definitely not enough for eight. Also, the food cost on slaw is minimal...please just give us a quart to cut through all that tasty brisket fat.
3. It would be amazing if there was some flexibility in terms of what comes in The Tailgate, or perhaps if other combinations were available. While I love the Sticky Ribs with all my heart, the Spare Ribs are the ones I run to. The ones I belong to.
These ribs are absolutely phenomenal. As someone who has smoked a fair bit of meat myself (and makes a mean rib), I cannot replicate the simple, rib perfection that Hometown has here. They seem to be meat, salt, pepper, and smoke, and it's one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth. I would love to stage for the pitmasters for a week or two so I could learn the secrets of the spare ribs, or at least be able to swap them in for something else.
Anyway, Hometown, you're the best. Thanks for being you. read more