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CUISINE: Barbeque
NEIGHBORHOOD: Upper West Side

428 Amsterdam Avenue
t. 212 501 7515
I have day dreams about barbeque. There's North Carolina style, served near a beach with hush puppies and seasoned with vinegar. There's Southern pulled pork, with collard greens and sauce that makes your eyes water. There's the beef briskets and mop sauces of Texas and the dry-rubbed meats of Memphis, there's Australia's shrimp on the bar-b, and Korea's "fire meat," and then there's traditional hot-dogs-and-burgers-on-the grill American backyard fare.
Brother Jimmy's will try to capitalize on your barbeque fantasies. They offer all kinds of barbeque and all kinds of sides. Instead of focusing on one region, and doing it authentically, and well, their menu tries to cover a broad geography of meat. They've spread themselves too thin.
Disclaimer: I did not try the ribs. A friend who I was dining with informed me you can't measure a smoke joint until you've tried their ribs. Well, I tried their green beens, which were undercooked, and their corn bread, which was bad (hard, small, greasy) and their pulled pork, which was under seasoned. Even if the ribs were orgasm-inducing, I'm not sure it would make up for the rest of the food.
Their decor is kitsch-to-the-max — "put some south in yo' mouth." Let's not be too judgmental: the place is first and foremost a casual Upper West Side hangout and bar. It does not consider itself, nor aspire to be in the same league as the Blue Smokes or Hill Countrys' or any number of the finer BBQ places in the city — but that's the point: there are finer places to have barbeque.
Posted in FOOD on April 22, 2010 2:00pm by Rachel Hochhauser | 20 comments
Comments
Well good thing you aren't the one reviewing it then. P.S. you didn't say one positive thing about the FOOD...which is...the point...of this website
THE RIBS ARE AMAZING! And the wings! It's all about the right setting and atmosphere. I think 2:30 pm on an empty Saturday afternoon when the sunny day was marred by unpleasant wind chill doesn't exactly set the best tone for a dining experience much less a time for BBQ. Look, I'm not saying its the best bbq in New York, but I'm saying, for the right atmosphere and state of mind (i.e. beer buzzed), Brother Jimmy's is just perfect. Granted that was my first time at the Upper West location instead of the two Upper Easts. Maybe I am not only jaded from my uptown-ness but also my east-ness? I mean, I agree our meal would have warranted a "not worth it" as well but still....... just be ready for this summer when we are all uptown for some reason, a little drunk from wine and beer, playing Beatles Rock Band and it runs around 1 am. JUST SEE WHAT YOU ARE CRAVING! Brother Jimmy's will seem like the food of the gods.
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We are young (early 20's) and hungry (for knowledge! music! art! food!) friends living on (or in areas which border) Manhattan. We moved to the city seeking higher education, and an alternative to frat parties and gin buckets. We prefer a bottle of Chianti to a keg, lunches at City Bakery to a dining hall, Joe's to Starbucks, Frankie's Amatriciana to Batali's. Our uniting factor is our love for food. For detailed, personal information, keep reading.
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UN.FAIR. As the "friend who I was dining with," I call malarky. Yes, there are finer places to get BBQ, but do any of those places deliver? Nope. Well, my guess is that Blue Smoke doesn't (well, they offer take-out). But as an uptowner, I'm sorry, I just can't knock Bro. J's. It is a staple to uptown nightlife. I owe so much to this place. So many high school nights of poker, or video games, or just straight up drinking were catered by ribs, pulled chicken, and wings (I was much fatter). I can never "not worth it" this place. I'm sorry.