Dinosaur BBQ (NYC)

[phaelon56]

For those interested, we've scanned Dinosaur's menu in Adobe Acrobat PDF format:

Dinosaur BBQ NYC Menu (Click Here, Adobe Acrobat Reader Needed)

Dinosaur BBQ, a Syracuse NY based blues 'n BBQ restaurant, has just announced plans to open a Manhattan location. Their original Syracuse location has good live local and national blues acts almost every night and their more recently opened Rochester location has followed suit.

IMHO their ribs are a trifle overrated but it is a good smoky Q and their pulled pork is just about the best you'll ever try anywhere. The Syracuse location is just way too crowded for my taste but I do get takeout from them on occasion now that I'm living in the 'cuse again.

To put the level of their success into perspective..... I attempted to go there this afternoon with some friends who are visiting - at 3 PM in the afternoon on a Saturday (when there was nothing going on in downtown Syracuse and every other restaurant and bar was empty)..... there was a ONE HOUR wait for a table. Although I haven't tried all the usual suspects in NYC, I suspect that they'll blow away Virgil's, Pearson's, Tenesee Mountain and anyone else in NYC. I haven't tried Blue Smoke but think that the Dino will equal them on some dishes and fall short on a few others but come in at a far lower price tag in the process.

Their signature ambiance is best described as biker bar chic - think Hogs 'n Heifers with no girls dancing on the bartop but plenty of good musice and Q.

One of the owners will be on site full time to run the operation (a very good thing - absentee ownership seems to be the major downfall of expansions).

Location is to be "west Harlem" at or around the intersectrion of 12th and 131st. IMHO they do a darn good job for a northeastern BBQ restaurant - not fantastic but they seem to get plenty of raves in occasional post both here and in Chowhound.

Edited January 5, 2005 by phaelon56 (log)

[herbacidal]

but how do they compare to Daisy May, which according to my perception of how the wind is blowing in Egullet City, is the current king of the BBQ hill?

[phaelon56]

Who in the heck is Daisy May?

[MHesse]

Who in the heck is Daisy May?

Look here. Also very far west, but on 46th St.

Dinosaur may have a wee bit of trouble attracting clientele to that location. Seems like one would require a car to get there.

-mh

[bilrus]

Did anyone else look at the title of this and think of Fred Flintstone's car tipping over under the weight of his bronto ribs at the drive through?

[Suzanne F]

Actually, that's pretty close to the uptown Fairway. And not very far from the 125th Street and 137th Street stops on the #1 train -- easier to get to than Daisy May.

[R Washburn]

That location is going to be right on top of Columbia's new campus. I am sure they will do fine, with Fairway shoppers+locals+Columbia students.

[phaelon56]

You can also expect to see their bottled sauces in Fairway not long after they open. They started small with a few Wegman's stores here in the Syracuse area and they've gone far beyond. They also sell a darned good 1 lb pakc of frozen pulled pork that typically retails at $7.99.

[tryska]

well this is good news.

i wonder where all the bikers will park their hogs tho.

[woodburner]

Does anyone hear how they will be cooking, at the new location? I believe they use woodburing pits in Syracuse, but will they be able to obtain the necessary permits in NYC/West Harlem to cook with wood.

I've been to both places in upstate NY and thought the bbq meat taste, flavor, was more than acceptable.

woodburner

[phaelon56]

There's been no word yet on the issue fo where they'll do the actual smoking. The only publicity, per se, was a few paragraphs in the local paper mentioning the expansion and indicating that they'd secured the location.

[GordonCooks]

As a patron of the Rochester location - they will probably have a commercial smoker constructed on site. The Food was fantastic when they opened but it has gone a little down hill in the past year or so.

[Jared SH]

Have we got playa haters in the house?

I've lived on and off in syracuse and NYC for years and have eaten at the Dino' about 600 times.

Sure, there are inconsistancies, as there are everywhere, but the food is simply wonderfull (pulled pork, ribs, chicken, brisket...plus specials: bbq duck, the best brined chicken I've ever had...)

I've met John Stage, and he's great, really into food, and the guys in the 'cuse do a great job, Fredom, Garth and everyone.

The NYC branch will be a great addition to the food scene, I'll be there often.

I've worked for years cooking fancy food, but I crave Dino above all else.

This will be a great restaurant.

[woodburner]

Any news yet? Are they close to opening?

woodburner

[phaelon56]

I've been told that it will be Spring if they can get everything done and lined up in time re/permits etc. but if not Spring than they might push it back to the end of summer.

In the meantime... another upstate NY group has opened shop in the city - Gimme! Coffee of Ithaca is now in Williamsburg Brooklyn. It's a must visit - I can state with confidence that you're likely to get the best espresso shots currently being pulled on the east coast.

[phaelon56]

Update on Dino BBQ: they have been selected to do the BBQ for the August 2004 annual BBQ dinner at James Beard House in NY.

They have also been said to receive some kudos from Jeffery Rosengarten in his Rosengarten report newsletter but I have no idea of the contents.

If they're doing the Beard House event I think we can hazard a guess that they'll be open in NYC before then, even if it's a soft opening.

[phaelon56]

Newest update: Construction crews are now said to be on site and the opening is slated for mid September, just a couple months away. I'll try to find out if there's a soft opening planned and see if we get a small eGullet group in there to try the NYC location.

They promise construction photos on the web site but there are none there yet.

[lambretta76]

I am eagerly awaiting this opening. I love the original in Syracuse and look forward to clogging my arteries further...

[phaelon56]

Update from the Dinosaur BBQ office as of today:

After wading through the boondoggle of NYC legal/zoning/code issues they are making great progress. There was some wading through water in the basement as well but it appears that the mechanical problems have also now been resolved.

Opening date is scheduled for mid to late October. There will be a soft opening and they are very open to / interested in having a group of eGulleteers visit for a group meal during that period (or after that time if we can't arrange a group for then). Current photos will be up on their web site in a few days. When I get a definite confirmation of soft opening date I'll post a proposal in this forum for an eG group outing and see if we can get some folks together to try it out.

[mjr_inthegardens]

I. am. so. down.

-mjr

[weinoo]

Update from the Dinosaur BBQ office as of today: 

There will be a soft opening and they are very open to / interested in having a group of eGulleteers visit for a group meal during that period (or after that time if we can't arrange a group for then).

I'm in as well!

[tommy]

sounds excellent.

[Mulcahy]

Me too!

[Daniel]

Me too

[phaelon56]

Alrighty then. I'll find out what's involved in setting it up as an "eGullet event" and start a separate thread with a proposed date and info once the folks at Dino can give me confirmation on a definite date for the soft opening. Look for the thread to appear within the next two weeks or so.