What has happened? This place was once the BBQ restaurant to be. Just went there and seriously had one of the worst meal I had in years. Ordered babyback ribs, beans, mac' cheese, and creamed... More

What has happened? This place was once the BBQ restaurant to be. Just went there and seriously had one of the worst meal I had in years. Ordered babyback ribs, beans, mac' cheese, and creamed spinach. The ribs has the texture and look of dessicated corn beef and I had to spit out a lot of the meat licking that saltlick. Any reheated frozen ribs would taste so much better. And I'm not exaggerating. The side dishes are equally awful. The beans are unsurpassably pedestrian. The mac' cheese is a pile of goo of condensed butter I felt I just gulp down a bottle of tacky glue. The creamed spinach has astronomical sodium level. I walked out of the place very bewildered, and as I walked away I was infuriated by extremely low quality of the food. Any deli counter can whip up a more tasty combination. This place is hopeless if they keep serving this kind of food. I will never go back. Pros: front desk Cons: food
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Entering this must stop-over for most native New Yorkers, you would think you were going to sit in a familiar bar. Instead, your lead to a sprawling rear area, in-where people are laughing, eating... More

Entering this must stop-over for most native New Yorkers, you would think you were going to sit in a familiar bar. Instead, your lead to a sprawling rear area, in-where people are laughing, eating and enjoying this spectacular experience. I began my meal will an appetizer of Fat Back with a peanut butter & jelly vinaigrette. I know, but it was one of the most amazing app I have ever tasted and I'm quite a table hopper in this town. Then, me and my best friend had an assortment of ribs that were to much to finish and overwhelming in fantastic taste. Not only was a doggy bag prepared, we added ribs and dessert for the road. If you haven't dined here, do it now!!! I don't care what anyone tells you, find out why the place stays packed, the location is convenient and the experience haunts you to return. If at all possible, bring an inflatable bed to sleep it off before leaving, they will feed you into a coma. Pros: Unique apps, drinks and an assortment of ribs Cons: None
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I choose this restaurant because I wanted to try a new place and what better time to see what NYC has to offer than Restaurant Week 2009. So I was a little nervous when I saw a packed bar and... More

I choose this restaurant because I wanted to try a new place and what better time to see what NYC has to offer than Restaurant Week 2009. So I was a little nervous when I saw a packed bar and restaurant but graciously planned ahead by making a reservation. Reservations are recommended so that the tension of waiting is void. Once seated I was blown away by the food and the service. I had the BBQ spare ribs with collard greens and the ribs fell right off the bone. The drinks were pretty good and the staff was friendly. I will def go back with a crowd and have some more of that homegorwn sauce. Check it out for yourself and enjoy! Pros: Delicious food Cons: Reservations recommended
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This place was awesome. We ordered the chipotle wings, spicy cheese fries and fried calamari. Everything was so good. The restaurant decor is really cool as well - wide open space with a... More

This place was awesome. We ordered the chipotle wings, spicy cheese fries and fried calamari. Everything was so good. The restaurant decor is really cool as well - wide open space with a city-meets-southern BBQ Pit kind of feel. Huge fan of Shake Shack, and Danny Meyer is equally as impressive here. No drawbacks - this place is a ust go. Pros: Delicious Food, Great Ambiance Cons: None
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I just came back from a $400+ client dinner. When the bill came, which was already over the top, I noticed there were ITEMIZED olive charges. The restaurant charged us for olives that were in the... More

I just came back from a $400+ client dinner. When the bill came, which was already over the top, I noticed there were ITEMIZED olive charges. The restaurant charged us for olives that were in the martinis. I will NEVER go back. I am a New Yorker, and consider myself pretty forgiving, but to have "olive" charges on the bill for all of the martinis is ridiculous and appalling, and I would not recommend Blue Smoke. In addition, I told the waitress that this was unheard of, and she still did not remove the olive charges from the bill. Too many great restaurants in NYC that serve great food and service, to ever go back. Pros: None. Cons: Charged us for the olives in martinis, didn't take off bill
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We went to Blue Smoke during restaurant week in the hopes of having a good and filling lunch. It was plain and simply bad- both food and service. We arrived just before 3pm to be told that the lunch... More

We went to Blue Smoke during restaurant week in the hopes of having a good and filling lunch. It was plain and simply bad- both food and service. We arrived just before 3pm to be told that the lunch menu was not available, only the Dinner menu. Our waiter was on his first day so he was not completely to blame but as I surveyed the restaurant, which was only half full, I noticed that sevaral tables were getting impatient waiting for their food. I understood this only too well as it took 50 minutes for our order to arrive at our table. The waiters did not seem to be in a rush on this particular Saturday, they were more busy chatting to each other than serving their customers. When our food finally arrived it was dissapointing. I had orderred the Texas Salt and Pepper Beef Ribs. Out came a plate of bones with a little meat on them. Well to be fair, 1 of the 4 ribs did have some meat of it, the other 3 seemed to have been scraped of most of the meat before they arrived at our table. My companions were equally dissapointed. They had 2 Blue smoke Burgers and a Pulled Pork Sandwich. All the vegetables that came with our food were either cold or luke warm. The mashed potatos were watery and the salad partially wilted. To serve up this bad meal took 50 minutes and cost us over $150 (including 2 beers and 2 bloody mary's in total) In short, bad service, lousy food and a complete rip-off. This is not worth a visit. Pros: Location Cons: Bad Food, Lousy Service, Over Priced and Over Hyped.
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I've tried quite a few BBQ joints in NY, and until I ate at Blue Smoke I'd never has a bad meal. However, that streak ended tonight as soon as the first bite of my pulled pork open face sandwich... More

I've tried quite a few BBQ joints in NY, and until I ate at Blue Smoke I'd never has a bad meal. However, that streak ended tonight as soon as the first bite of my pulled pork open face sandwich reached my lips. I was immediately horrified that the meat was extremely, overwhelmingly salty. Not salty the way pulled pork should be -- smoky, moist, BBQ-y with a bit of a salty taste. This pork was nothing but salt. Horrendous. I reached for the BBQ sauce, hoping to mask the flavor with a few generous shakes of sauce. Again, disappointment. The sauce was watery, thin, and so mildly flavored it could barely qualify as BBQ. Ok then. I switched tactics and sampled my side dish of baked beans. Mistake. They tasted like they were mixed in tomato sauce with green peppers stirred in. Ugh. Needless to say, i was really unhappy with my meal. My friend was happily eating his ribs and mac and cheese and loving every bite. I sampled the mac --it was pretty good. On the plus side, the service was good, and the setting was very pleasant and comfy. But it all comes down to the food and the bottom line is, Blue Smoke did NOT fit the bill.
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Blue Smoke is by definition a restaurant but that category does not do it justice as it is light years apart from any other place that calls itself a BBQ place. I think Smokehouse is a better... More

Blue Smoke is by definition a restaurant but that category does not do it justice as it is light years apart from any other place that calls itself a BBQ place. I think Smokehouse is a better definition but regardless of what you call it you will find some damn fine eating there. My personal favorite is the Texas Salt n Pepper ribs which is amazing and don't worry no sort of honey/molasses BBQ sauce is slathered over your food it's all good cooking.
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