My wife, six friends, and I went to Blue Smoke last night for Restaurant Week and I was pleasantly surprised by several things. 1st, contrary to a lot of the postings, we found the service quite good. Unlike many places, our party was seated as we arrived rather than made to wait for all of us. Each of us was given a drink while waiting for the rest of the party, rather than having to wait for all to order. Our server was very attentive and friendly. She answered all of our questions about the menu and was always engaging. If she wasn't checking on us personally, various other waitstaff checked on us and made sure our drinks were refreshed. 2nd, the food was quite good. No, it didn't arrive quickly and it's not the best BBQ I've EVER had, but you can't compare it to the South or Texas or any of those other places. You have to take it for what it's worth because it is some of the best ribs the City has to offer. I know b/c I've eaten at just about all of the BBQ ""joints"" in the City (5 Boros). At least there is a variety of ribs rather than only one choice like most BBQ joints. If you can't stomach that- simply don't go. 3rd, although I personally didn't order from the RW offerings (I got the rib sampler), most of the table did. The portions Blue Smoke gave for RW were very generous - The biggest portions I've ever seen in a RW, and actually bigger than the regular portions of many restaurants. They gave 4 courses rather than the standard 3. Everything on the menu is easily shared and you can save quite a bit of money if you do- even side dishes are easily shared among several people. Considering the prices in other restaurants, Blue Smoke is about average with dinner and drinks being about $50.00 per person (but if you share, it's not so much). The place is part touristy, part scene, but, remember, this is New York City. By definition, the entire City can be described that way. I would definitely go back.
Pros: Food was good, great atmosphere, great for groups.
Cons: It can get loud, but you can't help that.
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