Route 66 Smokehouse Serves Up Quality BBQ Food on FiDi’s Stone Street
Historic Stone Street and the downtown dining scene may already be flush with good food, large drinks, and lively crowds, but what it doesn’t have is some first-rate barbecue! A spot that works just as well for after-work feasting and carousing as it does for a weekend outing with the kids. Until, that is, Route 66 Smokehouse opened its doors, inviting us all in for American Regional Classics and lots of beers and whiskeys.
Quality BBQ Food That’s Worth The Price
The executive chef here at Route 66 Smokehouse, Billy Kooper, spent time at Blue Smoke (the other good barbecue place downtown, over in Battery Park City), and he really brings a lot of love to this new endeavor. I had four items from the Route 66 Smokehouse menu, and all four really hit the spot. Everything may cost a few bucks more than you want it to, but at least on this night, the quality ingredients and skill in the kitchen definitely helped ease the pain. Take my starter, for example, a tiny pail of Pork Clouds, puffy (as opposed to crackling) fried pork rinds sprinkled with the exact right amount of chili pepper. This is a perfectly executed bar snack, though your $5 six-piece-or-so portion will be gone in seconds.
A Favorite Off The Smokehouse Menu
For my entree I wanted to see how Kooper does with his brisket, the foundation of any barbecue menu, as far as I’m concerned. I’m happy to report that he nails it! I had the ($19, yikes) sandwich, and the meat was outstanding–tender, smoky, and sweet–with enough flavor to stand up to the crunchy slaw, pickled jalapenos, and housemade thousand island dressing. This is a fantastic sandwich. The accompanying sweet potato fries were also pretty great, and my terrific side of sauteed kale provided a textbook example of a kitchen with confidence. Many restaurants would have drenched this in oil, or butter, or buried it in garlic, but Route 66 Smokehouse just allows it to taste like what it’s supposed to taste like: a quick-fried pile of bitterish greens. Add a little salt, and you’re golden. Route 66 Smokehouse, welcome to the neighborhood!
More Information: Route 66 Smokehouse
Route 66 Smokehouse is located on the south end of Stone Street (there’s also an entrance on Pearl), and is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. The downstairs is a wide-open bar area with tables, sports on TV, bankers drinking, etc.; the upstairs houses a couple of quieter, more traditional dining rooms. The decor features just about every cliche you can imagine at a place with Route 66 in its name. For additional information, see Route 66 Smokehouse’s website!
What’s your favorite BBQ restaurant in NYC? If you’ve been to Route 66 Smokehouse, let us know what you thought in the comments!
Posted in Downtown, NYC Dining | Tagged bbq restaurants nyc • downtown nyc bbq restaurants • route 66 smokehouse
